Never Visited

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Hey guys! So my predicament concerning Swarthmore is that I have never visited the school and cannot visit now because of money and time (not my decision, my parents!). I'm currently trying to convince my parents to let me do an overnight stay, but the chances of that are slim. I will be able to visit around March, but that's after they have probably made decisions. </p>

<p>How do I show the admissions committee that I am truly interested in attending Swarthmore and that it is my top choice even though I haven't visited? Should I e-mail professors/regional coordinators? Also, I'm applying RD. </p>

<p>Thank you! :) :) :)</p>

2

<p>How close/far do you live from Swarthmore? Did you interview, and if so, on campus or with an alum?</p>

3

<p>I live about 3 or 4 hours away. My interview is today, and it is with an alum.</p>

4

<p>I think the admisssions people understand that many applicants won’t be able to visit the campus. You can just explain why you’re interested in Swarthmore and ask questions about the college in your interview and explain your interest in your Why Swarthmore? essay.</p>

5

<p>I visited Swarthmore this summer and it was gorgeous. Why do you need to tell them you didn’t visit? They are not asking … Are they?</p>

6

<p>Colleges know whether or not you’ve visited by the card that you fill out in the admissions office when you go for an information session or for a tour. If that card isn’t filled out they’re going to assume that you haven’t done an official visit. Another potential option, depending on how into Swat you are, is you could come to campus on a day that’s good for you and see if a current student could give you an informal tour or if you could do the walking tour yourself. Dropping into admissions or emailing your rep afterwards letting them know what struck you about the campus wouldn’t hurt either. If you’re 3-4 hours away by car that’s not too absurd to expect a visit… Reps are reasonable people but you don’t want to give them reason to reject you if you can avoid it. Granted, that’s not to say that you can’t get in without a visit; clearly you’re interested because you did the interview, but it is better to cover all the bases.</p>

7

<p>^^
I talked to my interviewer today a lot about this. I asked a lot of questions, and at the end of the interview, he said he believed I was a good fit for the college. It was an amazing interview. I’m way off base in my estimate–I have no idea why I thought I was 3ish hours away. I am about 9 to 10 hours away when driving, and about 1 and half by plane.</p>

<p>Thank you for the info!</p>