Eckerd College Comes to You!

Cold getting you down? Dream about sunshine and college in a warmer climate at one of the local prospective student events sponsored by Eckerd College!

The Eckerd College admissions office is inviting interested students to attend receptions they have conveniently scheduled in Denver, Nashville, New York City, Boston, and Bethesda MD. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the college as well as to meet with staff, alumni, and parents of current undergrads.

In addition, students are invited to register for an area interview to speak one-on-one with an Eckerd College Admission Counselor. Personal interviews are currently being scheduled for Atlanta, Austin, Bethesda, Boston, Burlington, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Interested students are encouraged to register for interviews to “enhance” their applications or discuss the “next step” if they have already been admitted.

The Bethesda reception will take place on Sunday, January 31st at the Bethesda North Marriott. Interviews may be scheduled the day before at the same location.

Be sure to register in advance on the Eckerd website for either an interview or to attend a reception. And while you’re learning more about Eckerd, ask about the yellow bike program!

10 Ways to Connect with a College You Can't Visit

Although colleges expect students living within a reasonable distance of their campuses to make an effort to visit, it may not always be possible to tour all the colleges on your list. If that’s the case, here are a few alternatives to the in-person tour:

1. Get on the mailing list. Colleges maintain mailing lists for the purpose of communicating directly with students. Take advantage of the opportunity to receive information and learn more about the colleges you are considering. But be aware—you will need to differentiate between college “spam” and real mail. And it’s not always easy!

2. Subscribe to college blogs. An increasing number of colleges are opening lines of communication through blogs. Bloggers can be admissions staff or students who have agreed to write regular columns on their experiences. Both can be enormously helpful in understanding the college, its community, and the process you will need to submit a successful application.

3. Attend college fairs. Colleges and universities typically send admissions counselors or alumni representatives to fairs all over the country. There are regional fairs or fairs centered on a theme or an alliance of colleges. Although they can be hectic, college fairs are great opportunities to make an initial connection and pick up some glossy brochures.

4. Sign-up for school-based presentations. In the fall, colleges send admissions representatives to meet with high school students on their turf. These events are generally organized through the guidance or student services office. Be sure to keep up with the schedule of visits and sign-up for presentations that interest you.

5. Try the virtual method. Colleges are increasingly participating in websites designed to support “virtual” visits to their campuses. The most popular of these sites include CampusTours.com, ecampustours.com, and YOUniversityTV.com. In fact, you can even attend a virtual college fair at CollegeWeekLive.com or take a college course via podcast through iTunes U. YouTube offers some professionally produced marketing pieces as well as a huge sample of student videos, which can also be found on TheU.com. And finally, check out on-campus webcams, which some enterprising colleges use to give viewers a sense of “being there.”

6. “Friend” a college. Colleges discovered that high school students spend lots of time on Facebook. Surprise! As a result, many have built their own “fan” pages, which they use as tools to display videos, pictures, and news articles about their schools. By coming to students on Facebook, colleges keep in touch with potential applicants as well as provide them with important information and invitations to events.

7. Tweet. For the most part, colleges don’t expect their Twitter accounts to necessarily result in active exchanges with high school students. They’re content to establish these forums to pass along newsworthy items or basic information. By following a few colleges, you can use Twitter as a tool for gathering data or keeping abreast of deadlines.

8. Check out campus media. There’s hardly a college in the country that doesn’t have a student-run newspaper. Most also have campus radio and/or television stations. What better way to keep up with campus goings on—without editorial oversight from the admissions office or college marketing. You can find most newspapers online, and with a little creative searching you can stream a live radio or TV broadcast.

9. Attend a reception. A local or regional college reception is less of a social event and more of an off-campus information session. Don’t go for the food, but consider it another opportunity to meet admissions staff, ask questions, and pick up more marketing material. You’ll also get a good peek at the competition—students from other high schools in your area who are likely to apply to the college sponsoring the event.

10. Schedule a local interview. Many colleges are expanding their capacity to provide off-campus interviews either conducted by admissions staff or alumni in the area. Although the staff interviews are largely extensions of the service offered on-campus, alumni interviews usually kick in after you’ve submitted an application. Either interview may be “informational” or “evaluative.” Regardless, don’t neglect this very important method of connecting with the college of your choice.

Note: You may want to check out “When Interviewers Come to You” for a list of colleges conducting off-campus interviews in the DC area.

10 Ways to ‘Visit’ a College without Leaving Home

Harvey Mudd information session held in Maryland

Colleges expect students living within a “reasonable” distance of their campuses to make an effort to visit.  It not only demonstrates interest but also shows the applicant is doing his or her best to determine if a college represents a good “fit.”

But these trips are expensive, and it may not always be possible to tour all the colleges on your list. If that’s the case, here are a few alternatives to the in-person tour:

1. Get on the mailing list. Colleges maintain mailing lists for the purpose of communicating directly with students. Take advantage of the opportunity to receive information and learn more about the colleges you are considering. But be aware—once you get on a mailing list, you will need to differentiate between college “spam” and real mail. And it’s not always easy!

2. Subscribe to college blogs. An increasing number of colleges are opening lines of communication through blogs. Bloggers can be admissions staff or students who have agreed to write regular columns on their experiences. Both can be enormously helpful in understanding the college, its community, and the process you will need to submit a successful application.

3. Attend college fairs. Colleges and universities typically send admissions counselors or alumni representatives to fairs all over the country. There are regional fairs or fairs centered on a theme or an alliance of colleges. Although they can be hectic, college fairs are great opportunities to make an initial connection and pick up some glossy brochures.

4. Sign-up for school-based presentations. Throughout the year, colleges send admissions representatives to meet with high school students on their turf. These events are generally organized through the guidance or student services office. Be sure to keep up with the schedule of visits and sign-up for presentations that interest you.

5. Try the virtual method. Colleges are increasingly participating in websites designed to support “virtual” visits to their campuses. The most popular of these sites include CampusTours.com, ecampustours.com, and YOUniversityTV.com. In fact, you can even attend a virtual college fair at CollegeWeekLive.com or take a college course via podcast through iTunes U.  YouTube offers some professionally-produced marketing pieces as well as a huge sample of student videos, which can also be found on TheU.com. And finally, check out on-campus webcams, which some enterprising colleges use to give viewers a sense of “being there.”

6. “Friend” a college. Colleges discovered that high school students spend lots of time on Facebook. Surprise! As a result, many have built their own “fan” pages, which they use as tools to display videos, pictures, and news articles about their schools. By setting up a presence on Facebook, colleges keep in touch with potential applicants as well as provide them with important information and invitations to events.

7. Tweet. For the most part, colleges don’t expect their Twitter accounts to necessarily result in active exchanges with high school students. They’re content to establish these forums to pass along newsworthy items or basic information. By following a few colleges, you can use Twitter as a tool for gathering data or keeping abreast of deadlines.

8. Check out campus media. There’s hardly a college in the country that doesn’t have a student-run newspaper. Most also have campus radio and/or television stations. What better way to keep up with campus goings on—without editorial oversight from the admissions office or college marketing. You can find most newspapers online, and with a little creative searching you can stream a live radio or TV broadcast.

9. Attend a reception. A local or regional college reception is less of a social event and more of an off-campus information session. Don’t go for the food, but consider it another opportunity to meet admissions staff, ask questions, and pick up more marketing material. You’ll also get a good peek at the competition—students from other high schools in your area who are also likely to apply to the college sponsoring the event.

10. Schedule a local interview. Many colleges are expanding their capacity to provide off-campus interviews either conducted by admissions staff or alumni in the area. Although the staff interviews are largely extensions of the service offered on-campus, alumni interviews usually kick in after you’ve submitted an application. Either interview may be “informational” or “evaluative.” Regardless, don’t neglect this very important method of connecting with the college of your choice.

Keep in mind that after you’ve been admitted to a college, there will be opportunities to visit.  If money continues to be a problem, contact the college in question and explain the situation.  You may be surprised to find many schools have travel accounts to help low income students visit their campuses.

News from the 2012 College Reception Circuit

Harvard University will be represented at Exploring College Options

Many colleges and universities hit the road this time of year to begin a recruitment process that actually gets into full swing in the fall.

Short of actually visiting a campus, these presentations offer opportunities for you to get basic information about a school as well as make yourself known to area representatives.

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:

• 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 13th, at the Tysons Corner Marriott, at 7:30 p.m. Two additional sessions will be held on May 14th at the Washington Marriott Metro Center and May 15th at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel.
  
  
• Colleges That Change Lives: This year, CTCL will visit the Washington DC area on Sunday, May 20, at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center. Plan to attend one of two programs scheduled (11:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m.). Each program begins with a 30-minute information session followed immediately by the college fair.
  
  
• The Claremont Colleges:   Harvey Mudd and three of the other Claremont Colleges will hold a local information session on on Sunday, May 20, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Pooks Hill Bethesda Marriott.
  
  
• The Five College Consortium:  Admissions directors from Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and U Mass Amherst will host a reception for high school students and their parents at Woodrow Wilson High School on May 21.  Registration is highly encouraged but not required.
  
  
• 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. The tour hits DC on May 24th, at the Tysons Corner Marriott. You must register to attend.
  
  
• 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. Six programs remain for the year.
  
  
• Coast to Coast Tour:  Dartmouth, Northwestern, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and Vanderbilt visit nine cities in eight states.  The evening includes a brief information session about each school and time to interact with admissions representatives in a college fair format.  Keep this one in mind for next year.
  
  
• Case Western Reserve University, Brandeis, and University of Rochester:  Several remaining joint information sessions are scheduled for the coming weeks. 
  
  
• Boston College:  Scheduled for May 15 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, this informational program is designed to provide prospective students with an “Eagle Overview.”
  
  
• 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 3, at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.
  
  
• Northwestern University:  Scheduled for May 31^st, at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel, this session is open to students and their families but advance registration is required.
  
  
• 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 21, in Rockville, and the second is scheduled for May 22, at the Tysons Corner Marriott.  Online registration will require you to open a SpartanLink account.

Note that you're much more likely to receive advance notice of these events if you've registered for information or otherwise demonstrated interest to colleges on your search list.

Even More Ways to Connect with Colleges You Can’t Visit

Georgetown University

Colleges generally expect students living within a “reasonable” distance of their campuses to make an effort to visit.  It not only demonstrates interest but also shows the applicant is doing his or her best to determine if a college represents a good “fit.”

But these trips are expensive and time-consuming, and it may not always be possible to tour all the colleges on your list. If that’s the case, here are a few alternatives to the in-person tour:

1.  Get on the mailing list. Colleges maintain mailing lists for the purpose of communicating directly with students. Take advantage of the opportunity to receive information and learn more about the colleges you are considering by “intentionally” getting on mailing lists. In other words, “request information.” But be aware:  once you agree to receive these communications electronically, be sure to open your email.  Colleges have software that allows them to see if you dump their messages directly into trash.  Yes, colleges can be annoying to the point of spamming prospective applicants.  But in the era of “big data,” you need to know that colleges have the capability of tracking your response to what they are selling.

2.  Subscribe to college blogs. An increasing number of colleges are opening lines of communication through blogs. Bloggers can be admissions staff or students who have agreed to write regular columns on their experiences. Both can be enormously helpful in understanding the college, its community, and the process for submitting a successful application.

3.  Attend college fairs. Colleges and universities typically send admissions staff or alumni representatives to fairs all over the country. There are regional fairs or fairs centered on a theme or an alliance of colleges. Although they can be hectic, college fairs are great opportunities to make connections and pick up some glossy brochures.

4.  Sign-up for school-based presentations. In the fall, colleges send admissions representatives to meet with high school students on their turf. These events are generally organized through student services or the college/career office. Be sure to keep up with the schedule of visits and sign-up for presentations that interest you.

5.  Try the virtual method. Colleges are increasingly participating in websites designed to support “virtual” visits to their campuses. The most popular of these sites include CampusTours.com, ecampustours.com, and YOUniversityTV.com. In fact, you can even attend a virtual college fair at CollegeWeekLive.com or view a college lecture via podcast through iTunes U. YouTube offers some professionally produced marketing pieces as well as a huge sample of student videos, which can also be found on TheU.com. And finally, check out on-campus webcams, which more enterprising colleges use to give viewers a sense of “being there.”

6.  “Friend” a college. Colleges discovered that high school students spend lots of time on Facebook. Surprise! As a result, many have built their own “fan” pages, which they use as tools to display videos, pictures, and news articles about their schools. By coming to students on Facebook, colleges keep in touch with potential applicants as well as provide them with important information and invitations to events.

7.  Tweet. For the most part, colleges don’t expect their Twitter accounts to necessarily result in active exchanges with high school students. They’re content to establish these forums to pass along newsworthy items or basic information. By following a few colleges, you can use Twitter as a tool for gathering data or keeping abreast of deadlines.

8.  Work the local network.  Touch base with friends, relatives, and neighbors—see what they know.  You might be surprised at how many have actually visited the campuses in which you are most interested and have useful information and impressions. Or check with admissions offices for the names of local alums who may be willing to spend some time with you. 

9.  Check out campus media. There’s hardly a college in the country that doesn’t have a student-run newspaper. Most also have campus radio and/or television stations. What better way to keep up with campus goings on—without editorial oversight from the admissions office or college marketing. You can find most newspapers online, and with a little creative searching you can stream a live radio or TV broadcast.

10.  Sign up for an online class.  One of the side benefits of the massive open online course (MOOC) movement is the ability to take college-level classes without leaving the comfort of your living room.  If some of the colleges on your list are offering online classes through Coursera, Udacity, or  edX, you can get a feel for some of what goes on in classrooms on campus by signing up and actually taking or auditing a course—you might even learn something useful!

11.  Attend a reception. A local or regional college reception is less of a social event and more of an off-campus information session. Don’t go for the food, but consider it another opportunity to meet admissions staff, ask questions, and pick up more marketing material. You’ll also get a good peek at the competition—students from other high schools in your area who are likely to apply to the college sponsoring the event.

12.  Schedule a local interview. Many colleges are expanding their capacity to provide off-campus interviews either conducted by admissions staff or alumni in the area. Although the staff interviews are largely extensions of the service offered on-campus, alumni interviews usually kick in after you’ve submitted an application. Either interview may be “informational” or “evaluative.” Regardless, don’t neglect this very important method of connecting with the college of your choice.

13 very smart ways to connect with colleges you can’t visit

An important part of deciding which college to attend is finding good fit.  And without doubt, the very best way to investigate fit is to actually get on campus and see first-hand what a school is all about—academically, culturally, and socially.

This fact isn’t lost on colleges, which go to great lengths to get prospective students and their families to campus.   But at the same time, colleges also recognize these trips aren’t always feasible.

Getting to campus can be enormously expensive and time-consuming, and no one expects you to visit all the colleges on your list, especially those that aren’t within a “reasonable” distance of home.

If you find you can’t visit all the colleges you are seriously considering, try a few of these “next best” alternatives for making campus connections:

1.  Get on the mailing list. Colleges maintain mailing lists for the purpose of communicating directly with students. Take advantage of the opportunity to receive information and learn more about colleges you are considering by “intentionally” getting on mailing lists. But be aware that once you agree to receive these communications electronically, you need to open your email.  Colleges have software that allows them to see if you dump their messages directly into trash.  Yes, colleges can be annoying to the point of spamming prospective applicants.  But in the era of “big data,” you need to know that colleges have the capability of tracking your response to what they are selling.

2.  Subscribe to college blogs.  Many colleges are opening lines of communication through blogs. Bloggers can be admissions staff or students who have agreed to write regular columns on their experiences. Both can be enormously helpful in understanding the college, its community, and the process for submitting a successful application.

3.  Attend college fairs. Colleges and universities typically send admissions staff or alumni representatives to fairs all over the country. There are regional fairs or fairs centered on a theme or an alliance of colleges. Although they can be hectic, college fairs are great opportunities to make connections and pick up some glossy brochures.

4.  Sign-up for school-based presentations. In the fall, colleges send admissions representatives to meet with high school students on their turf. These events are generally organized through student services or the college/career office. Be sure to keep up with the schedule of visits and sign-up for presentations that interest you.

5.  Try the virtual method. Colleges are increasingly participating in websites designed to support “virtual” visits to their campuses. The most popular of these sites include CampusTours.com, ecampustours.com, and YOUniversityTV.com. You can even attend a virtual college fair at CollegeWeekLive.com or view a college lecture via podcast through iTunes U. YouTube offers some professionally produced marketing pieces as well as a huge sample of student videos. And finally, check out live on-campus webcams, which som more enterprising colleges use to give viewers a sense of “being there.”

6.  “Friend” a college. Many colleges have built their own Facebook “fan” pages, which they use as tools to display videos, pictures, and news articles about their schools.  With creative use of Facebook, colleges keep in touch with potential applicants as well as provide them with important information and invitations to events.

7.  Tweet. For the most part, colleges don’t expect their Twitter accounts to necessarily result in active exchanges with high school students. They’re happy to establish these forums to pass along newsworthy items or basic information. By following a few colleges, you can use Twitter as a tool for gathering data or keeping abreast of deadlines.

8.  Work the local network.  Touch base with friends coming home for Thanksgiving, relatives, and neighbors—see what they know.  Many have visited the campuses in which you are most interested and have useful information and impressions. Or ask admissions offices for the names of local alums who may be willing to spend some time with you. 

9.  Check out campus media. There’s hardly a college in the country that doesn’t have a student-run newspaper. Most also have campus radio and/or television stations. What better way to keep up with campus goings on—without editorial oversight from the admissions office or college marketing. You can find most newspapers online, and with a little creative searching you can stream a live radio or TV broadcast.

10.  Sign up for an online class.  One of the side benefits of the massive open online course (MOOC) movement is the ability to take college-level classes without leaving the comfort of your living room.  If some of the colleges on your list are offering online classes through Coursera, Udacity, or  edX, you can get a feel for some of what goes on in classrooms on campus by signing up and actually taking or auditing a course—you might even learn something useful!

11.  Attend a reception. A local or regional college reception is less of a social event and more of an off-campus information session. Don’t go for the food, but consider it another opportunity to meet admissions staff, ask questions, and pick up more marketing material. You’ll also get a good peek at the competition—students from other high schools in your area who are likely to apply to the college sponsoring the event.

12.  Schedule a local interview. Many colleges are expanding their capacity to provide off-campus interviews either conducted by admissions staff or alumni in the area. Although the staff interviews are largely extensions of the service offered on-campus, alumni interviews usually kick in after you’ve submitted an application. Either interview may be “informational” or “evaluative.” Regardless, don’t neglect this very important method of connecting with the college of your choice.

13.  Personal communication.   It may seem old fashioned, but don’t forget the power of personal communication.  At many colleges, you will have an assigned admissions counselor who visits your high school (see above), staffs the local college fair (see above), and reviews your file.  Networking can be a very powerful tool in the admissions game, so if they’re open to it, get to know your admission counselor.   This is not a license to badger overworked staff.  But if you have questions and feel comfortable making a more personal connection, don’t hesitate to call or email your area representative.