<p>My D has just received invitations to apply to two "diversity open houses". Perhaps there are even more in the mail she <em>didn't</em> open. You complete a short application, and, if accepted, the school may help finance your travel to campus for the event.</p>
<p>I was wondering why she would have received this. Is it because she took the ACT and race is specified as part of the ACT registration materials? Should we regard this as an indication that they may consider her a possible candidate based on merit (e.g., an ACT score of above a certain cutoff)?</p>
<p>Your D received the invitations exactly for the reason you described. The schools <em>may</em> consider her as a possible candidate based on merit, but they certainly would like to see the number of students of color who apply increase, hence casting the net. If the school is of interest, I would recommend that your D apply. Should she be accepted, the schools will spell out what expenses they will cover and she can decide at that time whether she wants to proceed.</p>
<p>D attended a diversity OH when she was a senior b/c (1) the school was one of her top two and (2) it was all expenses paid. She really enjoyed her stay, made some good friends, and learned from the wkend that the school would remain #2 on her list.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>A paid invitation to a diversity open house usually means they consider your child a strong candidate. Wash U, for example does not fund everyone that they invite to their open house. Amherst funds students based on financial need, but being invited is still a positive. The admit rates for students who go to Amherst’s diversity open house is higher than the overall admit rate. You can probably find the info on the Amherst forum. Your D probably checked the box for a minority group that is desired by the college, and her ACT score probably makes her competitive.</p>
<p>Some schools also invite white students from diverse backgrounds to these events. My daughter received invitations to apply for the weekends at Amherst and Williams.</p>
<p>Oh, thanks for that information. My not-a-minority D got an invitation to a diversity weekend at a school she was interested in, and our HS is majority African. That probably explains it.</p>
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<p>This must be a change as it wasn’t true 2 years ago when my D went, they never asked for FA information. They paid her way to the weekend, and later when she was accepted, they only offered us a couple of small loans in FA.</p>
<p>entomom,
last year, Amherst said you had to be applying for financial aid to have the trip paid for. I don’t think they asked for financial information, more of the honor system, but someone else may have more accurate recall or have info from this year. From what I remember, the initial info made it seem like everyone was funded, but the confirmation asked that you pay your own airfare/travel unless you were applying for financial aid.</p>
<p>Thanks prefect, that’s good to know for the future!</p>
<p>I believe Amherst asked if you were applying for financial aid and if you were in need of a fee waiver. Williams asked more specific income questions.</p>