<p>Many top tier schools have a listing of admission people assigned to a particular region whom one can email.</p>
<p>I've heard that it is useful to get your name out there and correspond with them...does this really help??..and how do I get started?? Does it have to be a question that relates to admission? What if I don't have any good questions to ask??</p>
<p>this whole thing baffles me. ive done my research so i really dont have any questions. if something will help, then obviously i want to do it, but do i really need to call this admission officer and ask questions i already know the answer to?</p>
<p>The question is irrelevant. What matters is that you show interest by asking questions. You will learn this in college, when professors give higher grades to lower caliber students because they ask lots of questions during office hours and appear interested.</p>
<p>exactly....i've found answers to all my questions on the website, or in the viewbook. and i can't ask them, so........how's the food? I mean, do we just introduce ourselves or something??? that's too cheezy, like we just want it on the record. I want to be sincere, you know? But who knows...maybe a question will come up soon, like i can ask why i haven't been contacted for an interview (i'm almost sure i won't be contacted cause of where i live)</p>
<p>I think having an ongoing relationship with your regional admissions counselor is a great thing to do and I can only think it will help, a lot. It will make you stand out and be remembered. It is a way they put a name to a face. They want to know you are interested in their school and this is a fabulous way to communicate that. You don't necessarily need to have a real specific question. You can email him/her to even just convery your enthusiasm and interest in the school. I would be friendly and relaxed. </p>
<p>I think the best way to begin this is to attend the college open house in your area. Take their business card and the very next day send them an email, thanking him/her, telling them how much you enjoyed the open house, how excited you are to be applying to ___. Maybe identify yourself like, " I was the boy who asked about...." At this point ask a question or two. Since you are so new in the whole process your question will be well received. Stay in touch, Maybe every 3-4 months drop another email. If you go to the campus for a visit and tour be sure to email them and let them know you are coming to the school. When you are close to applying tell them how much their school is on the top of your list, Stay in touch, don't be afraid to ask a question or ask for a clarification, and keep telling them how much you love the school and how excited you are to be applying there. A real back and forth rapport will develop and by the time they receive your application there is a good bet you will be known and familiar to them. This can only help.</p>
<p>well how about for those of us who have not done this and have already sent in our applications</p>
<p>same here, i sent mine in.</p>
<p>personally, i am not going to contact any adcoms just bec i want it to be on the record or be "interested"...moreover, i don't want them to be annoyed since they are busy already. (esp when i have to pay long-dist phone bills haha)</p>
<p>im gonna bump it because i think this is an important issue</p>
<p>I have an issue (my job and its impact) which wasnt addressed in my recs or anything, so I'm writing a letter to my regional rep at Penn and am planning to hand deliver it and introduce myself when i go up to visit tomorrow. </p>
<p>its harder to reject a face than a social security number :)</p>
<p>well, a talking face...if you sent in a picture</p>
<p>I think you are overestimating the importance of showing interest and getting in touch with regional admissions staff. At highly selective schools particularly, interest is basically indicated by visiting, interviewing when appropriate (often no evaluative interviews offered), and perhaps going to an off-campus info session if you live far away. The regional staff are often (though not always) very young junior-level people, sometimes recent graduates of the college for which they work, and not necessarily in a position to do much for you. Keep in mind that even a very small school like Williams has about 5,000 applicants each year--your regional admissions person may remember you but is unlikely to be able to make a case for you unles you are already very close to getting in.</p>
<p>yeah that makes sense. mattmom, if i was planning on writing a letter to the school just illustrating my interest, is it a better idea to send it to the admissions office or to my regional rep</p>
<p>does it help that the regional admissions person is on the actual committee that chooses?? And if they arrange applicants by states, then by high school, then your regional admissions person has the first review of your application, right?</p>
<p>and what if all the off-campus info sessions were two to three hours away and on weekday nights? My parents never agreed to drive me.</p>