Start Planning Your College Visits

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One of the few silver linings to come out of the pandemic is that schools have finally embraced virtual visits (first out of necessity, now by choice!), and our guess is that they are here to stay.

So if your budget and schedule (and life more generally) enable you to visit colleges in person, that’s great! If not, you have a lot of virtual options now, and you absolutely should take advantage of them.

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WEEK 4 TO-DOS

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THIS WEEK

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1. Think broadly about which schools you want to investigate, and schedule your virtual or in-person visits.

Those visits will help you identify what you do or don’t like about different colleges, where and why you might might want to learn more, and discover more about your own preferences. That in turn will help you make better choices about where to apply when it comes time to build your college list. You’ll save yourself wasted application fees, and long term can also save you from wasting your tuition and your time on a college that isn’t the right fit for you. You can always narrow down your lists later. You’re just in the exploration stage!

Also, your chances for admission at many colleges will be higher if you “demonstrate interest” in that college, and a college visit is one really good way to do that. Colleges track who attends them.

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2. Check with your school counselor about visits from admissions reps.

Representative from various colleges might also be coming to your high school or town or region to meet with students in person. If and when that’s the case, make a plan for attending those events, if possible. Those are usually hosted by your high school, so stay in touch with your school-based counselor about what that calendar looks like.

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THIS WEEK AND EVERY WEEK

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• Check your email, voicemail, texts, and snail mail for any communications that relate to applying to college. Read them and take whatever action is necessary.
• Update your parents about what you’re doing. This regular communication will work wonders in your relationship with your parents during this stress-filled year.

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TIPS & TRICKS

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• Practice speaking with admissions representatives at virtual events. This is one of the reasons it’s a good idea to explore broadly at this point. You may not think you’re excited about a particular college, but at a minimum you’ll have a chance to ask questions and practice your conversational skills in that setting. You’ll find that these conversations feel easier and more natural over time. Note too that these events are not the same thing as an official admissions interview, so don’t lose sleep over those conversations. But do have good manners, and do look and sound interested whether in person or on screen, because every interaction with a representative from a college has the potential to leave a lasting, good impression.

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P.S. Want this 52 Weeks to College series to land in your inbox every week? Sign up for our 52 Weeks newsletter here.

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Anna Ivey is one of the founders of Inline. An experienced admissions consultant and a frequently cited media expert on the topic of college admissions, she is also co-author of the college admissions bible How to Prepare a Standout College Application. Learn more about Anna's background here.
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