I don’t have the financial resources to visit many schools outside of a 2 hour range near me. Recently I’ve been getting more worried because everyone around me keeps emphasizing to “visit school x or they won’t consider you”, etc. I’m afraid of applying to a school like Tulane, which I love, and being rejected because my stats are above average there and they might assume I’m just blindly applying as a safety. How can I demonstrate meaningful interest to colleges so they can see that I really do love their school, but just cannot afford to fly across the country to visit?
- Sign up on the website for mailings
- Watch the admissions website to see if they have any events in your area you can attend
- If they come to a college fair in your area, attend and sign in at their table
- Don't send your app in at the last minute
- If they have a "Why X?" essay, really research via their website to write a specific essay
- Log into your portal regularly after applying
does the date you send in your app (before deadline obviously) play a significant role in admissions? @intparent
This is a good question. I applied to Tulane, and they asked the question, “Why Tulane?” As someone who hasn’t visited campus, I had difficulties answering the question. But the important thing is a) to do your research, and show that in your answer, and b) not to list “the city of New Orleans” as a major factor in why you like Tulane, as there are several other schools in the New Orleans area.
The other thing is to get in touch with admissions. Email them or call them. If you can, meet them at a college information fair. The first time they see your name shouldn’t be when you apply.
And another thought: if you take the ACT/SAT again, put your top school first. Same goes with the FAFSA. Schools aren’t allowed to require you to tell them whether they were your first choice or last, but they use these to find out. Use that to your advantage.
Normally I would say no, but for someone who is having trouble showing interest, getting it in a couple weeks ahead of deadlines is good.
Focus in on a department at Tulane in which you’d like to major, become familiar with some interesting research they’re doing, and discuss how you’d like to get involved with it and how such involvement would fit into your career plans. Tulane is very proud of its status as a major research university and, by discussing your interest in research there, it would appeal to that sense of pride.
Don’t worry about visiting. My son didn’t visit any of the out of state colleges he applied to. We visited his favorites after he was accepted.
He did on campus interviews, regional admissions counselor interviews, and alumni interviews. Based purely on his small sample size (~3 each) his admissions success rate was: regional admissions counselors 100%(!), alumni interviews 50% (1 accept, 1 deny, 1 waitlist), on-campus visit interviews 0%.
These results don’t mean that you shouldn’t do on campus interviews but rather I’m relaying the information to get those voices out of your head that are telling you to “visit school x or they won’t consider you”. Change that to “Make personal CONTACT with school x and they will consider you more favorably.”
Getting your app in early can play a role in merit aid awards. Some schools have a merit aid preference date that’s well before the regular application deadline (the ones I saw were in November). At least one college waived the application fee if you applied early.
Colleges understand that many many students do not have resources to fly around the country visiting colleges.
Agree with many suggestions above…
-If Tulane is represented at a college fair near you, go and be sure to sign in at the booth
-Get on email list
-If Tulane interviews you can request a local alumni interview
-If Tulane does any presentations near you (at your HS or anywhere locally), go
-Email your admissions rep. if you have any specific questions about the school that can’t be answered on the website
-If there are any online admission chats, participate in them.
There are also hotel events in which a college rep has a gathering and there is usually a schedule for those events on the college admissions department website. Sometimes there is an event in which multiple colleges participate.
Apply Early Action. I believe that Tulane is changing their early action plans (don’t quote me on that) but apply as an EA/ED applicant, whatever they have next year. I applied EA this year, wrote a decent Why Essay, had above average stats, and was accepted and received a nice merit scholarship. I will not be attending Tulane however.
Get in touch with your local rep early and often. Perhaps you’ll end up eligible for a free fly-in visit.
My daughter didn’t visit any of her OOS schools until after she had her acceptances. She showed interest by – as others suggested – writing about specific departments and even professors she was interested in studying with. She also met with the campus representatives at a local college fair. She made it clear to the rep for her #1 school that she was VERY interested and likely would matriculate there if she got in with the average FA package. She applied early, got in, and got better-than-expected FA. That’s when we flew in for a campus visit.
It depends on each school too. Some colleges recommend vist. Some colleges don’t care.
Requesting an interview is one of the easiest and best ways. Colleges understand not everyone can visit. My kid got into a very selective schools and didn’t visit until after being accepted. She interviewed and frankly didn’t do too much else, other than acknowledge the rep’s thank you note by email.
Good to see you are taking some of the other advice you received to heart.
Although I often agree with @arc918 I’m not of the view that you should prod your admission rep “often”. I think it is important to tread that thin line between showing interest and just becoming a pain. It is good to contact the rep especially if you cannot visit. But I’d only contact the rep when you have a real question to ask, not just to say again and again that you really like the school or to ask questions that can easily be answered by looking at the school website. You want to come off as interested but not high maintenance.
^totally agree.
Also, apparently colleges can no longer see what other collegs you list in the FAFSA.
I didn’t even visit a single school until after I made my decision, actually. I made sure that my admissions rep at my chosen school knew that I was genuinely interested in attending and that I would have loved to see a new part of the country. I just finished my freshman year and I can’t see myself anywhere else.
There are a couple of schools that I emailed w/ specific questions, sending them to my regional officer, and got no reply. Where should I go from there? Is that a bad sign…?