<p>My S is a junior in HS and is very interested in a school (Lehigh) that considers demonstrated interest quite seriously. He would need merit money to attend, and I suspect that demonstrated interest also plays into the merit awards. </p>
<p>We visited, attended a tour and info session plus an additional info session for a special program (which my son isn't sure if he is interested in or not). It's far enough that we probably won't visit again until after decisions are in, unless he really needs to. The school offers interviews but says that in terms of showing interest they're equivalent to an info session, and that one need not do both. Yet it "seems" like most kids who got merit aid had interviews, so maybe he really does need to do that? </p>
<p>We have the contact info for his admissions counselor (found it on the website) so he could email that person to show Lehigh some more love, but he doesn't actually have any questions for an admissions counselor at this time. Should he just email to say "I visited and I really loved Lehigh and I hope I can attend"? I guess he could ask if his chances for a merit scholarship would be increased by having an interview, and if there will be opportunities to do so nearer to home. (We kind of live in the middle of nowhere, so the chances of a representative coming to our actual area are slim.)</p>
<p>What are good ways of showing interest without repeated visits?</p>
<p>I think requesting an interview is one way, if one nearby is not available he’ll get the credit without actually having had to do one! Your essays can also mention the visit and/or use information that is not easily available on the website. I have to think that my younger son got some brownie points for saying he wanted to go to Tufts because he liked the way they advertised events by using chalk announcements on the sidewalks. (At least he wasn’t yet another kid rhapsodizing about international relations!)</p>
<p>Does your S have school vacation in April? Maybe he could email an admissions counselor and see if there is a way for him to attend one or two classes and maybe he could take a train or a bus down to Lehigh and arrange to have one overnight. After he has attended a class or two, maybe he could arrange to have the interview at that time!</p>
<p>Also, I’m sure they could Skype with him for an interview or even have a phone one if he can’t go back down there…</p>
<p>PS: My S2 is a junior too. Here we go again! :)</p>
<p>Perhaps your son could ask his admissions rep if an interview could possibly be done over Skype. He’d really like to have the opportunity to do one but another visit isn’t possible due to the distance. Even if they can’t accommodate him it’s possible he’ll get remembered for trying to think of a creative way to ‘be there’ and making the effort.</p>
<p>When we visited in February, they wouldn’t let Juniors sit in on classes. We plan to use April break for a few visits in other directions, so re-visiting in April isn’t likely, but if Lehigh is still high in his rankings senior year, he probably will try to visit and sit in on classes at some point senior year. Normally I’d wait until after acceptances, but maybe doing it before would be worthwhile in this case.</p>
<p>I should mention that DS14 would probably be terrified at the prospect of actually having an interview (in person or skype). :-O</p>
<p>I would see if Lehigh does alum interviews in your area. All but one of my son’s interviews were done by alums of the schools and they were all done in the fall of his senior year.</p>
<p>My son is the quiet type who answers questions narrowly and doesn’t like to talk about his accomplishments (actually his view is pretty much that if he succeeded at something, it must have been easy and therefore isn’t really much of an accomplishment).</p>
<p>Our solution was to prep him for interviews by trying to consider and pre-answer the bulk of the most common questions. There are plenty of threads here on CC that mention the kind of questions that come up frequently.</p>
<p>Confidence grows when you have a better idea of what to expect.</p>
<p>Thanks LoremIpsum – if he needs to do an interview, we will definitely need to have him think about the questions in advance and practice first!</p>
<p>My S applied to (and was accepted by) Lehigh a few years ago and we heard the same thing about “demonstrated interest”. We visited campus and he attended an info session at his HS given by a Lehigh admissions counselor. I think what may have made my son’s application stand out in this regard is the way he answered the “why Lehigh” essay on his application. Make sure that he does his research about Lehigh and demonstrate this knowledge in the essay. Any applicant who takes the time & effort to become well-versed on the college is obviously interested. You can PM me if you’d like more specific info.</p>
<p>FWIW, D’a boyfriend was accepted to Lehigh honors and was slightly surprised as he really hadn’t shown much interest. As things have shaken out, it’s now in his top two but I kind of get the impression it wasn’t even top 5 when he applied (hence not showing much interest I guess).</p>
<p>You can do a regional interview in the Fall when the representative comes to your area. This is better than an on campus interview because you are interviewing directly with someone who will play a huge role in evaluating the application. I don’t think you can do one if you’ve already had an on campus interview, so I’d just do the info session and tours. </p>
<p>They also run some special programs in the Fall that might be worth a trip back for.</p>
<p>Jet Blue runs cheap Burlington to JFK flights and Lehigh is probably 2 hours from there.</p>
<p>Thanks CRD, we’ll look into what’s available in the fall.</p>
<p>We’re not near Burlington, though, so driving up there to get a flight to JFK to visit Lehigh which is still 2 hours from there is definitely more hassle than just driving to Lehigh ;-)</p>
<p>According to the Lehigh admissions page, your S can contact the college to see if a representative is scheduled to be in your area for an interview next fall:</p>
<p>REGIONAL INFORMATION SESSIONS AND REGIONAL INTERVIEWS
Regional Information Sessions and Regional Interviews are offered to high school seniors and their families in many areas across the United States each fall. Learn about distinctive academic programs, the admissions process, financial aid and much more during our interactive Regional Information Sessions. Depending on the location, these sessions may also include faculty, staff and a panel of current students, and/or may be offered in English and Spanish.</p>
<p>We also offer Regional Interviews for those who prefer a more personal experience and/or have many specific questions or situations to discuss. As with any Lehigh interview, a Regional Interview is considered informative though evaluative, and not required as part of the admissions process.</p>
<p>Lehigh’s Regional Interviews and Regional Information Sessions have concluded for the Fall 2012.</p>
<p>Thanks ParentOfPeople. I had just seen that on a Lehigh thread as well. The thing about opening the portal is a good reminder. I could see my kid never opening it even though he is very interested – just not his thing to keep checking online. </p>
<p>We will check into the regional interviews in the fall. Thanks all!</p>
<p>Does Lehigh offer prospective student on-line chats? If so, they probably track who signs up for them. I didn’t find the chats very informative (did some for the school my daughter now attends) and it seemed like most people asked questions that could be readily answered by reading the website, but I believe that participating is considered an indicator of interest.</p>
<p>mathmomvt…I think you live in VT, right? So do I. Some years ago, my daughter was admitted to Lehigh with a nice scholarship and even received a likely letter. She did not attend Lehigh though. </p>
<p>We visited Lehigh in spring of her junior year and did the information session and tour, like you did. My daughter had also lined up a meeting with the head of the department she was interested in and that was long and helpful (not an interview) and met with various students on campus (including the heads of an athletic club she was interested in). She never had an on campus interview. I don’t recall any Lehigh reps coming to our area of the state (even though she had alum interviews in VT for other schools). She referenced specifics about her campus visit and people she met with when writing why she wanted to attend Lehigh. I think if you could get back down there in the fall and your son meets with faculty and others, he could write about those things as well and maybe have an interview (but again, my kid got in without an interview). The Why Lehigh essay should be very specific to the school.</p>