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~ Monday, January 24 ~
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Juniors: It’s College Visit Time

Hello Juniors: it’s the beginning of that fun season- test taking season. Our recommendation is for you to take the test twice this spring and then twice more in the fall: a total of 4 happy shots at the ACT test (or the SAT test, or you might try both). Once you take either test, you will experience the marketing season. Glossy college brochures will soon fill your mailbox.

I know it’s gratifying to be recruited, but remember a few sobering thoughts.

1. Don’t choose college because of brochures. You will probably never see those attractive, ethnically diverse people on the front cover or their excellent dental work. Similarly, don’t let a bad or good tour guide strongly influence your opinion of a school. What’s most important is whether a school is a good fit for you. I don’t buy suits on line; the best way to understand whether a college is a good fit is to kick the tires: visit in person, go to a meal, audit 2 or 3 classes, visit a key person in charge of your future college extra-curricular pursuit. Then you can decide if a school is a good fit.

2. Those brochures don’t guarantee that a school wants to admit you. Those brochures only guarantee that a school wants you to apply. You see, if you and lots of others apply, then that college is more likely to be judged as more selective and prestigious in high-stakes college rankings. Those brochures are primarily for the college’s benefit, not yours. Those brochures are flattering, and perhaps they’ll persuade you to visit a school that actually is a good fit for you, but use those brochures primarily for recycling.

Here’s how you can determine whether a college actually is a fit.

• Visit 3 to 5 college visits in a week. Your spring break is a great time to go, especially if the colleges are in session. Call weeks ahead of time to line up tours and a personal interview with admissions and financial aid. Save your dream schools for last so you practice interviewing and visiting the colleges that interest you less.

• If you’re interested in a major, call that department and line up a conversation with a professor and a student majoring in that subject. Be sure to get everyone’s exact name and mail them a hand-written thank you note the next day.

• If you’re a dancer, visit a rehearsal or performance. I know one expert dancer who rejected a college only after she saw a dance performance. She liked the leadership of the department personally, but only the performance let her know that their quality of work was beneath her.

• Ask for an overnight stay to learn about on-campus life.

Colleges increasingly want to know if you have already visited in person. If it’s financially and logistically possible, do it- but try to miss minimal amounts of high school class time.


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