<p>Hi! I'm a senior who applied to Kenyon RD. Yesterday I had a really great alumni interview with a grad student in my area. He just graduated from Kenyon in May, and it was a really informal conversation, which I liked because I felt like I expressed myself pretty well. Some time this past fall I also stopped at a Kenyon booth at a college fair in my school, spoke briefly with the admissions rep there, and filled out a card with my name and information. </p>
<p>Since the interview my interest in the college has gone up considerably. The alum had nothing but great things to say about the school and after talking to him I felt like it would be a great fit for me. Kenyon has now moved up to within the top three on my list. Before it had been hovering around the middlenot because I didn't like it, but because nothing about it had really grabbed my attention in a while. I originally applied because I'm a prospective English major who's interested in a small liberal arts school, but now I feel like the entire fit of the place, and not just those two criteria, is right for me. </p>
<p>I know that Kenyon is very big on prospective students showing interest, so my question is how much the interview and the stop at the college fair will count in that respect. I haven't been able to visit because we live on the east coast and my mom told me we weren't visiting Kenyon unless I got in (too far). Will the fact that I chose to have an interview reflect well on my level of interest? </p>
<p>I think you should email the rep. you met at the college fair expressing the same things you just mentioned here…how the former student made a great impression on you and made you see the school in a new light and how it is now at the top of your list. True and straighforward. The admissions staff at Kenyon were very accessible during the whole process with my d and I (she was accepted ED) and I think that could really help you.</p>
<p>If you forget the reps name you can find the rep for your area and their email address on the admissions webpage. And yes, interviewing always helps with small LACs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses! My interviewer recommended that I keep in touch with the admissions representative from my area, but my problem is that I’m not really sure what I should write to her. I feel like if I’m contacting her I should have a specific question. I don’t want to sound like I’m pandering, and I’m afraid that’s how it might come across if I write to her with the sole purpose being to say that I like the school. But I could be wrong. </p>
<p>Has anyone (or their kids) written to an admissions rep after sending in their app to express interest or simply to “check in”? If so, did the rep write back? Did he/she seem to appreciate it?</p>
<p>You are not just “checking in.” You are letting them know that the school has moved to the top of your list after the wonderful conversation you had with an alum, who made you realize that Kenyon would be a good fit, and how you plan to viisit if accepted. (They want good yield, and look at emails as a show of interest.) You will find they respond immediately and are very friendly (unlike my experience with East Coast LACs).</p>
<p>I took your advice and sent the rep an email. You’re probably right that doing so is a good idea. Hopefully she’ll write back, but no harm if she doesn’t. Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>^
Just curious how someone on the east coast would consider Kenyon to be “too far to visit” unless you got in. We live on the east coast. Visiting Ohio LACs was a piece of cake. A day’s drive.</p>
<p>It wasn’t my decision, it was my mom’s. I can’t force her to take me on a seven hour drive to visit a college if she isn’t willing. I didn’t mean that it isn’t doable, but driving seven hours is a big commitment for a college I haven’t gotten into yet.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the not visiting. That is a luxury not everyone can afford, whether it’s time or money. I hope you get in and have a chance to visit then. It is a wonderful school. Keep us posted!</p>
<p>Plainsman…for some people just spending that amount of money on gas is not do-able. Driving from the east was 12 hours for us, which meant staying in a hotel as well. It can be prohibitively expensive for many.</p>