<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>I will be applying to many schools in New England in the fall. For many of them that I am applying to, I know it is important to show interest in them. As I am unable to travel back east due to finances, how can I show interest in schools?</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>First, make sure the school considers interest in it’s decision. This can be found on the common data set, or by a simple phone call. Spend your efforts on the schools that use this in their decision making process. There are honestly one’s that don’t.</p>
<p>When you can’t make a visit there are several ways to show interest.</p>
<p>-Sign up for the mailing list
-Contact your area rep. Ask questions that can’t be found on the website. Keep in contact without being overbearing.
-Find out if there will be a rep in your area either for an information night, visiting your school, or a local college fair. Attend any of these that you can, making sure that you sign a guest list, or fill out a card with your information any time one is available.
-See if local alumni interviews are offered. These may be just informative, not evaluative (i.e. they have no bearing on your admissions decision), however it’s another way to show interest.</p>
<p>thank you so much blueiguana! that is extremely helpful information :)</p>
<p>You are most welcome. Just a few ideas. I’m sure others will have more. I would contact area reps at your earliest convenience. Some travel mainly in fall, however I do know that there were two reps that visited our area and met with my 2011 grad in July prior to Sr year. These were informal interviews, not evaluative, but it was great later when he was communicating with these reps to have met them personally. At one school he felt it was very key in a specific scholarship he was awarded that his rep really pulled for him. That’s far more likely IMO if you’ve met and made a good connection.</p>
<p>Check the school’s common data set, section C7, or its admissions tab on [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) , to see if “level of applicant’s interest” is considered.</p>
<p>For schools where it is considered, there are some more possible ways to show interest besides those listed above in post #2 (but each school has its own ways of determining “level of applicant’s interest”):</p>
<ul>
<li>If you visit, be sure that it is recorded.</li>
<li>Check the admissions portal frequently.</li>
</ul>