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Will Missing Campus Visit Penalize Vassar Applicant from CA?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | Dec. 3, 2011

Question: My son lives in California and was going to attend the last open house at Vassar College in November. For various reasons, we were not able to fly out that weekend and missed it. He has seen their college rep at his school as well as attended an information session in San Francisco. We cannot sign up for a tour at this point. This school is highly desirable but a reach. Do you think since he hasn't visited the actual campus that he will not be considered? He can still sign up for an alumni interview in California once his app his received. Thank you.

"The Dean" realizes that there is a lot of admissions buzz these days about the importance of "demonstrating interest" to target colleges. But, fear not, your son is doing fine. Admission officials realize that prospective applicants can't always make the trek from an opposite coast for a campus visit.

However, if he wishes, your son can send an email to the rep he met at his school explaining that he can't make it to campus due to the distance but noting that Vassar is high up on his list (or his top choice, if it truly is). If he plans to visit in the spring, if accepted, he can say that, too.

Note also that Vassar is eager to enroll more males, so this should help your son's admission odds. And if he's really interested in Vassar, it's not too late for him to apply via the Early Decision Round 2 option, which will boost his admission chances even more.

(posted 12/2/2011)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.