Visiting colleges

Visiting colleges

The consensus view among guidance advisors is that it is a good idea to visit colleges,[106] preferably when college is in session and not during a summer break,[107] with a chance to meet an actual student in the form of a tour guide,[108] and taking notes for reference later when applying.[106][109] Sometimes a college will waive the application fee based on the college visit.[110] A benefit is seeing a school as it really is—not just glossy pictures from a brochure or a promotional video from a website.[70] Another suggested that students should ask themselves, when visiting a particular college: "can I see myself here"?[111] Reporter Jenna Johnson in the Washington Post suggested that students contact a professor in an area of interest at the college before visiting, and try to meet with them briefly or sit in on one of their classes.[109] Reporter Brennan Barnard in the New York Times recommended that student visitors should ask good questions (by avoiding factual questions better answered by the college's website), and ask for complimentary passes for dining or free food. Barnard recommends going beyond the usual tour to ask random strangers about life on campus and reading the student newspaper.[106] He recommends arranging to speak with a professor in the department of interest as well as athletic coaches and music directors, possibly by emailing them in advance of the visit, to try to meet them even briefly.[106] A followup "thank you" note to the host is a good idea (avoid texting abbreviations.)[106]

Counselor Michael Szarek commented on the importance of campus visits in dispelling false impressions:

Half of all college classes are not outdoors. Half of all college classes are not gathered around an electron microscope. Sometimes the leaves are brown, or even fall to the ground. So, use the viewbook to get a sense of the institution and what the college thinks are its strengths. But always rely on the campus visit.

—Michael Szarek, 2011[73]

However, one account suggested colleges structured the campus visit with the same boring format which rarely includes a faculty member:

First there is an “informational session,” conducted by an admissions officer. This is followed by an hour-long campus tour, which is led by a student with a talent for walking backwards .... On the campus tour, we are always shown a dorm room and a dining hall. We are always taken to a library and told how many volumes it contains. We are informed how many students study abroad (a lot), how many student clubs there are (ditto), and how small the classes are (very small.)

—Carl Elliott in The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2012[108]

Campus visits usually include an hour-long guided tour by a student representative, such as this senior at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Several reports suggest that some colleges may be more likely to admit a student based on its interpretation of a student's overall interest in attending, sometimes referred to as demonstrated interest. Actions by an applicant can signal sincere desire to attend a college, and these might include personal visits,[112] visits to College Fair booths, meeting college representatives when they visit the high school for interviews,[112] answering emails,[112][113] reaching out to college faculty members, and so forth. The interest suggests to a college that an applicant, if admitted, may be more likely to attend and, as a result, a college may be more likely to admit such students. An effect of basing admissions decisions on likelihood to attend can be to boost a college's yield rate—the percent of accepted students who choose to attend—which is an increasingly important metric for colleges that seek to perform well in surveys like the US News college rankings.[114] According to one report, Connecticut College lowered acceptance rates from 50% to 32%, and boosted yield from 28% to 34%, by "giving weight to applicant contacts."[114]

Applications considerations[edit]

Extracurricular activities[edit]

Advisors suggest participating with "passion" in one extracurricular activity in a leadership role such as student theater is preferable to being in many activities as a follower.

Young girl reading paper in room with children.

Extracurricular activities that show passion and commitment can make a difference with an admissions committee.

There are conflicting views about student participation in extracurricular activities. A predominant position is that colleges were after "well-rounded bodies of individual specialists", suggesting that it is better for a student to be deeply involved in one or two activities rather than nine or ten superficially, such as a "violin-playing quarterback" or a "math-medalist poet,"[10][41][115] and that students should not "overdo it"[14] and that parents should not become overconcerned about their child's extracurricular activities.[95] Applicants who achieve a leadership position in an extracurricular activity are regarded more highly than applicants who merely participate in a bunch of activities.[10] Advisors recommend that a student should choose which extracurricular activities they genuinely care about, pursue them with "gusto" and "joyful commitment" that demonstrates integrity and commitment.[116] And, consistent with this view, is that too many extracurricular activities may look suspect to admissions officers, particularly if it seems unreasonable that any person could be as active and succeed scholastically at the same time.[14] Jobs are generally viewed favorably by admissions committees, including even part-time service jobs such as flipping hamburgers, since it suggests that a student has learned to handle time management, to accept responsibility, and develop people skills.[117] A less dominant position was that it is helpful to be involved in a "variety of activities", including jobs, internships, and community service.[43] Some universities, such as the University of California, have formal programs for spot-checking applications for accuracy, such as sending a follow-up letter to the student asking for proof about an extracurricular activity or summer job.[118] Advisors recommend that extracurricular activities should never interfere with a student's overall academic performance.[119] A student with lots of extracurricular activities senior year, but little in preceding years, particularly when the essays focus on the extracurricular activities, are suspect; it suggests an applicant is being coached, and may reflect negatively on an application.[120][121] Advisors warn against "overscheduling" students with too many activities or courses.[122]

Number of applications[edit]

There are differing views on how many schools a student should apply to. Several reports suggest that applying to too many schools caused unnecessary stress and expense,[67] and hampers a student from targeting applications to a few select schools.[41] But other advisors suggest that applying to more schools increases overall chances for acceptance. Mamlet and Vandeverde suggest applying to eight to ten schools is best, and that applying to too many schools is counterproductive.[95] There are reports that the average number of schools that students are applying to has been increasing, perhaps because of greater use of the Common Application. In 2008, applications to Harvard University had increased to a record number at 27,278, a 19% increase from the year before.[123] One effect of these numerous applications is to lower the average yield of colleges, which dropped from 46% to 38% in 2001 according to one account.[114]

Summer programs[edit]

Counselors suggest there are a variety of summer programs to give high school students a taste of college life, including this one for high school students run by the United States Naval Academy.

Summer academic programs, such as during the months between junior and senior year, can be helpful, particularly if a student has been having trouble in a specific area in high school.[41] Another suggested that pre-admission programs, such as a summer program before senior year, could help students adjust to the transition to college,[75] although some programs can be expensive; some admissions officers are skeptical of their benefit, and suggest that a part-time job or having fun is a better alternative. One suggested attending a community college during the summer before senior year, preferably for high school credits.[43] Mamlet and Vandeverde describe many summer vacations between junior and senior year as "adventure vacations", and wonder if they are somewhat "faddish"—a key question that admissions evaluators try to ascertain is did the student initiate the summer program or was it initiated by parents or a coach to make an application look better?[124] Some summer programs have been crafted in a way to allow a student to write a compelling application essay:

A dizzying array of summer programs have cropped up to feed the growing anxiety that summer must be used constructively. Students can study health care in Rwanda, veterinary medicine in the Caribbean or cell cloning at Brown University, or learn about Sikkim, India’s only Buddhist state.