<p>I hear it thrown around a lot and I understand some colleges put a lot of importance on college visits etc. but how much importance do top colleges really put on final decisions? I don't live near many top colleges which I want to go to and visits would be really difficult. Also I visited some on holidays and didn't register for a tour but toured by myself. Can I still mention these as visits? How much would it hurt if I don't get a visit in? Also I've heard colleges keep track of things like info sessions and email correspondence are they really this extensive and how could I show interest if necessary? I'm looking at universities such as Northwestern, Cornell, Berkekey, UVA etc.</p>
<p>I can only speak to UVa, but my D was accepted OOS without having visited. She went to one info session at a school close to where we live, but that’s it. I believe one of the criteria which schools rank on the Common Data Set is demonstrated interest, so you might check for the schools you mentioned.</p>
<p>Google the Common Data Set for each of the schools and look at Section C7. It says what data is used for admission and what ranking each receives. Here is UVA’s which states it does not use level of interest. <a href=“https://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/cds/Cadmission.shtm[/url]”>https://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/cds/Cadmission.shtm</a></p>
<p>O good ill check it out</p>
<p>While demonstrated interest is certainly important at some schools, it probably will not be used as a substitute for the rest of your academic record.</p>