<p>We are visiting College of Charleston during my daughter's spring break. There is a scheduled open house on March 18. Is that the best time to go as a junior? Or is more for seniors? We are making some trips in March and other colleges in the summer. C of C is her first choice right now. But out of state seems harder to get in.</p>
<p>I visited during the spring of my junior year also. Is school in session during this open house? You'll want to go when students are around to get an accurate representation of the school. The tour was great and the weather is amazing during that time of year-- your daughter is going to love C of C even more after her visit.</p>
<p>P.S. Don't let the out-of-state admissions criteria scare you. If your daughter has a solid B+ average and decent extracurriculars, she stands a likely chance of getting in.</p>
<p>Thanks, her gpa is very good, but the ECs are a little weak. Yes, school is in session during the open house. I think it will be alot better then going in the summer.</p>
<p>Do you think attending the open house will help in admissions? Do they track interest? We are planning to attend, just curious.</p>
<p>Anyone know if they track interest?</p>
<p>I know that when you visit they have you fill out a card saying what you did on your visit and your level of interest and all that good stuff, but I don't know what they do with the cards after you leave. However, when I went to visit last year I arranged a meeting with the admissions officer for my area. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with me getting in, but I doubt it hurt me. If nothing else it put a face and personality to my application. I would definently suggest it.</p>
<p>Was the meeting with the admissions officer considered an interview? My daughter says she is not ready for any interviews?</p>
<p>Is open house for mostly juniors? I went on a tour junior year, I didn't go to open house but this year I was wondering if that would be a good time to go back and see the campus?</p>
<p>I visited during the summer after junior year. I'm going back this weekend for a scholarship-related open house. Definitely visit C of C-- it's not as renowned for anything in particular, so seeing it for yourself really showcases the school in an impressive and unbiased light. The interest cards filled out after tours and open houses are way too unofficial to be used as legitimate admissions criteria. They won't affect your possibility of acceptance.</p>
<p>P.S. Candace, meeting with an admissions officer is almost always considered an interview, so tell your daughter to dress nicely and RELAX!!! I only had one college interview and it was a million times more easygoing than I expected. There's nothing to "be ready" for. Your daughter just has to be polite and present herself as realistically as possible. If she can have a conversation with an adult, then she'll be absolutely fine.</p>
<p>I don't know if they would want to interview a junior, would they?</p>
<p>I just booked everything to attend the open house. The hotel was alot more than I expected. But we want to stay in town and not have to worry about parking. I hope the weather will be nice. I am looking forward to a little vacation.</p>
<p>I know this sounds silly, but my daughter is concerned about what to wear for the open house. She wants to wear a denim skirt, maybe abercrombie. I think she should wear something more conservative. Any ideas? Are jeans okay, not destroyed ones. I told you this was silly!</p>
<p>candace, as long as the denim skirt is not too short, it is a fine choice. We saw everything when we visited colleges, depending on the event. Open house dress seemed much more casual (jeans), than private visits. Our daughter did dress in skirts and a bit more conservatively when she interviewed at the southern schools. And the interviews are mainly just conversations.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help. My daughter stresses over things like clothes. I don't think my son ever gave it much thought when he visited schools.</p>
<p>Hi Candace,
My son visited C of C twice --once on a tour and then once for Open House. Just wanted to let you know what Open House was like. There were a lot of people there, and we were first directed to a gym where there was a film and various people spoke...the gym was mostly full. Then we went in groups to a dept. tour --you just got up and followed a person according to your student's academic major interest. Son was interested in computers. Had a great visit in a computer science classroom, and the benefit of this was talking individually with the professor. He was very informative and seemed interested in my son..offered to help if he had any questions about admissions. (Son had already applied.) After lunch, we toured the dorms. You went to dorms on your own that you wanted to tour, and tours left from the lobby every 15 or 20 minutes. We did not meet with an admissions counselor at any time, although that was an option if you wanted to do that. When we visited my son's junior year for a regular tour, not Open House, we filled out a card and went on a tour of the campus--had a historical preservation major as a tour guide, and it was excellent!
On both the Open House and regular tours, everyone was very casual. Jeans, shorts, khakis, Abercrobmie would fit right in. Most parents had on capris for moms, khakis or jeans and polos for dads. Wear comfortable walking shoes! Take some sunglasses! You will absolutely love Charleston. The campus is beautiful and so is the city. Lots of good food!
My son applied this past August and was accepted in October. However, he won't be attending because they don't offer an engineering major. If it weren't for that, he would probably be at C of C. We all loved the school. The dorms are all very nice, too. Everything is suite style - 2 BR's with a bath between. No hall baths. Charleston is a walking city...parking will give you fits, so it's a good thing you are staying downtown. Enjoy your stay!</p>
<p>Thanks, Greenville, lots of good info. I guess I need to go buy a pair of capris. I am more of a denim fan. I have short legs and capris are never the right length. My daughter will be happy to hear that her abercrombie skirts will be fine. I am glad that we are staying within walking distance, now that I hear that parking is difficult. I will post a school visit report when we get back. Anyone else going to open house?</p>
<p>Candace,
Please don't feel like you need to buy something new. Capris were a popular item for many moms when we went, but there were people wearing all sorts of attire. It was actually close to 80 degrees, and there were lots of shorts, jeans, etc. Casual and comfortable is the way to go!</p>
<p>thanks, I probably won't buy capris. I promised my daughter that I will wear something that will "blend in"!</p>
<p>man... yall are making me jealous... i wish i was a senior and about to go to college!!!</p>
<p>We leave on Friday for the open house. I was wondering if anyone knows if the "ghost tour" of Charleston would be fun for my daughter. I saw it listed in my AAA book. We are looking for something different to do Saturday night after the college stuff is over. And also open to restaurant suggestions of course.</p>