<p>About a month ago, my son’s GC suggested him to visit some schools and to meet with some people like orchestra directors, professors etc. The main goal was to show your sincere interests to these colleges.
My S made some initial contacts, and was thinking to visit two schools that he likes most.
These are the colleges we had visited last year, and so it is not to see the campus and to get a feeling of how it is like.</p>
<p>Now, being him so busy with some new activities and commitments (contrary to his wish) and also considering my schedule, we are now re-thinking his visit plans and I’d like to get your advice. </p>
<li><p>Is it really going to be helpful to make visits at this point? Mainly, to increase his chance of acceptance. </p></li>
<li><p>If we go, what are the things we can do to get most out of our visit?</p></li>
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<p>Alummom
from our experience it can make a big difference (if the schools are not huge universities.) Smaller schools care if a student is motivated and shows a real interest in the school. I would suggest that your son e-mail a couple of professors in his fields of interest and see if he can set up appointments with them. After the visit he can write to thank them and possibly ask some follow-up questions. If the schools give admissions interviews he should make an appointment for that too. I think it's good to get to be known personally and become more than an application. I'd say it's worth the time.</p>
<p>Alummom, Both of my kids had colleges that they applied to and liked very much but could not visit before the applications were due. What they did was let the admissions department know that they were very interested but it was just logistically hard to get there. </p>
<p>I see that your son has already done a visit and hopefully that was noted. I don't really see the point in another visit at this stage. There's a good chance that if your son is accepted to both of these schools plus some others you are already going to be busy with accepted student visits, and then orientation and then a parents weekend, etc. etc.</p>
<p>I tend to agree with kathiep that, if he has already visited, another visit at this point may not have much effect. I'm not sure that it would even make it to his admission file at this point.</p>
<p>If he has substantial interaction with a professor, <em>and</em> if that professor takes the trouble to inform the Admissions office, it might get noted. Or your S could email a thank-you to any prof he meets and cc the admissions office.</p>
<p>My primary comment is that it really depends on the schools in question. If its HYPS or similar, it will not make any difference, imo. They are not really sensitive to "demonstrated interest." They know most kids will jump at the chance to go, if accepted. If it is a school which is often a safety for HYPS-level schools, interest is important but you'll have to decide whether it's worth more time and money when he has already visited - therefore, imo, taking the most important step toward demonstrating interest.</p>
<p>If you would like to name the schools, or describe the type of school (recent % admitted....), we might be able to comment more specifically.</p>
<p>If there are 2 colleges of real interest, and OP's son is pursuing music, I think it would help to spend time watching orchestras rehearse, talking to profs, etc. I don't mean pushing yourself if very busy, but if possible for S to spend some more time at these schools.</p>
<p>S & I didn't visit colleges until after admitted, and there was an urgency to gathering info.</p>
<p>First, it depends on the school. Demonstrating interest makes a big difference at some schools. Other schools simply don't care.</p>
<p>There are two ways that contact with the school can help. First, it may get communicated back to the admissions office. That depends a little bit on luck.</p>
<p>The more important benefit is that really getting to know the school helps the student prepare a better, more focussed, more enthusiastic application. Thus, it can help even if the school doesn't track contacts.</p>
<p>My guess is that contact with the schools, at this point, would be of limited benefit. The admissions offices have essentially gone into their bunkers for the duration, buried by piles of applications to read and fueled by little more than coffee.</p>
<p>One college is one of HYPS, and we also thought that its benefit would be very minimal. What I was asking myself was "Should I encourage my S to do his best, everything he can do, if there is any chance of it being helpful?"
If it is an hour drive, then we would definitaly do it. But we should spend a whole day, close to 24 hours, to visit this school.</p>
<p>Definitely of no value for the HYPS (in terms of enhancing his admissions chances).</p>
<p>For another school which he has already visited, at this point it is likely to be of limited, if any, additional value.</p>
<p>Only exception to this would be if the nature of his visit were such that the professor(s) who meet him feel that he is so extraordinary that they can hardly contain themselves from rushing to the admissions office to advocate for him. Not a likely scenario.</p>
<p>I think at this point, you are just in that wonderful time of wait, bite nails, check mailbox even when you know there's no chance the envelope has arrived yet ;). Repeat ad infinitum. We've all been there. April will come, but it will not come soon enough :).</p>
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Only exception to this would be if the nature of his visit were such that the professor(s) who meet him feel that he is so extraordinary that they can hardly contain themselves from rushing to the admissions office to advocate for him. Not a likely scenario.
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<p>I think that sort of thing does happen, especially at small LACs. But, I think it is more likely to happen in the course of casual conversation over coffee in the faculty lounge. And, the time to pursue a strategy of "making yourself known around campus" is during the summer and fall leading up to the applications.</p>
<p>I also agree that HYPS don't give a damn whether you are interested or not....something that actually should make you stop and think.</p>
<p>If you have the time and money and inclination--do it.</p>
<p>I think there are lots of positives to spending a day visiting classes at PYS (not sure about Harvard). I told my son it might be the only chance he gets to sit in on an Ivy league class. He gave me the big roll of the eyes--but when he came out 90 minutes later he was on fire. We had to run to the bookstore to buy the two books the professor used.</p>
<p>That class solidified his initial thoughts about his major. He can't wait to sit in on more of those classes.</p>
<p>He sent an email to the professor with a thank you and got a nice response. Then, unprompted, he mentioned that experience in one of his "Why This college?" essays. It was amazing what he observed about the classroom vibe. </p>
<p>The whole experience was positive--and it really got the gears in his wheelhouse to start turning. (Gears-turning: always a positive when it comes to boys who live in the here and now).</p>
<p>Personally, I'd skip the overnights. Why entangle his impression of the school with a whole bunch of personalities he may or may not enjoy? Let him eat lunch in the canteen with some students. Maybe find a performance to attend? Or let him attend with anotehr student?</p>
<p>I'm thinking about going up to Chicago in mid-February to visit and do an overnight at the U of C. Do you know how much they value this sort of "demonstrated interest"? I live in DC and haven't been able to visit, and I didn't have an alumni interview because I didn't realize you had to request one, so I'm a bit worried that they'll think I'm not interested in the school when it's actually one of my top choices. Would it be a good idea to visit now, or should I wait until I know if I'm accepted?</p>