For colleges that have “level of applicant’s interest” considered checked, how much will it hurt to not visit? Will it hurt a lot if you don’t visit a college that is in your same state? What about if the college is way out of state(l live in the midwest and I am applying to colleges in the east coast and west coast)?
For colleges that have “level of applicant’s interest” considered checked, your level of interest will be one of the factors considered; it could be a tipping factor. To potentially increase your chances, establish personal contact with the admissions rep for your area, saying you would like to visit if you could (if indeed you would).
I think college admissions officers will understand that you haven’t been able to visit since you live out of state. Contact your regional admissions counselor and let them know how interested you are in the school and ask them any questions you have.
I think for colleges close to home it is harder to explain. Colleges farther away get it. If they have a "Why College x/’ essay, be sure you really dig into the website for details on why that college. A generic essay without any display of interest can hurt you at those colleges that consider interest.
You really need to visit the campuses. Not so much for being admitted, but for getting the feel of the campus. Seeing the college on the web vs. actually walking the campus is very telling.
All 3 of my kids did campus visits. All 3 immediately knew when a campus didn’t feel right. If you are going to live somewhere for 4 years and study hard and socialize, you need to feel comfortable with the layout, the activities, the weather, the transportation, the local amenities, etc.
Students who have preconceived notions about some schools, like our schools in California, really need to visit. People tend to assume the whole state is a big beach.
@“aunt bea” while I agree with you that people should visit campuses, some people (like myself) aren’t able to justify spending money flying across the country until after being accepted. OP was asking about whether not visiting before sending in his application would hurt his chances “admissions wise.”
@sophie9999, I understand that costs can hinder a student’s visits but, as a parent, who has spent a LOT of money I couldn’t afford in tuition and plane flights, the visits are/were really crucial. Visiting campus with my 3 kids eliminated some schools they thought they REALLY wanted to attend.
I have a friend who works in one of our local universities’ adcom office. She has told us some really sad stories of students who were accepted, paid deposits, and flew out to start school, with some major issues upon arrival.
For instance, we have 4 major universities in our California city with similar sounding names. She has mentioned that several students show up, per year, at her university, wondering why they don’t have housing, ID cards, etc. They pull out their paperwork, iPhone info, and show proof that they were admitted, only to learn that they applied to another one of the local universities, with a similar sounding name. Or worse, in another city in California! If parents accompany the student, they get really upset, and insist that the university immediately accommodate and admit their student. They are then given addresses for the other local universities. These are intelligent students, but for some reason, they don’t check addresses or confirm names. I really don’t know how it happens, but it does.
My friend’s uni doesn’t have a “college” appearance and has a campus that looks like a business park. Students, who have never visited before move-in day, complain that the school wasn’t what they expected. They often think the campus is supposed to be on the beach and insist that they are at the wrong college because they’ve seen beach views on the web.
I get that the budget doesn’t permit visits, but you have to live there for four years, so you need to like the environment and activities.
@“aunt bea” I wasn’t talking about showing up when the semester starts, I was talking about some people may only be able to visit after being accepted and before national candidates reply date in May. Sorry if I was unclear.
Also, that’s really interesting (and somewhat funny/sad) that people would show up to the wrong school thinking they were admitted! Do you mind sharing the names of those schools?
@hsseniior2, sorry to go off of your thread; bear with me.
@sophie9999, USD, UCSD, SDSU, SDCC but so far, no confusion with CSUSM
Also, some people show up who were admitted to UCSB, or UCSC! Some students think they’ve applied to USC and actually hit the wrong link for USD!
It is more expensive to visit on short notice after acceptances, and usually logistically impossible to get up more than a few far flung schools. Not to mention how pressure packed April becomes when priorities and preferences aren’t clear because the student hasn’t set foot on campus. Especially if they start realizing they don’t really want to attend the schools they applied to.
I would “show interest” in a different way…like going to college fairs or local info sessions or alumni interviews or asking admissions counselor if you can talk to somebody at the college from your area.
I had two friends who had interviews for Carnegie Mellon, stayed for a weekend and took classes there, basically demonstrated immense interest and didn’t get in. I didn’t have an interview and never visited CM but got waitlisted. I think if I demonstrated more interest I’d have had a shot at getting in.
So in retrospect, I believe demonstrated interest is the factor that separates a qualified applicant from an accepted student in certain situations.
We visited any schools we could, except three she has applied to (12 total.) The unvisited ones were either ten hours away by car, or a necessary plane ride. When she has all her acceptances, we will visit the unvisited ones, presuming she doesn’t get in to her top choices. It is possible that visiting might result in a “eureka” moment, but unless the need to visit is there, we won’t do it. I don’t think there is just one school she can be happy at, and all the schools she applied to are great.