Interacting with a College Representative

When Colleges Visit Calvert Hall

Each year, Calvert Hall welcomes over 100 of the top colleges and universities in the nation to visit (either in-person or virtually) with our students. Similar to a campus visit, this is a valuable opportunity for you you to connect with a college representative. In most cases, the representative visiting Calvert Hall is the same person who will read your application to that school, so making a good impression is important. It can also help students display demonstrated interest, which some colleges consider in their admissions process. A full, weekly, and daily schedule of visits are available in SCOIR, the Monday Morning Minute, and the Daily Bulletin, respectively. School policy allows juniors and seniors to attend a college visit if they have a free period. If a college visit occurs during a period that a senior has class, they may request permission from the teacher to attend the college visit. Seniors must ask for – and receive – permission from their teacher prior to coming to a college visit.

In the visit itself, college representatives will provide information about their school as well as answer any questions you may have. Students should arrive with a pen/pencil and paper and ready to ask questions. It’s also important that you dress appropriately for the visit (e.g. shirt is tucked in, tie is straight, etc.) and that you be on your best behavior. Remember, your conduct around college representatives reflects on Calvert Hall, as well!

DEMONSTRAT ED INTEREST When reviewing applications, some colleges will try to gauge how likely a student is to enroll.

Interacting with a College Representative

Whether you are speaking with students on a college campus, meeting an admissions representative at a college fair or high school visit, or chatting with an alumni representative, asking good questions shows that you are interested in learning more in-depth about that particular institution. It also helps you determine your level of interest in a school. Most of these questions can be asked by you or your parents. Some things to think about when looking through this list:  This list is just a starting point. This isn’t a comprehensive list of questions, nor is it meant as a checklist for you to run through. These questions are merely here to give you some ideas as you have conversations to learn more about a school. You may find that one answered question leads to a wide range of other questions about that topic that you think of on the spot.  Don’t violate the “Google Rule.” When at all possible, focus on questions that are more qualitative in nature. Asking an admissions officer how many students are enrolled in that college isn’t taboo, but it’s also a missed opportunity to ask a question that can’t be answered with a brief Google search.  Asking the question is great, but it’s also important to think about why you’re asking a question. It’s helpful to not just ask question for the sake of asking questions. Rather, you should think about why you want to know the answer. If you are asking about the average class size, is it because being in small classes is a critically important factor in where you wish to enroll?  Think about your audience. If you have questions about admissions policies, ask an admissions officer. If it’s a question about student life, try to ask a current student. Questions about specific academic departments should, whenever possible, be directed to a professor in that department. By extension, admissions questions should only be directed to admissions officers. This will ensure you get the most accurate answers possible to your questions.  Be respectful of others’ time. Working full-time as a professor, admissions officer, financial aid officer, or in any other role at a college makes for a busy day. Being a full-time student makes for a busy day. You’ll find that nearly everyone you interact with on a college campus (or at a college fair or visit) is happy to answer questions, but asking questions for 30 minutes after an on-campus information session or asking dozens of questions of an admissions officer at a college fair (with a line of students behind you!) isn’t the best use of anyone’s time. You should come prepared with a few important questions, and should always thank the answerer for their time.

Admissions questions

 Are students admitted to the university, the college/school within the university, or to the major itself? (Similarly, you can ask if students’ applications are read by major.)  Do different majors or schools within the university have different application requirements? (Some schools, for example, will require SAT or ACT test scores for engineering applicants but not for any other applicant.)  Do you defer any early applicants into the regular decision pool? (Make sure you research whether the school has early action or early decision before asking this question.

Also, some schools will not defer early applicants, and will only admit or deny students.)  What percentage of the incoming freshman class came from the early decision pool? (or the early action pool)  Are there living/learning communities where they house students together with the s am e m a j o r s .

Student Life Questions

 What do students say they like most about this college?  What do students say they like least?  How does the housing selection process work at this school?  Are students typically in dorm rooms, or do students live in apartment- or suite-style rooms?  Are there themed housing options? (Some schools offer student housing based around a particular theme, like an arts house, co-op housing, or foreign language houses where students typically speak another language while in the residence.)  How involved are students with extracurricular activities?  Does the social life at this school revolve around the campus or the area around the campus? (For urban universities, such as Boston University or New York University, many students spend significant amounts of their time exploring the city rather than at on-campus events. While this expands the social opportunities available, the trade-off can be a lesscohesive campus community.)  What percentage of students play intramural sports?  Is athletics a big part of the campus culture?  Can you describe the relationship between the college and the city/town?

Academic Questions

 Are there any college-wide graduation requirements (such as a thesis or comprehensive exam)?  What percentage of classes are taught by full-time faculty? (While not true in every case, classes taught by full-time faculty tend to be more enriching than those taught by teaching