<p>When a university travels to do presentations, if you don't go to one in your state (presentation is 1.5 hours each way from home) if you are a match for the school, do you think it really hurts your chances in admissions if you have visited the campus?</p>
<p>My own past experience is when older son went to one of these he was accepted. His classmate with nearly identical stats (slightly lower SATs and slightly higher gpa) was rejected. Both students visited the campus.</p>
<p>No, colleges know that people have other commitments and may not be able to attend their presentation on any particular night. I wouldn't draw too many inferences from the situation with your son and his classmate. Unless you were able to read both applications, including the financial information, you really don't know how identical these two applicants seemed to college they applied to. If you are applying to a school that considers demonstrated interest, there are plenty of ways to show that.</p>
<p>bessie, thanks. I was really feeling guilty about not going. Frankly, none of us want to make this trip! It is really on an inconvenient weekend, and it is not exactly around the corner for us.</p>
<p>We're in a similar quandry. School on the other side of the state reportedly weighs interest and interviews fairly heavily. We're instate, but over 5 hours away. A visit means a day off work and school, and a nearly 700 mile round trip. Admissions has no events, off campus interviews scheduled around here (I guess it's too far, the irony!) but a visit and interview seems important. If we get into the season another month and it's still high on the list, I guess we go.</p>
<p>If I were northeastmom, I would skip the presentation, and if I were father05, I would make the trip if the school is high on the list. Showing interest by visiting schools that weigh interest seems to have made a difference for both my children (e.g., S got into what was a reach school for him that had never before accepted a student from our HS, but the ones who had applied before hadn't actually visited it) but skipping presentations an hour away didn't. (If there had been a local presentation which we couldn't attend, I would have encouraged S or D to e-mail the rep that they would have liked to attend but had a conflict.)</p>
<p>Well, we have not visited the campus yet, but we will before he applies. He is willing to interview. I hope this is going to show enough interest.</p>
<p>father05, I guess if the school is high on the list, it is best to go.</p>
<p>mystery2me, I just cross posted with you. Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>m2m and NEmom, school is in the top three on the list, and it is a reach, so that's what I was thinking.</p>
<p>The bright side is that you will get to pick the weekend that you go there. When the college comes to your state, it still might not be that close to home and the date that they pick to do their presentation is your only option.</p>
<p>I do not think that it has any effect. Kids with identical stats might not be identical in other aspects of application. If admission has 50 applications with identical stats and there are only 5 spots available, they go down to the next criteria. Attening presentaions is not goig to be the one.</p>
<p>don't forget that forming an e-mail contact (your student) with an admissions officer and asking for a phone interview could at least be beneficial in the event that travel cannot be done.</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. There are some schools that carefully track these things and other schools that do not. I know kids who have been told that lack of interest was a factor in not being accepted to a school that should have been a safety/match. It is rare that someone does not get into a school where it should be a cinch for entry even with lack of interest unless the student just about shoots himself in the foot. </p>
<p>Some of the smaller LACs that have a difficult time assessing who is truly interested in their schools do eyeball these things. I know that my son was told that an interview at Holy Cross was very important for admissions, and when the admissions person visited his high school, a personal note was sent to S about the visit, "inviting" him to stop by and say hello. I think in a case like that, it is wise to toe the line if you are indeed very interested in a school. I don't think it matters at top schools about interest. They have the luxury of a high yield and don't have to do as much. It so depends upon the school.</p>
<p>The whole "demonstrated interest" thing confuses me. Last summer, we toured a college and signed up for mailings and then have received virtually nothing. Do they even know we are interested??</p>
<p>Youdon'tsay, some schools spend more on mailings/marketing than others. </p>
<p>cptofthehouse, if a college rep visits an applicant's high school, I would highly recommend stopping by (if not even being interviewed if possible). To me, that is much different than not going to a presentation that might be 2 hours away when the date might not be convenient, or there might be a conflict. After all, the student is already in the high school!</p>
<p>My son did not attend his college's presentation when the rep visited his HS! He did, however, sign up for an optional interview and visited the school once. The schools that track demonstrated interest are likely to be the type of schools where one can establish a phone/email relationship with your area rep. Any kid can write an email that tells a rep his family cannot get time off of work to attend an event, and ask what the best way to get to know the campus from afar is. That in itself puts the "blame" on the parents instead of the applicant and lets the school know the kid IS interested and would visit if he could. In this economy, there are sure to be a lot fewer visits going on!</p>
<p>I agree, Northeastmom. I am so glad the college rep sent S a note, because 18 year old boys often do not show that common sense. His attitude would be, "gee, I visited the school so why should I have to go to this thing?". In fact, if he could not make the visit to the rep due to conflicts, he should let him know that or it could be viewed as a slight, though in my opinion anyone who knows teens should know they do not necessarily think that way.</p>
<p>Our high school was pretty explicit about which schools on my boys' lists should be visited, and which ones were ones where the visit would not be so important. That was based on the GCs' experiences with those schools in the past. There were schools that did reject or WL kids because of lack of interest. Now, from what I was told, the cases were where kids were in a borderline situation rather than a very clear admit. I can truly see where a lot of interest, enthusiasm could make a difference in such a case.</p>
<p>From a former Adcom, we had heard that the person who travels to your area may be the reader for the region. If so, seeing what the individual is like and talking to the person may be useful. I know during some of the presentations my D went to last year they identified themselves in that manner.</p>