Last of the College Rep. Visits
This week marked the last of the scheduled visits we get
every fall from college representatives. Now we may see a trickle of some
visitors in the spring (often unscheduled). But by and large nearly all college
admissions offices do their traveling in the fall.
Historically October is the busiest month for rep. visits.
And this year was no different. What I did notice as different, was it seemed
to me that more of our juniors were taking advantage of these rep. visits. And not
just for the most popular schools. Juniors were coming to hear from schools
that were somewhat off the ‘beaten-path’.
This has me excited. There are two messages that I’ve been
drumming for some time and it seems like some students are taking heed. First, Use fall of your junior year to gather
information from visiting representatives. Second, Look outside of the schools that your friends are considering.
The rep. visits are often a better way of getting an
impression of a college than the literature they mail to your house OR the
pretty stuff they post online at their websites. Certainly nothing takes the
place of an in-person visit to a college or university, but why travel if they
are coming to us? If they catch your interest, you can plan to visit later
(maybe in the spring).
Also it is good to see a variety of what is out there before
one commits to apply to a narrow range of schools. Please note I have nothing
against students who keep their applications within state. What I hope is that
the student is making that choice after ruling out alternatives.
Juniors who haven’t attended a single rep. visit need not
despair. There’s still plenty of time for your search. There are college fairs
in the spring that you can attend, and certainly if you’re ready you can make a
visit to a few schools or more. Also there will be some classroom guidance
lessons in the second week after the Christmas break for juniors. Counselors
will schedule individual appointments with juniors after the class to see where
you are in the college search process and what needs to be done.
So college reps. are back in their home offices, settling in
for the long season of reading and reviewing applications. Let’s wish them well.