Although we’ve written in the past to give you a run-down about on-campus interviews and if you should schedule them, we thought…hey, it’s spring. You might need a refresher as well as a guidebook on where they’re even an option and if you should start thinking about these elusive on-campus interviews. Here we go:

The short, TLDR version:

If you’re reading this and you’re a rising senior, YES, you should schedule these interviews and visits, but do it soon before fall hits.

If you’re reading this and you’re a rising junior, YES, and plan ahead!

The long version (we like you):

On-campus interviews are essentially a bonus that some schools offer to students who visit campus. It’s a great option for students who are planning to visit a school and who want to get an interview out of the way. It’s also a phenomenal way to bolster your “demonstrated interest” at that particular school. But, they’re only offered at some schools.

We get a lot of students and parents asking us if they should schedule an on-campus interview for a school they are just visiting for the first time and are not sure if they will love it. Our answer is pretty much always YES. Here’s why:

You have nothing to lose. Worst case: you interview and demonstrate interest at a school that you don’t end up applying to or loving. So what? In the case that you do apply, even if it’s not a top choice, you’ve already gotten yourself way ahead in terms of demonstrated interest.
It can be more meaningful than an alumni interview. We don’t mean that you shouldn’t prepare for alumni interviews, but because you’re on campus already, admissions officers who are conducting these interviews have more direct access to the admissions office—namely, they work there. They aren’t alumni of the college necessarily, and your report goes straight into your potential application folder. It’s clean. We like clean.
Same rules as alumni interviews. This means prepare, have questions ready, and get your interviewer’s contact information so that you can write them a thank you note.
Sometimes they have different names, but those are to distract the unmotivated. For example, at Ithaca College, because interviews aren’t really a part of their admissions vocabulary, these meetings are called “Personal Appointments” that you can make with an admissions counselor. This is still an interview, just with a different name. All the same rules apply. You want to let the school know that you’re paying attention.

More questions? Let us know and we can answer them for you. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of schools that offer on-campus interviews.

Please note: these schools do not offer on-campus interviews year-round—for a lot of schools, it’s easier to accommodate students in the spring and summertime. So, get on your visits, pronto. Things get crazy in the fall for everyone involved in the admissions process. It always pays off to be ahead of the game. Make sure you check these schools’ websites for more details on when and how to schedule on-campus interviews. Additionally, this is not an exhaustive list, but rather a round-up of the colleges that our students most frequently apply to.

Schools that offer on-campus interviews: