<p>If you are out of state and are not able to visit before you apply, will this hurt your chances of admission at W&M because the admissions department will think you are not really interested?</p>
<p>My daughter did an interview over the summer and it was done by a current student of W&M. The admissions info said they “consider” the interview but I’m sure it is not a deal breaker especially if you are out of state (we live an hour from the school so it was easy for her to go). </p>
<p>Having said that, you can also call the admissions office and ask for a specific faculty member that may be able to answer your questions if they are more specific. You may also want to see if they admissions office can set up an interview with an alum in your area which would also indicate that you are more than “fishing” with you application. Some schools have very focused programs (US Naval Academy Blue and Gold is one) where the graduates do interviews for those who are far from the school. My daughter did this with another school she is applying to and the interviewer was so impressed he wrote her a letter of recommendation without her even asking for one. I don’t know if W&M has a program like that but perhaps they do. Give them a call and find out. Good luck!</p>
<p>According to the 2008-2009 Common Data Set, William and Mary lists “level of applicant interest” as “not considered” so I don’t think you should go out of your way to visit before applying.</p>
<p><a href=“http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_part_c_0809.pdf[/url]”>http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_part_c_0809.pdf</a></p>
<p>Agree with soccerguy that level of interest is not considered as an admissions criterion at W & M - we did a total of 4 tours with 3 kids, and that point was expressed each time. 
However, the interview for rising high school seniors can be an admissions boost. As Ronbo1960 mentions above, the interviews are done by W & M students (I believe they’re all rising seniors?) who work in W & M admissions. The interviews are not mandatory, but they are evaluative. So if your child is interested in W & M and likely to score well in a personal interview situation, a good time to visit would be during the 5-6 summer weeks that interviews are offered. The student won’t make points by showing up for the interview/tour, but they can stand out from the crowd with a successful interview. Since so many statistically qualified kids apply to W & M, the interview is a good idea unless the student is reluctant (maybe shy or socially awkward?).</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, rising seniors can schedule an interview beginning May 1st. They’re only held during part of the summer, and there aren’t enough slots for everyone who wants one.</p>
<p>My youngest d, now a sophomore, interviewed and enjoyed the experience. We think it had to have helped - her GPA was in the A-minus range (with a rigorous curriculum, but still), which is not outstanding for OOS female applicants. It couldn’t have hurt, anyway.</p>
<p>The two times we visited, they specifically said that we didn’t need to sign in or fill anything out; basically, they weren’t tracking “demonstrated interest.” </p>
<p>My d did interview however; we made a special trip back down for her to do that. I agree with the above poster - unless the student has some social awkwardness, the interview can’t hurt.</p>
<p>All I know is that I was accepted without visiting beforehand…</p>
<p>A lot of schools consider a visit and interview as an indicator that you are seriously interested. If you can’t visit, make sure your application says LOUD and CLEAR that you want to got to W&M.</p>
<p>I didn’t interview, nor even visit, and I live in-state 30 minutes away and still got in.</p>
<p>W&M does not track interest which means no data is provided during admission review on the number of times an applicant has contacted or visited W&M. The deans reading the applications have no idea if a student visited. </p>
<p>The interview is evaluative and is, like other optional application components, designed to allow the applicant to provide us more information about themselves. It is one factor among many but certainly carries weight.</p>