News from the 2014 College Reception Circuit

Claremont Mckenna travels with 8 of the Best Colleges

Once the books close on the Class of 2018, admissions offices will begin the process of retooling and hit the road in search of prospective candidates for the Class of 2019.  And because recruitment dollars are increasingly scarce, quite a few colleges and universities will opt for group presentations as opposed to individual high school visits to get the word out in targeted communities.

If you’ve registered to receive information from a particular school, it’s likely you will receive invitations to these kinds of events.  And short of actually visiting a campus, these presentations offer opportunities for you to get basic information as well as make yourself known to area representatives—some of whom may be reading your application next fall.

Although these sessions are usually open to the public, it’s generally a good idea to pre-register if the opportunity is offered. Otherwise, how are the folks running the event going to know how many folding chairs to set up?

The following are some of the more popular spring events (follow the links provided for the schedule of events in your area).

• Big Ten College Tour:  In early May, the Big Ten Universities will co-host several evening programs in California.  These events will provide a brief overview of the Big Ten community as well as a chance to meet representatives from each university in a college fair forum.
• Exploring College Options: This is a special recruitment program sponsored by the undergraduate admissions offices of Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford. The tour has three stops in the DC area, with the first scheduled for Sunday, May 4, at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Two additional sessions will be held on May 5, at the Fairview Park Marriott, in Falls Church, and the Bethesday North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda.
• Colleges That Change Lives: This year, CTCL will visit the Washington DC area on Sunday, May 18, at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. Each program begins with a 30-minute information session followed immediately by the college fair.
• The Claremont Colleges:   The Claremont Colleges (Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Pomona and Scripps Colleges) periodically schedule information sessions in different parts of the country.  This year, receptions were held in Bethesda, MD and New York, NY.
• Exploring Educational Excellence:  Join Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, and Rice for an information session targeted to prospective students and families. Sessions include an overview of each institution, information on admissions and financial aid, as well as a chance to speak informally with admissions representatives. Events will be held at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, on Monday June 2, as well as at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, on Tuesday June 3.
• 8 of the Best Colleges: Claremont McKenna, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Grinnell, Haverford, Kenyon, Macalester, and Sarah Lawrence invite students and families to learn more about these eight nationally recognized liberal arts colleges. Programs are scheduled for Wednesday, May 21 at the Sheraton North Hotel, in Towson, MD, and Thursday, May 22, at the Hyatt Regency, in Bethesda, MD.
• Coast to Coast Tour:  Dartmouth, Northwestern, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and Vanderbilt visit 10 cities in six states.  The evening includes a brief information session about each school and time to interact with admissions representatives in a college fair format.  The tour comes to the DC area on Thursday, May 22, at the Washington Marriott.
• SEC College Tour:  The 14 universities in the Southeastern Conference will be visiting 3 cities in California in April.
• Boston University:  This program will provide insight into the “complex admissions process.”  Admissions staff will be coming to Georgetown Prep, on Sunday, May 4, at 7:00 p.m.
• Carnegie Mellon University:  Admissions counselors will present a general information session to high school students who may be in the early stages of their college search. You can register now for the event scheduled for Sunday, June 1, at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.
• Johns Hopkins University:  Explore Hopkins events allow students to join admissions representatives at presentations around the country to learn more about academics, student life, the application process and financial aid.
• New York University:  Each spring and fall, NYU holds off-campus receptions for prospective students and families. Students are invited to register for the DC-area event scheduled for Sunday, May 4, at 11:00 a.m.
• Northwestern University:  In addition to the Coast to Coast Tour (see above), additional sessions are open to students and their families in other parts of the country. 
• Purdue University:  Preview Purdue events are scheduled in different locations across the county.  The remaining spring schedule includes Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleveland, St. Louis, Boston, Louisville KY, Chicago, and Hartford.
• The University of North Carolina at Greensboro:  Two "First Look" sessions will be held in the DC area.  The first will take place on May 19, in Rockville, and the second is scheduled for May 20, at Tysons Corner.  Online registration will require you to open a SpartanLink account.
  
  
• Washington University in St. Louis:  The Office of Undergraduate Admissions invites you  and your parents to a presentation about Wash U, on Sunday, April 27, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda.