Sometimes students will also sit in on a class or two, in hopes of getting a feel for what the educational experience will be like. Only a few, however, consider direct contact with professors during the visit.

Why would a visit with a professor be important on a campus visit?

Explore majors

Many students are still trying to learn about different majors as part of the larger decision about what college to attend. What better way to learn about an unfamiliar major than to talk to an expert? A professor in the department can give a first-hand account of what one is supposed to learn in that department.

Most professors are accustomed to “selling” their discipline to undergraduates, and most are willing to take the time to talk with prospective students and efficiently introduce them to the department. To give a concrete example of this, a student of mine was trying to decide whether she was more suited for a business and marketing degree, or whether she was more interested in psychology.

She had taken some introductory courses in both in high school, and she liked both. But she didn’t quite understand what the difference would be in terms of the courses she would be required to take. The format of those courses, and the career implications of both disciplines. So when she recently toured three campuses, she talked to two professors on each campus–one in marketing and one in psychology.

Upon her return, she had developed a very clear idea that while she wanted to take a few more courses in psychology, she was absolutely sure that she would be a marketing major in college. This self-awareness came through well-organized discussions with experts. Not only will her applications be stronger for having made this effort, but she is more certain of her academic path in college.

Establish contact with someone who shares your academic passions

If a student has a particular interest in (for example) the history of the Cold War and believes that he would like to focus on that period while pursuing a history major, it makes sense to learn more about the individuals in the history department who share that passion. And there is no better way to learn about that professor as a person than by sitting down in his office for a few minutes. By establishing rapport as an applicant, it will be easier to build on that rapport once you matriculate.

Gather information that will help on your application

Admissions officers all want to know why you have chosen to apply to their college. If you have taken the initiative to meet with a professor, and you can clearly articulate what makes a particular department stand out, or that you want to pursue advanced study with a particular professor (of Cold War history, for example). Then you can make a strong case for why you are academically suited to this school. Meeting a professor demonstrates that you are doing your homework and that you are really considering the academic fit between your interests and college offerings.

How do you prepare your questions to ask professors on a college tour?

If you decide to include a visit with a professor during your campus visits, you need to be prepared. Not only do you need to think about what sort of questions to ask, but you need to think about the practicalities of asking to meet with a professor in the first place.

It’s really not so hard to connect with professors. In many cases, they are really hoping to teach students who are genuinely interested in the academic subjects to which they have devoted their lives. They want to meet you.

Of course, this is less true at the most highly selective colleges. They are inundated with requests by applicants to meet with them. And don’t be too surprised of professors at these competitive schools refuse to meet with you. They just don’t have the time or interest.

But at schools that may be just a bit less competitive, professors are eager to help recruit bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students who want to learn the subject that they teach.

So how should you go about asking professors for a meeting while on a college tour?

Tips for contacting professors on a college tour

Identify the appropriate professor

For some purposes, you may want to start with the department chair. If you are hoping to talk to a specific person (because you share their academic interests), then go right to that faculty member. You can find full lists of faculty in every department on a college or university website. Make sure you find their bios, their teaching responsibilities, and perhaps even links to the courses they teach. Do your homework before you initiate contact. Remember: faculty members are teachers, and they like students who do their homework.

Start with an email

Explain briefly who you are, when you will be on campus, and why you want to meet with the professor. Address the professor formally, and respectfully (i.e., not, “Hey, professor!”). Set the tone by demonstrating that you are serious. The note does not have to be dull, but it has to be formal. Sign your name at the bottom and give your email and phone number. Also, your parents should not do this for you. The email must come from you. Professors have even less patience for parents than admissions officers.

Establish your goals or agenda for the meeting

Are you trying to learn more about a couple of different majors? Do you want to learn about research opportunities in a particular field or sub-field? Do you want to understand more about this professor’s research and teaching interests? How well your particular interests can be supported in the department?

Did you read about a particular program or curriculum element that interests you, about which you want to learn more? Don’t just say “I’d really like to meet you.” Tell the recipient of your email why you want to meet. Refer to specifics in the course catalog, the professor’s publications, or the departmental website.

Follow through

If the professor recommends that you contact someone else, thank her for the guidance, and then immediately turn around and follow that advice. I repeat: do not forget to say “thank you.” If the professor does agree to meet you, make sure to write down the appointment (and tell your parent or whoever is accompanying you on the campus visit), and then call and/or email the professor the day before to confirm the appointment.

Be prepared with questions to ask professors on a college tour

Come to the interview with three or four pertinent, relevant questions that relate to your agenda. Remember, this is not an admissions interview. You have asked for this appointment to gather information. So make sure you know what your questions are. Come with a pad of paper and a pencil, and be ready to take a few notes. Since you are asking for advice, be prepared to receive it. Furthermore, your notes may come in handy when you have to write that essay, “Why I want to go to College X.” You can make some specific references to things your new professor friend taught you.

Don’t be afraid

Just because someone has the letter “Ph.D.” after his name does not make him particularly scary. Professors are people, too, and they actually like it when students take an interest in them and their work. Most have chosen this profession because they enjoy students and genuinely enjoy dispensing advice. So if a professor agrees to meet with you, it’s because he wants to, and because he takes his job seriously.

Don’t invite your parents

As you explore a campus–and the people who inhabit it–you need to act independently. Professors expect you to act like an adult. Nothing will make you seem more juvenile than having Mom and Dad in tow. Of course, Mom and Dad may like to hear what the professor has to say. But this is your journey of discovery.

This relationship is one that you need to build yourself–adult to adult. So gently remind your parents that you are perfectly capable of handling this meeting alone and that you will meet them at the front door of the building in thirty minutes. While some parents may be a bit miffed not to be invited to this meeting secretly They’ll be impressed by your demonstration of your maturity and independence.

Need Some Help in Developing Questions to Ask Professors on a College Tour?

The expert college admissions counselors at Great College Advice can help guide you in coming up with your own list of questions to ask professors on a college tour. It’s not easy to think through what it is you want from your college application. It can be even more daunting to think about sitting down with a professor in his office to ask about your academic interests.

If you feel like you need some professional guidance, give us a call or contact us.  We’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help you map your college journey.

Great College Advice

The post Questions to Ask Professors on a College Tour first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

This is another example of how the liberal arts are truly “liberating.”  This young man’s foray into history and the Classics have taught him a great deal about himself.  While it’s true that college students will someday emerge from the cocoon of college into the wide, wide world to make a living, the educational experience of the liberal arts can help students understand their world better, improve their ability to communicate with others, and sharpen one’s analytical skills in ways that are hard to quantify.

The good thing is that employers are looking for students like this one (who studies at Hope College in Michigan–which is a member of the Colleges That Change Lives consortium) who can elegantly argue a case in the court of public opinion.
Read the piece here.

Great College Advice
Educational Consultant and Admissions Expert

The post Finding Oneself in the Liberal Arts first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:
Hi, I’m Ali, I am from London and I am a freshman here at Dartmouth. Obviously, being from London, I didn’t know a lot about the American admissions process, and so I got Mark to help me out with that, and honestly I’m very grateful he did because I don’t know how I would have made it through the process without him. I had a very difficult admissions process. I have friends who got into their first-choice colleges early decision and that was it. That was amazing and I’m really happy for them. That did not happen for me. I had almost three rounds of letters and not quite acceptances and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and at one point I was enrolled in a different college which I didn’t end up attending. I’m ecstatic that I’m here now but that was a really tough time for me and I think having someone there who kept me sane, who helped me work out what I wanted to do through the emotional aspects and making sure that things like essays and applications and letters all got done. I know myself and I would have let that fall to the wayside. I’m very grateful for that and I recommend Mark’s services.

The post Educational Consultant Keeps Student Organized on Journey to Dartmouth first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

So one thing that students, when they’re looking for a college, tend to forget is that there are different lifestyles to choose from when you’re looking at a campus. I was recently on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania and it was completely inaccessible to a stranger like me coming from the outside. Everything locked up, you had to swipe your card everywhere, often had to go through turnstiles and big gates just to get into building complexes. I’m here on the campus of Bowdoin right now, and I want to show you what the difference is like. We just walked in this building, there are not that many people around, but come here, follow me. Here’s a classroom, a tech classroom in a science building, and I can just walk right in. So follow me in here and you can see this is a lecture hall at Bowdoin. All the computer stuff is here ready for the taking. I can just walk into this kind of place.
So you really do need to think about what kind of environment you want to study in. Certainly, if you’re in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, downtown Philadelphia, the security systems are going to be much different and much more strict than a place like Brunswick, Maine at Bowdoin College. But it does make a difference. If you can walk into a classroom, is that the kind of place you want to be or do you like the fact that you’re in the urban press where security is just going to be a natural part of your daily life? So that is something that students tend to neglect when they’re thinking about which college to attend.

The post Admissions Consultant on Campus Security first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Below is a partial list of the secondary schools that our students have attended as we have helped them map their college journeys.

SELECTED PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
Hotchkiss School  (NH)
Phillips Andover  (MA)
Lawrenceville School (NJ)
Cate School (CA)
Holderness School (NH)
Northfield Mount Herman School (MA)
Germantown Friends School (PA)
Moses Brown School (RI)
Emma Willard School (NY)
Cushing Academy (MA)
Lawrence Academy (MA)
Brentwood School (BC, Canada)
Fountain Valley School (CO)
Bishop Fenwick HS (MA)
St. John’s Prep (MA)
Mid-Pacific Institute (HI)
Saint Thomas Academy (MN)
Colorado Academy (CO)
Kent Denver School (CO)
International School of San Francisco (CA)
Signature School (IN)
Prospect Hill Academy (MA)
Interlochen Arts Academy (MI)
Judge Memorial HS (UT)
Xavier HS (WI)
Harrow School (UK)
Woldingham School (UK)
Chinese International Schools (Hong Kong)
Shanghai American School (PRC)
Geelong Grammar Schools (Australia)
Anglo-Chinese School (Singapore)
Beijing 101 Secondary School (PRC)
American School of Muscat (Oman)

SELECTED USA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS

We have worked with students attending some of the most competitive high schools in the country, many of whom have pursued Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula.  We have worked with students who hail from just about every state in the country (we’re working to add Alaska and South Dakota!).  Below is just a sampling of the great schools where our students have attended.

NEW YORK

Scarsdale HS
Stuyvesant HS
Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women

MASSACHUSETTS

Lexington HS
Belmont HS
Hingham HS
Burlington HS
Ipswich HS
Needham HS
Bedford HS
Melrose HS
Somerville HS

CALIFORNIA

Pacific Palisades HS
Palos Verdes Peninsula HS
Westview HS
Cerritos HS
Woodcreek HS
Redlands East Valley HS
Rancho Cotate HS (CA)

NEW JERSEY

Ridgewood HS
Westfield HS
Cranford HS (NJ)
Metuchen HS (NJ)
Rumson / Fairhaven HS (NJ)

ILLINOIS

Buffalo Grove HS

COLORADO

Cherry Creek HS
Fairview HS
Boulder HS
Denver East
George Washington
Cheyenne Mountain HS
For more Colorado Schools, click here

MISSOURI

Clayton HS

MAINE

Yarmouth HS

UTAH

Snow Canyon HS

WYOMING

Laramie HS

NEBRASKA

Hastings HS
Scotch Plains Fairwood HS

TENNESSEE

Tullahoma HS

INDIANA

Indiana Academy for Science, Math, and Humanities
Munster HS

NORTH DAKOTA

West Fargo HS

PENNSYLVANIA

Lancaster HS

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Newmarket HS

DELAWARE

Cape Henlopen HS

SOUTH CAROLINA

JL Mann HS

TEXAS

Kempner High School

NEW MEXICO

Maya Gold

The post Secondary Schools Where Students Have Received Great College Advice first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Transcript:

I’m here on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and behind me, you can see the Performing Arts Center. This is where one of the three presidential debates in 2012 between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was held. But it’s really the Performing Arts Center for a music conservatory here at Lynn. It’s a smaller program but it is highly renowned. It’s primarily international students, kids come from all over the world to study music here. And, bonus, it’s free.

So if you get in, you don’t pay tuition. And if you still need more money because you have a financial need. Then scholarships might be available to help pay for the cost of room and board. So if you’re looking for a music conservatory. There are not many better deals in the country than the Lynn University Conservatory.

The post College Expert on Lynn University’s Free Music Conservatory first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:
So here today I’m on the campus of Rollins College, it’s in Winter Park, Florida, not too far from Orlando, big city. And it’s a beautiful campus, kind of Mediterranean style, and really nice buildings, architecturally harmonious, we might say. And the location is great because not only is it warm, although it’s January right now, it’s a little nippy, sunny and beautiful but a little nippy, and it’s got the best of both worlds: it’s a smallish town, Winter Park is an older town in Florida that’s been around for a long time, but then you’ve got Orlando with Disney and Universal and all the attractions of a big city. So it’s kind of a nice combination being in a more suburban or residential area of a very large city.

So a great place to come if you’re looking for the place where you can wear your flip flops every day and enjoy the Florida sunshine. The other thing that’s really beautiful about this campus is that they are on this lake, Lake Virginia, so you’ve got a big waterfront down here that is absolutely gorgeous. So there’s a reason why Princeton Review recently called this the number 1 most beautiful college campus in America.

The post College Counselor Visits America’s Most Beautiful Campus first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post Get Into the Best Colleges For You first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post Getting Into Top Universities first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Part of a series on Bates College.
Part 3 … Part 5

TRANSCRIPT:

Another thing that sets Bates apart from many of its competitor schools. If you will, is that the outdoors is an integral part of this campus. It is located in Maine, which is a beautiful state, and the outdoors is so much a part of what Mainers are really about. So you have the mountains and skiing that’s about an hour away, it’s really great, fantastic skiing. And then you have one of the most spectacular natural sea coasts in North America. So you’ve got plenty of outdoor opportunities.

Now keep in mind, of course, this is Maine, so there will be snow on the ground. It’s green and beautiful today in the summer. But there will be lots of snow on the ground so it’s winter sports. And Bates also has Division I skiing, including Nordic skiing so winter sports are really, really popular here.

So outdoor activities, if you’re interested in getting outside, going camping, going hiking, being part of the beautiful outdoors of America, Maine and Bates: you need to think about those.

Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Educational Consultant on Bates 4 of 5: An Outdoorsman’s College first appeared on College Admission Counseling.