Student Spotlight -  Michael Tanelli '14

 

Why college visits are important and how they affect an application.

          Throughout this college course the topic of college visits came up frequently. When applying to colleges the first thing to do before hand is visit colleges and find a sense of home in them. You must love the colleges you visit because one of them will be your home for the next 4 years. I have visited 8 colleges and I felt a great sense of connection to 5 of them. The other 3 I liked, but they were not places I felt the love at. My college visit experience way key to finding out the type of person I am and also the best fit for myself for the next few years of my life. One of the most important parts of the college process is to visit schools because college visits give you a strong sense of the college experience. Although it is only for a few hours, the visit helps you, as a person, to understand what you, yourself, want from college and what kind of setting you want to be in. It is your process and choice so make sure to do the research and really hone into what you want from a college and what you have to offer to it as well. A college visit helps you to see what college is like and also to give you a sense of what you want in a university.

          Visiting colleges is important because it can also affect your own application as well. If you are passionate about a college you will absolutely put forth effort into the college’s application. If you don’t put effort into the app, then you DON’T have a true passion for the school; therefore, you do not love it. If you truly love a college you will put forth the effort to do the application and write several essays because you really want to go to the school. However, if you’re at home and you see that the University of Pennsylvania has 2 additional essays to write aside from the essay on the common app and you’re too tired to write it, the chances are you really don’t want to go to UPenn because you’re not willing to take the time to work. If you want to go to a specific university you will sit for hours working until every inch of that application is complete, truly you, and your best work. That’s why college visits are important because it gives you a sense of adaptation to the school and the application is important because that is what reiterates your love and passion for the school you are applying to.