Paula Dennis, Counselor at Jenks High School OK, and Senior Shilpi Bardhan joined me on my Podcast to talk about College Visits.
One of the topics we discussed was about Fly-in Programs for College Visits.
Here is the edited conversation with Shilpi about the Fly-ins.
1.What are Fly-ins?
A College typically offers 30-40 seniors from across the US a chance to visit their campus during the fall.
It is fully funded, they take care of travel, meals. They picked me up from the airport.
And a unique thing is they matched me with a host at the specific schools.
2.How does one participate in the Fly-ins?
You have to apply during the summer before your Senior year.
It's a lot like a college application.
I had to write a supplement,
Submit my transcript, and
Some of them asked for letter recommendation.
So it was a good test before the real college application season to
Get a feel for what the schools are asking, and
What they're looking for in their applications.
3.What did you do on your Fly-in campus visit?
As I mentioned, they matched me with a host at the school.
So I was able to spend the night or the days,
With a student there that took me along with their day.
Also hanging with their friends, and
Just getting a feel for a day, and
Stay an entire 24 hours at the school.
It was interesting at one of the schools I visited, we had dinner two nights with professors.
So I was able to get to talk with faculty in the departments in the areas of study I was looking,
Understand the research that they conduct and
Compare it to other schools and
The class size and
What the courses cover.
I was able to sit into a few different classes and just be a student in the class
The professors are very engaging and
They took our input, as the prospective students.
At a couple of schools, we were able to be on an admissions panel committee.
So we had a mock admissions packet.
We were able to look at a student's application, and
We were asked as a group made a decision on the specific student.
And then the admissions officers walked us through one by one,
How they reviewed the application,
What they're looking for, and
How the application could be enhanced, and
What they would probably advise on for their specific school.
So really getting to understand how those admissions officers look at applications coming into the school helped me shape my applications for this year.
4.What were you looking for on this campus visit?
I had done a little bit of prep of the area around the school and
What the school specializes in and
What they offer in the field of study I was interested in.
But other than that, I went in with an open mind, because the schools were quite different from one another and all the other schools I had visited.
I just really wanted to see what the day in a life was like.
5.What would you tell Juniors about College visits?
Definitely ask as many questions as possible and
Talk to a current student.
Current students can give you the best idea of what is available on campus,
How the students are and
How you can be very well engaged in the school and the campus.
And kinds of opportunities available.
The Fly-in program is probably one of the best ways to learn about a school
Because you are there for multiple days,
Living the “day in a life of a student”,
Being in classes
Learning about the admissions committee, and
Everything that the school has to offer!
6.On with the Podcast
Paula Dennis joins our podcast to share her insights into College Campus Visits, The Benefits, How to Plan for them, Senior Shilipi Bardhan on her Fly-in Experiences and Advice for Juniors.
Listen to the Podcast on College Campus Visits with Paula Dennis and Shilpi Bardhan of Jenks High School, OK. (32-Minute Listen).
Hope you find the stories and articles in the Newsletter inspiring and helpful. Please give me feedback or leave a comment to let me how I am doing.
Thanks.
Finally, my heartfelt Thanks to all my Podcast guests who have been generous with their time and counsel on my Podcast.
Have a wonderful week!
Venkat