Applying for schools is a process of elimination.  Schools that you have minimal interest in are automatically placed at the bottom of your list.  Something that is not widely known however, is that while you are showing interest in some schools these schools are demonstrating interest in you as well.  This “Demonstrated Interest” is usually found in invitations to go on a campus tour.  Campus tours are important for many reasons.

1. They show schools which students are serious about applying.

Attending a campus tour is a big commitment.  Campus tours usually take 3-4 hours, at minimum. Families first go through an admissions presentation describing the school’s major options, financial aid availability, and extracurricular activities.  After this, students and their families can go on a walking tour of the University.  This tour is full of information about the school from a students point of view.  Students are free to ask questions about anything they’d like to know on the tours as well.  Therefore, committing to this full day of learning about the school shows the University that students who attend are serious about applying.

2. Students who attend a campus tour are more likely to receive more personalized attention from the school.

During a campus tour, students will have the option to meet with an admissions expert.  This can give students access to more information than they would have gotten simply from the University’s website.  Each applicant is unique.  Therefore, any student who meets with an admissions expert can get a leg up in the application process.  Meeting with someone from the University’s Admissions Office attaches a face to the name on an application.  In addition, students can ask an expert about their individual application and what can be done to stand out.  As the year goes on, admissions slots will become available.  The University is more likely to award these slots to students who have attended a campus tour or open house than those who haven’t.  This is because the student has demonstrated heightened interest in the University versus other applicants.

3. Application Fee Waivers.

Application Fee Waivers are codes that universities will sometimes hand out during a campus tour or an open house.  These allow students to apply to that university for free!  All the student has to do is input the code online when they are finished completing the application.  Using these can make the process of applying to schools less expensive.

Attending a campus tour is just one step on the road to attending college.  However, this step is an important one!  To learn more about the application process, and how to navigate it, click here!