Columbia University, Babson College and Boston University are just some of the colleges and universities that are sending admissions officers to TPHS for informational visits this fall. 

“Every year, we have around 100 universities and colleges come to our school,” counselor Estelle Chen said. “So this year, we have 105 … we are the most in our entire school district. [Universities] approach us, unlike some of the schools, they’re trying to be selective. But, I think because of Torrey, we have a wide range of student bodies, so we should welcome a wide range of colleges coming to meet with our students.”

Throughout the seminars, students receive general information about the college from the speaker.

“[They] first ask about their school, overall, admission profile, GPA, [if] the SAT or ACT is required or not,” Chen said. “And they will talk about financial aid support, and they will talk about their popular majors, and the employment situation after college. And then they’re very open to questions from our students. Some of them track demonstrated interests.”

While these visits are optional, there is such an abundance of opportunities that it is highly encouraged to register for a visit. 

“Number one, like I mentioned, some of the schools track demonstrated interest,” Chen said. “Secondly, it’s a very good opportunity for you to come in, get up close and personal with admission counselors. Give them an opportunity to understand you better, and also give you an opportunity to know the school better. You can ask all kinds of questions about the schools. By talking to the admission counselors, you can get more detailed, more insightful answers.”

From the perspective of college admissions officers, these meetings are a resource for students to discover the various opportunities each university offers, in order to find the right fit for their future.

“High schools can only offer a narrow range of opportunities; many universities offer a much broader range of opportunities for students,” Robert Kraft, an admissions officer at Pennsylvania State University, said. “For instance, Penn State has over 275 majors at our university.”

Ohio State University’s (OSU) admission counselor, Cassandra Flores-Montano, visited the school on Sept. 11 to share all aspects of life at OSU with students attending the visit. 

“Students tend to be most familiar with our athletic programs, especially the football team,” Flores-Montano said. “I like to share that, while we have great traditions around athletics, we also have awesome academic programs, with over 200+ majors to choose from.”

Although some universities do not take demonstrated interest into consideration, these visits offer new information, sometimes knowledge that is harder for students to get by simply glancing at an admissions website. Currently, these college visits are scheduled up until November, with over 50 colleges and universities remaining.

“Hopefully, a student only applies to a school which would be a great experience for them,” Kraft said. “These visits are a great way for students to winnow down their selections to only serious choices that are good for them.