College Visits
There’s nothing like visiting a college campus to get a feel for the school. Students should try to visit when classes are in session. They’ll be able to talk to students, sit in on a class, maybe even try the cafeteria. What families don’t learn on a campus visit is a direct explanation of how the college competes against other colleges – the inside story.
The inside storyScholarFITS Managing Director Bill Smith, has had hundreds of meetings at dozens of campuses. Just as students gain insight from seeing classes and meeting other students, Bill’s meetings with admissions, financial aid, and enrollment officers give him an insider’s perspective. During these meetings college officials discuss the colleges they compete with and detail the aid awarding strategies they use to compete for students. The insight Bill has gained during these visits informs his counseling to students. Students understand that the application process can be very competitive. They may not understand as clearly that colleges are competing fiercely for them. Identifying the qualities a student has, and which colleges want to recruit students with those qualities, helps maximize the chance of admission and in many cases, the amount of financial aid awarded. Colleges visited include Ivy League colleges, Division I public powerhouses, and well-known elite small colleges. But equally important are the many lesser-known colleges that offer the right student a great education and a great financial aid discount. Here are some of the colleges where Bill has met with the key people who determine how financial aid is awarded. |
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| American International University American University Amherst College Anna Maria College Arcadia University Arizona State University Augsburg College Babson College Baldwin Wallace University Beloit College Bentley University Berea College Bloomfield College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brandman University Brown University Caldwell College California Institute of Technology Calvin College Canisius College Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Castleton State University Centre College Champlain College Claremont McKenna College Clarkson University Colby College College of Charleston College of Saint Benedict College of Saint Elizabeth College of the Atlantic College of the Holy Cross College of William and Mary Colorado College Colorado State University Columbia University Community College of Vermont Concord University Connecticut College Coppin State University Cornell University Culinary Institute of America Curry College Davenport University Dean College Defiance College DePaul University Drew University Eastern Connecticut State University Elon University Emmanuel College Endicott College Erskine College Fairleigh Dickinson University Fordham University Franklin Pierce University Georgian Court University Gettysburg College Glenville State College Goucher College Grinnell College Hamilton College Harvey Mudd College Hobart and William Smith College Hofstra University Iona College Ithaca College John Carroll University Johns Hopkins University Johnson and Wales University Juniata College Keene State College Kenyon College Knox College Lafayette College Lake Erie College Landmark College Lasell College Lindenwood University Loyola University Macalester College Maine College of Art Manhattan College Marietta College Marquette University Marshall University Maryland Institute College of Art Marymount Manhattan College Marymount University Massachusetts College of Pharmacy Mercy College Middlebury College MIT Mitchell College Monmouth University Monroe College Montclair State University Morgan State University Muhlenberg College New England College New England Institute of Technology New Jersey City University New Jersey Institute of Technology New York University Nichols College North Central College Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Northern Vermont University Northwestern University Notre Dame of Maryland University Ohio Christian University Olin College of Engineering Pace University Pitzer College Point Park University Pomona College Princeton University Providence College Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rider University Roger Williams University Rutgers University Sacred Heart University Saint Anselm College Saint Francis College Saint John’s University Saint Joseph College Saint Joseph’s College Saint Louis University Saint Michael’s College Saint Peter’s College Saint Xavier University Scripps College Seattle University Shepherd University Siena College Simmons College Skidmore College Southern New Hampshire University Springfield College St Olaf College Stevens Institute of Technology Stevenson University Suffolk University Swarthmore College Thomas College Towson University Trinity College Tufts University Union College University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of Bridgeport University of Colorado – Boulder University of Colorado – Denver University of Delaware University of Denver University of Hartford University of Maryland Baltimore County University of Massachusetts – Boston University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth University of Massachusetts – Lowell University of Minnesota University of Montana University of New Haven University of Pennsylvania University of Redlands University of Rochester University of Tampa University of Utah University of Vermont University of Washington University of Wyoming US Air Force Academy Vanderbilt University Vermont Technical College Washington and Lee University Washington College Washington University in Saint Louis Waterloo University Wayland Baptist University Wentworth Institute of Technology Wesleyan University West Liberty University West Virginia University West Virginia Wesleyan College Western Connecticut State University Westminster College Wheeling University Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yale University Yeshiva University |
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