Admission Advice > The Campus Visit, the Interview, and Promoting Yourself

Self-Advocacy in Admission

By Kelly Herrington

To gain an edge in the admission process, part of your job is to convince admission counselors that they want you to attend their college! Here’s how to do it.

As you wade through the application process, don’t forget a crucial part: the quality colleges call self-advocacy, or “the ability to sell yourself.” Humility is a wonderful trait, but the admission process is your opportunity to demonstrate its opposite. To gain an edge, part of your job is to convince admission counselors that they want you to attend their college!

Making connections
You may not realize it, but colleges and universities track the level of interest you’ve expressed in their school. When you tour a campus, have an interview, stay overnight, or meet with the athletic director, this information is usually recorded in your admission file. When an admission staff member reads your application, your interest in that college is noted.

Will this be the most important consideration when the admission committee meets to assess your candidacy? Of course not. But it will be a factor, along with your transcript, course history, test scores, and recommendations. Two applicants may seem quite similar on paper, but the student who has actually visited the campus or attended a regional reception may garner an advantage over another student who has had little contact with the college.

The good news and the bad news
First, the bad news: between now and the year 2012, more college-age students will be applying to college than any other time in American history. The result will be a lot of competition for the spaces available. The good news, however, is that 92% of America’s colleges and universities admit more than 50% of the students who apply. Those are actually pretty good odds, and self-advocacy can only improve your chances.

Where you need to play your cards exceptionally well, though, is in applying to selective colleges—those that say “no” or “maybe” to more students than they accept. At many of these selective colleges and universities, campus contact may help move students from the “maybe” to the “yes” pile. But regardless of the selectivity of a college or university, advocating politely for admission is an important part of the application process.

Extra challenges
Many students face special challenges, such as financial hardships, a weak or inconsistent academic record, or less-than-stellar test scores. Or perhaps you and your parents do not see eye-to-eye about which colleges you should apply to. There might have been a problem you faced at some point in high school that caused your grades to slip a little.

While such challenges can certainly make the admission process more difficult, they can also work in your favor. For example, you might have worked harder than most of your peers to get where you are, or you may feel very strongly about wanting to attend college. Colleges need to hear these things, as they can actually make you a more attractive candidate.

Admission Advice
Plan ahead! Before you interview, make a list of your strengths, what differentiates you from other applicants, how you have grown both academically and socially in high school, and the things about you that make you and others happy.

Do your homework. It’s a good idea to offer some positive comments about the college or university you’re interested in, such as things you like about the campus or how informative the school’s website is. Admission counselors enjoy talking with students who are well-informed about their institution and are more likely to look upon them favorably. And be sure to follow up on your interview with a thank-you note.

Meet the right people. Meeting with a coach, a professor, the choral director, or the theater department chair can also be helpful. Though they are not on the admission staff, these individuals do have some influence in the process. Interest expressed by members of the campus community on behalf of talented students can have a positive effect on an admission counselor’s evaluation.

Ask questions. If you have a question about a school, ask! If the answer to your question is readily available on the website, then querying is not going to work in your favor. However, if you have a more unusual question (for example, how many environmental science students conduct field work?), then by all means ask. Admission counselors remember students who ask good questions and demonstrate a desire to understand their institutions. An impressive question such as “How can I contribute to your college?” can be a powerful statement for counselors to use in advocating on your behalf. This is more than just a question. It’s a value statement that tells an admission counselor that assisting others is important to you.

Spend time on campus (if possible). Colleges and universities host open houses throughout the year. The goal of an open house is to expose prospective students to everyday life at a college. You sit in on classes, meet with professors, learn about extracurricular activities, and dine in the cafeteria. Your willingness to participate—to devote a day to learning more about a college or university—emphasizes your level of commitment. Your demonstrated interest in a school might be the factor that tips the scale and results in your receiving an acceptance letter from that campus.

Exceptions to the rule. Admission counselors are well aware of the financial burden of making on-campus visits, especially for students who live thousands of miles away. If your home is a long distance from the institution to which you are applying, if your time is limited due to family and work commitments, or if money concerns are an issue for your family, then rest assured that campus contact will not be weighted as heavily in the admission process. But don’t let your lack of proximity or the price tag involved in visiting a college campus deter you from connecting. Regional receptions and campus-visit subsidies do exist. If an on-campus interview with an admission counselor is not possible, then one off campus with an alumnus who lives near you can achieve the same result.

So as you move through the college application process, be sure self-advocacy is listed right up there with transcripts, tests, teacher recommendations, and financial aid information. You know what it means now—and even better, you know how to do it.

2009