Marist: Does no tour = no admission?

<p>Out of what I have seen, there is a direct correlation between getting in a taking the tour. They track who shows up on campus and it is a major plus to take the tour. They want to make sure you have an interest and are not just applying as a safety or because it is easy with the common app. For that mid 50% range, I have seen it make a difference in admission vs. wait list. It is a big part of their weeding out process.</p>

<p>For whatever reason, Marist seems to take this into account much more than other schools, and it is not even close. Taking the tour will not get you in, but it will be a major strike against you if you do not take it while other schools do not care very much.</p>

<p>Have others seen this correlation?</p>

<p>I have visited the campus twice, once as a junior and then again this year as a senior but I got waitlisted. </p>

<p>I never said visiting gets you in but the opposite. Not visiting can get you waitlisted even if you are qualified. I know someone who got waitlisted, then visited and was admitted with a merit scholarship. A merit scholarship off the waitlist? What does that tell you?</p>

<p>This is what happened to us. I am just putting this out there for others to learn. I did not want to give too many deatils while it was still fresh since I am sure Marist reads this. I want to respect their process but also inform others. </p>

<p>The applicant was qualified but not overly qualified and it was not a stretch to get in. They never took the tour and was waitlisted. While waitlisted they took the tour. Within a week of taking the tour they were admitted and received a merit scholorship.</p>

<p>At the information session that is before the tour, the first thing the Marist admission counsellor said is “I beleive there are accepted students here, please raise your hand.” They did their homework and knew exactly who was in the room. In talking to the rep afterwords, they said “yes, taking the tour is very important”. I am convinced that taking the tour was a large influence on getting waitlisted and then getting in.</p>

<p>I used to think they were snobs about it but have changed my mind. After taking the tour, the decision was fairly easy to decide to go or not (for confidentiallity reasons I am not saying what the decision was).</p>

<p>So my advice to others is at Marist more than any other school, take the tour and decide if it is a good fit. You can not apply and get in then decide if it is a good fit. You need to show them some love and commitment before they return the favor.</p>

<p>There are penalty of students who apply to Marist without setting foot on the campus. Some get in, some don’t, it has more to do with the overall student. Visiting the campus does show that a student has interest in it, but that is not the only factor.</p>

<p>How much will it affect your chances if you tour after submitting your application? I have a date scheduled a few days after the deadline, but I’ve already submitted both my application and writiing supplement.</p>

<p>I applied to Marist early action, but did not tour until after I was accepted. When you come for a tour, Marist will put that information in your file, so when the admission staff reviews your application they will see that you went on a tour. My advise is to find out who your admission rep is and to give them a call/email. This shows that you are interested in the school and have questions to ask. When you come for your tour find out if your rep will be on campus so you can visit them!</p>