I’ve been reading some examples for this type of essay and I’ve noticed that the good ones always include the student’s personal experience they had on a tour at the college.
I live in the UK and I won’t be able to visit any of the colleges I want to apply to, so how do I still write a good essay without visiting them?
You don’t need to visit a campus to write a good essay. Instead, do a thorough online research on the school, its programs, depts and whatever the school has that interests you deeply and how these features could impact you or how you can impact them.
Agree with the above. Spend time on the school’s website and find what particularly interests you about the school, why you are a good fit for the school etc.
Ok thanks, just wanted to be sure that it wouldn’t hinder my application. I’ll keep doing my research.
Colleges don’t expect that people will visit from overseas. You will be fine.
OP - In case you need even a greater assurance, my son was admitted to seven colleges this past year’'s admissions cycle. Guess how many of these schools he had visited prior to the admission? Zero.
Likewise - The only schools my D visited were the ones that paid her to go for scholarships (and that was after she applied). Or the ones that didn’t care (e.g., the UCs).
She did research about the campuses and programs and tied that in to what she’s interested in and her personal interpretations (in her case, art history, so she either talked about art or architecture on campuses).