<p>Basically what the title is. What do you say when you contact them, and when should you start contacting them?</p>
<p>You’re under the false assumption that they WANT to speak with you or develop a relationship with you. Most do not.</p>
<p>Only a small amount of colleges – those who represent colleges that aren’t so well known or where “fit” is extremely important – only they want to hear from you and gauge your enthusiasm for their college. </p>
<p>As to what to ask: ask yourself: what’s important to you? After researching their webpages, what is still unknown to you? </p>
<p>@T26E4 Your description of the small amount of college that want to hear from me fits the school perfectly. I am not doing this for big name schools like Stanford. I just want to make the best impression on my first choice and other small schools. </p>
<p>I’ve already contacted a department head (Face to face) and the orchestra conductor (by email), because those are my main interests. I’ve researched quite a bit about admission, so I have no questions at this point. Which still leaves me confused as to what I should communicate with the regional officer about. </p>
<p>There is really only one reason to do so - there’s something other sources can’t answer and you need to know the answer to fill out your application or FA forms. If you’re just searching for a reason to contact them, that’s going to be pretty obvious and annoying. Though I’d say that most of the time they are well aware of the game and unless you make a pest of yourself, they won’t ding you, but you aren’t gaining any points by contacting them unnecessarily.</p>
<p>Of course, if they happen to be visiting your school or are at a college fair in your area, of course you want to go meet with them and say “hi”, but outside of those contexts or a unique question, there’s really no reason to do so.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 That’s also what I initially thought, but I’m still a little envious of the people who say they made great friendships with admissions officers, which they believed helped them a lot.</p>
<p>I know they want to believe that, but the vast majority of kids are accepted without even knowing who their regional AOs are. </p>
<p>Take the converse of their argument - how many kids think they are great friends of their AO and then get rejected? Do they tell anybody that? No, of course not, you only hear the “success” stories. It’s sort of like gambling - I think I am the only person who has ever gone to a casino and lost. It’s amazing how those places stay in business.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 That’s true. But another question, do you think it would be okay to ask them about a specific part of the school I’m confused about? I went for a visit, but I’m still not quite sure how students play a part in a particular aspect of the school. Should I find the directors, or just contact the admission regional officer? It would be fussy, I think, to find a bunch of directors (because there are separate parts), but I’m not sure if I am allowed to ask the admissions officer.</p>
<p>Absolutely, contact your assigned admission officer with any questions. It shows that you are paying attention. It won’t necessarily help you, but their job is to interact with applicants. Many admissions offices have live chats. If the college sends a representative to your area, it can never hurt to attend their session. It won’t necessarily help, but it can’t possibly hurt. It’s not like gambling, unless the time involved is unusually precious.</p>
<p>To be honest, without know your specific question, that sounds forced. How vital is it you know the answer to that question, or are you just trying to come up with something so obscure, you have an excuse to ask the question? </p>
<p>I remembering being in meetings all the time where someone would ask an obscure technical question that was obvious the person didn’t really want to know the answer to. They were just showing off that they knew about something about the topic at hand, and it was not endearing. Maybe you’re not doing that here, but it sounds like it. Don’t be that person.</p>
<p>@woogzmama Thank you for your response!</p>
<p>@MrMom62 Actually, it was just a little curiosity I had ever since I visited the campus. It isn’t a small technicality, but it may not affect me, either. I don’t think it would show off anything either, because the question is about a set of institutes which is a rather large part of the campus, but I haven’t found detailed explanations of what they do, in relation to students, anywhere online. And on the visit day, my parents were rushed. </p>
<p>That’s sounds like a legitimate question, but I’m not sure where you direct it. And odds are, if they don’t mention it in regards to students, it’s not something that undergrads have much to do with - but you never know.</p>