Why is Campus Visit Important and How to Make the Most of it? (Part 1)

One of the great things about going to college is that you have many, many choices. In fact, high schoolers can be overwhelmed with the myriad of options when they try to decide on what colleges to apply to and eventually, which college to attend. Although we can utilize the internet to get lots of information, the best way to get a feel for a college is to visit it.

Image from Asian American News Bureau

Why should you do college visits?

1. Visiting a campus is the best way to figure out whether you like the school and want to spend the next four years there. You get to see what the buildings look like, talk to current students and professors (they could answer your questions about academics or unique things like Quidditch clubs), and maybe sit in a class or eat at the dining hall.
2. Some selective schools (like Washington University in St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon University [1]) take your “Demonstrated Interest” for them into account during the admissions process! Yes, they actually keep track of whether you visited them, signed up for their email list, whether you applied early or did an interview. The interest you show in attending their college might even help you get accepted. Here is a list of colleges that care about “Demonstrated Interest” and it is best to “show them your love” by visiting campus[2].
3. You will have things to talk about in the “Why Us?” essays. Many colleges ask you to write an essay about why you want to attend their school. After your visit, you will have lots of stuff to talk about! Maybe that caring student who showed you around or the gorgeous trees on campus? Remember, detail is key! And it really tells the admissions people how much you would love going to their school.

However, you might want to say: “Hey Merrina, my family has no spare money to fly me all the way across the country to visit colleges. What should I do?”

Don’t worry! It is NOT an expectation to visit every college on your wish list. All you need is sufficient information that this is the school you want to attend and there are many other ways to accomplish this.

1. Virtual Campus Visits

This is definitely an easy solution. Many colleges offer virtual tours so you can “see” the campus and hear the tour guide’s introduction without leaving your room!

2. College Fly-in Programs/Diversity Programs

Many colleges want to offer students a chance to learn about their campuses and apply for admissions. What’s more exciting is that a lot of these fly-out programs are FREE for low income or minority students. That’s right, they pay for your plane tickets, food, and everything. So why not apply to a few? Maybe you will end up with a free trip and fall in love with the college of your dream!

Here is a section of the fly-in program list from College Greenlight. Please visit their website for the full list.

College/University	Program Name	Application Due Date	Program Dates
Amherst College	Diversity Open Houses	May 14th to August 13th, 2018	September 22nd-24th; October 13th-15th
Barnard College	Barnard Bound	May 1st to June 1st, 2018	October 6th-8th
Bates College	Diversity & Inclusion	September 1st, 2018	October 7-9; October 28-30
Bowdoin College	Explore Bowdoin	May 1st to September 21st, 2018	September 20th-23rd; November 1st-4th, 2018
Brandeis University	Students Exploring and Embracing Diversity (SEED)	August 1st, 2018	November 1st-3rd, 2018
Bryn Mawr College	Travel Scholars	October 27th-29th, 2018	July 15th, 2018
Bucknell University	Journey to Bucknell	September 14th, 2018	November 4th-6th, 2018
Carleton College	Taste of Carleton	August 19th, 2018	Thursday, October 18th – Saturday, October 20th
Carnegie Mellon University	Celebration of Diversity Weekend	Mid-Fall 2018	November 3rd-5th, 2018; January 26th-28th, 2019
Case Western Reserve University	Diversity Overnight	TBD	November 11th-12th
Colby College	The Colby Commitment Experience	TBA (mid-August)	TBA (early October)
Colgate University	Colgate In Focus: A Diversity Open House	May 15th to September 8th, 2018	October 14th-16th
Colorado College	Experience Colorado College: Fall Visit Scholarship Program	April 20th to September 21st, 2018	October 27th-29th

From College Greenlight

3. Reach out to current students or admissions counselors

Sure, the internet can do a great job spitting out hard facts like acceptance rates and available majors, but if you want an insider view on the campus, the current students and admissions counselors are great people to ask your questions. They could give you an understanding of what campus life is like even if you are not physically there!

4. Watch Youtube videos made by current students

This might not sound like a productive plan, but it actually works. Many students upload videos about campus life and their experiences. You get to learn about interesting things like weird school traditions. Those “A Day in the Life of a xxx College Student” videos by Crimson Education are also informative.

That is all for the Part 1, stay tuned for Part 2! I will share some tips on how to make the most of your college visit!

P.S.

To learn about how to organize your college application process, see a list of schools that offer full ride scholarships and free mentoring programs for low-income students, please visit my previous article: “The College Application Timeline and Full-ride Scholarships.”

To learn about how to prepare and succeed in your college interviews, please visit my previous article: “How to ace the college admissions interview?”

 

 

Sources:

[1]. https://scholarships360.org/demonstrated-interest-disinterest-colleges-want-feel-love/

[2]. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-05-21/what-demonstrated-interest-means-in-college-admissions

[3].http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/college-fly-in-and-diversity-programs/