We have visited 4 schools DS has applied to and visiting 2 more in a few weeks. There are still plenty more we want to visit, but I’m not sure we will make it to before spring. Just curious how important the visit is and if we can have him show interest I’m other ways?
While my kid didn’t visit Middlebury before being accepted, she did not follow the “normal” application rout. However, she was also accepted to UMN without ever having visited.
You can also demonstrate interest by attending the college caller visits (or whatever they call it when a college sends recruiters to high schools). Not everybody has the time or funds to physically visit every college in which they are interested.
Not all colleges consider demonstrated interest…look at each school’s common data set to help you best target visits.
If you can’t visit a school that does consider demonstrated interest, you can:
sign-up to receive info and for the email distribution list
open the emails they send
attend a college fair and the AO’s high school presentation
interview where available
reach out to AO with questions that are not readily answered on website.
The ultimate expression of demonstrated interest is an ED app, or EA where ED not offered.
@nextstepcollege: You can google the common dataset for each school of interest to see if the Applicant’s Level of Interest is considered. Section C7 usually the last line.
I have done this, and am aware of which ones value an applicant’s interest, but was just wondering other ways to show interest and/or whether students get admitted even if they can’t visit a school that values interest.
He is doing all of the things suggested here, so that’s encouraging. He is signing up for the college visits to our high school and adding his name to their mailing lists. He’s also following the schools on social media.
Of the 7 schools S19 was accepted to, 4 of them he didn’t vist prior to acceptance. This included the school he is attending, GT.
My kid didn’t visit UMich, before being accepted EA, and now is a sophomore there. There were several other schools as well.
Of the 7 out of state colleges my son was accepted to, he didn’t visit a single one. He was too busy. He did go see various college representatives’ visits at his high school, though.
Both kids visited just about every school since we made like mini vacations out of it or they were close to us.
We didn’t visit North Carolina State, which he got a half merit scholarship to.
My daughter got a nice half scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan and she never applied to it at all. That was a little confusing… Lol…
S19 was accepted to Hamilton and Dickinson without visits and they count interest. He met with the reps when they came to his school and did a local alumni interview for Hamilton.
Applying ED is the most obvious way to show interest. But that should only be done if the school is a no-regrets top choice that is affordable.
Other means include reading email from the school with images shown, carefully writing the “why [this college]?” essay to emphasize aspects unique to the school and how it is a mutual strong fit, doing optional interviews and essays, etc…
Thank you! DS isn’t sure 100% where he wants to attend yet, and financial aid will be a factor. We are not a high need family, but do have some need, and are also hoping for merit aid at some of his safety schools. All of his “Why this college” essays were very college specific.
I don’t know which colleges your DS is interested in, but you should most definitely look at the College Data Set per each college he’s interested in before visiting. Google “cds xx college” and scroll down to the section C7, and it will tell you whether that specific college considers the “level of applicant’s interest.” This should save you lots of unnecessary spending, time and effort.
One thing you’ll find is that the level of applicant’s interest is “not considered” the more “elite” college you look at. They don’t need to look at the applicant’s interest because they know every applicants are interested. Those colleges, on the other hand, that do look at your level of interest are those that have a stake in the admissions process. They don’t want to waste their time with applicants that are using them only as safeties.
Irregardless of what the CDS says, it’s imperative to take "Why Us? essays (and other parts of the application) very seriously. Study the college website thoroughly for indepth familiarization of their programs, faculty and even facilities that directly pertain to your DS’s academic and EC interests and convey these findings with the “Why” question in coherent and convincing ways.
super helpful posts here. thanks all.
S20 has only visited our state college where he’s been accepted. he’s applying at a few elites; but we don’t have time/money to visit them. If accepted, for sure he’d make that effort.
Not sure I would recommend applying to binding early decision without ever having visited the college. Seems like a big risk to me…
The CDS isn’t absolute. The higher the teir, the more everything matters. You can’t pretend something “very important” trumps something listed as “important.” Not in holistic.
TiggerDad, elites know all kids are “interested.” The issue is how that’s “demonstrated.” Lots of kids apply because they’re interested, but can’t demonstrate that. It’s not being on a mailing list or visiting.
I agree, it’s in the Why Us and other factors. Even how a kid lists activities (those EC choices, in the first place,) can show how he understands the college he’s applying to. That’s demonstrating. Same for how a kid answers supp questions. Do you understand enough to show your match? Not just to what YOU want, but to what THEY look for. Count on it: too many kids think it all starts and ends with stats and hs status, a few ECs they like.
Top adcoms know what they want to find. The issue is whether a kid truly knows enough about that college to show the match. That’s not reading emails. It’s not taking a campus tour.
You don’t have to visit, unless you’re so close that it raises eyebrows that you didn’t. You do need to understand the school and show it.
“One thing you’ll find is that the level of applicant’s interest is “not considered” the more “elite” college you look at.”
It would depend on your definition of elite as there are lot of schools that track interest because they’re concerned about yield. Any college that has ED and/or uses waitlist to manage yield is going to care about interest. So yes the colleges that offer EA and SCEA won’t track, but the highly selective ones that have ED, they’ll track, even if they say they don’t. This includes RUs and LACs as well. Less selective public colleges don’t track and they wouldn’t be considered elite.
It’s not whether they “track” visits or being on the email list. It’s whether you actually demonstrate in the application.
Absolutely, tippy tops want to see you know what you’re doing. Whether or not they “track” anything that may happen before you submit, they want to see it in the app you present. Lots of kids miss this.
Lots of families wait on a visit until kids get accepted. Tracking and demonstrating are really two different things.
I feel very confident that DS did this. I read all of his essays and supplements. His essays were only written after thoroughly researching each school, and all were custom written for each school he applied to with consideration for the values and mission for that college.
D was admitted to all schools she didn’t visit, including Vassar, Kenyon, Denison, Centre.
S didn’t like visits and was admitted to some of the schools he didn’t visit, including Brown, Colgate, Vanderbilt, U. Richmond, Pitt.
When possible, they made contact with an admissions officer and/or did local interviews. They put good effort into supplements.