Return College Visits

Seniors: Questions to Ask on a Return College Visit

Posted on Wed, 03/12/2014 - 08:42

If you are making a return visit to a college or visiting for the first time after being admitted, make sure you get off the beaten path  -- hang out at the student union, visit the study spaces in the library, or browse in the bookstore, grab lunch at a campus cafeteria, arrange to sit in on a class or meet with a professor. And ask questions of everyone. You may be surprised at how willing students are to speak candidly with you. Here are some questions to ask:

                Why did you decide to go to school here?

                What's a typical student like?

                Are professors accessible? How do you spend time with faculty outside the classroom?

Seniors: Get off the Beaten Track on a Return College Visit

Posted on Wed, 03/06/2013 - 10:30

If you are making a return visit to a college or visiting for the first time after being admitted, make sure you get off the beaten path  -- that is, do some exploring past the official information session and tour.  Hang out at the student union, visit the study spaces in the library, or browse in the bookstore, grab lunch at a campus cafeteria, arrange to sit in on a class or meet with a professor. And ask questions of everyone. You may be surprised at how willing students are to speak candidly with you. Here are some questions to ask:

                Why did you decide to go to school here?

                What's a typical student like?

                Are professors accessible? How do you spend time with faculty outside the classroom?

                What do students do on the weekends here?

                Who fits in here and who doesn’t?

                How hard is it to get the classes you need?

                What was your biggest surprise about going to school here?

                What was your freshman year like? How difficult was the transition?

And, once you're in, the question you're asking yourself is no longer prefaced by "If I get in..." Instead, it's "I can go here if I want. Is this the right place for me?"

 

No Double-Depositing

Posted on Wed, 04/11/2012 - 19:33

May 1, the National Candidates Reply Date, is fast approaching. This is the non-negotiable deadline for formally notifying one college that you are accepting its offer of admission—and sealing the deal with a deposit check. For those who have a top-choice school, the decision about where to send that check is straightforward. For others, choosing may require further thought, return visits, or the comparison of financial aid packages. Do not be tempted, however, to double-deposit in order to delay decision-making. Double-depositing—sending a deposit to more than one college to keep your options open —is unethical and may result in both colleges rescinding your admission. Keep in mind that you have signed a certification on your application form promising you will send a deposit to only one institution. Your acceptance letter is conditional, and it’s easier than you think for the colleges to find out if you have deposited at more than one institution. You also have an ethical obligation. Double-depositing takes places away from other students. Waitlisted students should take care not to double-deposit as well. Suppose you are accepted at College A and waitlisted at College B, but your first choice is College B. You would enroll at College A and send a deposit. If you are later accepted at College B, you can also enroll and send a deposit there. This is not double-depositing provided you inform College A immediately and in writing that you will not be enrolling.