The Importance of College Visits
College visits are an important part of the process in narrowing down which colleges you want to apply to. But what you might not know is that college visits are also an important part of the college acceptance process.
A college visit is one way of showing demonstrated interest. “Demonstrated interest” is a term used by colleges and admissions officers. What it means is that a student who actively shows interest in the college is more likely to gain acceptance. A study published in 2017 shows that a student with high SAT scores and a serious college visit is up to 40 percent more likely to be admitted than a student with the same SAT score who does not visit. Though this study is a few years old, we still advise a serious college visit. This is especially true if your first-choice school is a highly-selective college.
As we’ve stated before, highly-selective colleges gain their reputation, in part, by having high yield numbers. If the term “yield number” sounds familiar, it is because it is one factor in the school rankings. When a college has a high yield number what that means is that a high majority of the students who are accepted choose to attend. Colleges strive for high yield numbers, so if a student shows demonstrated interest in a college, the college presumes that the student is more likely to attend if accepted. The last thing a college wants is to accept a students who’s applying to them as a safety.
So, while a college visit is not as important as a high GPA or excellent test scores, the data speaks for itself. Get started planning your college visits now, especially if your first-choice college is highly selective. And visit our “How To Have A Fruitful College Visit” post to gain tips on how to make the most of your visit.
Interested in additional guidance on applying to college? Contact Ivy Link below to schedule a consultation. Ivy Link works with students starting as early as 8th grade to achieve their college and lifelong goals.