Williams does not consider interest, so that may be the natural one to leave off due to it’s relatively remote location. OTOH it is a good place to visit, as the location either speaks to a student or it doesn’t.
Look on the common data sets to see the other schools that consider demonstrated interest, and to what degree…then prioritize visits at those where it is important or very important. I think at Bates and Skidmore it is ‘important’. There are other ways to demonstrate interest beyond or in place of a visit.
I would have suggested Vassar and Hamilton, good that he likes them! Ithaca could be a highly likely school. Ursinus will be a safety and he would get good merit there.
I agree with evergreen that Skidmore is not a safety, especially if applying RD (50% of the class is filled in ED)…also second the suggestion to visit on a Saturday, freeing up some time on Veteran’s day. Voice and percussion are generally not thought of as ‘hooks’, unless these departments support a student’s app with admissions…which is uncommon.
But realize that “interest” is best demonstrated in the app, itself. How well you know the college, it’s sense, opportunities, values, and how you match. Your Why Us, etc.
Not just whether you set foot on campus.
Skidmore has a fine music program, is inclusive for kids with personal interest only, and may be attracted to his strengths in that.
Thank you! That’s what is making it so hard. Skidmore appears on college board data as a safety, but I’m discovering even the safeties really aren’t ‘safeties’, so I knew right away this was one we had to visit, especially since interest matters. I also thought that It might be important for him to see Williams and Bard to decide if he likes either, and whether they should be kept as options? His preference would be to be around three to four hours away. That said, he would be open to going 6-7 hours away for a school he loves. He very much wants to see Connecticut College as well. It’s hard when the schools he’s interested in are scattered all over. sigh
My thought on Skidmore was that it really is only three hours away and it could, perhaps, be done on a Saturday, as was mentioned. I was considering that we should be using the two days for Veterans Day to either go to Pennsylvania or Connecticut, but we are still on the fence as we feel strongly we should try to visit the schools in closer proximity first??
DS is applying for music. He is submitting music supplements to support his application, and has strong references from both the band and choral instructor at our high school. He is strong enough to audition and apply to conservatories, but would rather pursue music as a double major with something else. His skill level is at the top for both instrumental and vocal. Music is subjective, so I’m aware that it might not be as strong of a hook as being a star athlete, but it’s definitely the one skill set that has been his focus throughout high school. I don’t see him not wanting to pursue music, in some capacity, in college.
@nextstepcollege
We did not stop at Tufts (nor Amherst) as we drove from Williams to Brown… My D had a heavy list of non merit awarding schools in her sights, so we made some cuts along the way.
Some say we should cut the Williams visit, but DS really wants to see it, even though it is a reach. To be honest, many of his schools are reached for anyone who applies. Did you feel your visit to Williams was worthwhile?
@nextstepcollege , if he’s interested in Williams and his stats make him a viable candidate, go! He might love it or he might not. Either way, it’ll be informative.
While my kid liked the majority of schools on his list enough to apply, there were 3 that he chose not to apply to after the fall visit. And the visits can help rank them a bit when it’s time to make a decision in the spring. While there were a few DS felt he could happily attend if those were his only options, there were definitely a few that were frontrunners. Those were the ones that got revisits in the spring. It also meant that he did not feel compelled to take every WL spot.
The ones I would skip are those where the kid simply doesn’t have the stats or where there is already a known lack of fit (i.e., the kid wants engineering and the school has no engineering program.) If they are reaches because they are highly selective but he’d be in the pool, there is no reason to knock it off the list.
Thank you! We have gone back and forth so much on where to go and when. The truth is, we want to see as many as possible for all the reasons you have listed. DS is now getting worried it won’t look good because we have canceled and are rescheduling. I’m certainly hoping that won’t matter. I would think the important thing is that we made the trip? I’m also hoping it won’t look back if we just do the tour. I don’t know if it’s better to fit in more schools or take more time at the ones we actually are able to see? sigh
My DD is looking for a specific vibe. She (un)fortunately found it at the first school we took her to as a quick drive by on a lark when she was a sophomore. Since she was looking for something we couldn’t sense from brochures or virtual tours, we had no choice but to visit most of the schools she was considering. Overall, we saw over 30 schools but I think it was our only option (and it took us a lot of time!). There were schools she thought she would like at first glance that felt completely wrong within minutes of getting out of the car. Ironically, she just sent her ED application to that very first school yesterday.
Since it is a bit late, I think I would focus on schools that are easy to get to, that fall in his preferred radius and that meet the criteria in terms of stats and finances. Some schools will likely do a full-day program on Veterans Day itself and not do multiple tours or info sessions. That might unintentionally make it hard to see more than one school anyway. Once he gets accepted, make sure to visit those schools he would seriously consider attending so he can make an informed choice.
Thank you for sharing this story. DH just recently said to me that he would bet money DS ends up going to one of the first ones we visited this summer. I was all set to go to PA, but noticed Haverford has a link to request an alumni interview if you are more than 150 miles from campus, and we are close to 400 miles away. It seems as though they would be more understanding if we didn’t visit than as compared with schools that are 200 miles away?
The schools we are most concerned about are the ones that didn’t require a written supplement. DS feels that he spent a good amount of time and effort showing fit in his essays and supplements, but several he applied to didn’t have a supplement.—Connecticut College, Bates, Wesleyan to name a few. It was actually in writing the supplements that he was able to better determine which schools were not going to be a good fit for him, which was frustrating and helpful at the same time. He is submitting music supplements to these schools, but there wasn’t an essay supplement allowing him to better prove he is a fit and is genuinely interested in their college.
I wouldn’t necessarily skip a school because they offer alumni interviews. Haverford definitely has it’s own vibe. It’s smaller than most BUT part of a consortium. It also isn’t in the middle of nowhere like many LACs. It could be the one!
I think the visiting process is useful for sorting out what you’re looking for in a school, especially around environment. I would prioritize that over the ability to interview.
I realize not everyone can visit every school, but as you choose, think about what you hope to achieve by visiting. The program stuff (which you’ll hear on the tour and then again in the info session) is generally available on the website. Who the student body is, how they interact with each other and you, what it feels like to cross a wide open campus in snow, well… that’s what you get by being there.
I’m not saying you should go to Philly if your time is limited, but you shouldn’t necessarily let interviews drive the process.
@nextstepcollege
My D had decided that many of the schools on her original list were a little too isolated, and they emphasized outdoorsy activities and opportunities. She eliminated Dartmouth immediately after the tour. Several hours later, we arrived at Williams. Williams was similar in its location and presentation, but she said she would still like to apply anyway. It is a great school in a neat community not too far from the Berkshires. She applied for WOW but she wasn’t accepted since we had already visited the campus and were not going to get financial aid from them. In retrospect, I think she would have gone a little stir crazy at Williams since she really wanted a big city experience.
Very true. One of the schools on your list has found that yield among kids who had visited prior to applying was appreciably higher than among those who had not. I would assume that’s primarily because kids who can’t see themselves at the school weed themselves out, but the kids who remain are more confident they could spend 4 year at the school.
We have decided to go to Philly, but are now going in early December when my husband can go with us. We have planned a tour at Skidmore this weekend, but DS won’t have the opportunity to interview. Is that something we shouldn’t miss at Skidmore, or is the visit still heavily weighed as showing interest? DS really wants to see Skidmore, so that’s not the only reason we are going. Finally, we are planning to visit Williams, Connecticut College and Wesleyan (maybe Brown) over Veteran’s Day. Are interviews important at Conn. College and Wesleyan? That’s what we are struggling with. It’s hard enough to fit in a visit and tour at each of the colleges and also allow time for interviews and info sessions. We don’t want to be rude and just stop by for the tour, but on the other hand we want to be able to see is many colleges as possible, and have a short amount of time to do it.
I’d love to fit in a trip to Bates and Dartmouth, but both may have to wait until the spring. We are used to 30 below weather where we live, so that part doesn’t bother me, but I am concerned about driving there in the winter.
I honestly see DS at a smaller school, but that could just be me being a Mom. He is truly open to every option, which is honestly good and bad at this point.
My advice, fwiw, is to do a tour and an interview (but skip the info session. ) It means you’ll be on campus for a little over 2 hours at each school. Of course, if there are no slots available, it’s fine to request an alumni interview if that’s something the school values.
It looks like your plans are coming together. And I think you are smart to be wary of driving in winter weather.
We found most info sessions not interesting. D1 got into Skidmore without that. Just a tour (and interview.) Went elsewhere.
If a college is organized about interviews, you can often do one via Skype or phone, if there aren’t alums interviewing in your area. But that depends on them.
The one struggle I’m having with Conn. College is whether to go for the Open House or a day where DS can interview? The Open House fits better with our schedule, but would he get more out of a one to one?