Knightly News

For juniors and seniors, finding time to visit colleges in the middle of busy school and extracurricular schedules can be challenging. With sporting events, theatrical performances, tests, and student life happenings, it’s hard to be away from school, even with intentional planning. Travel costs and time off of work for parents are significant factors for families, too. Despite these conflicts, for the past several years, around 50% of the senior class at Episcopal has enrolled at a college out of state. 

So, how do students make the decision to apply to colleges across the country if a visit has not been possible? And even if they are not traveling far for college, how can students gain reliable information and perspectives on all of the schools they are considering? Thankfully, colleges understand these obstacles for students considering their schools, so they send admissions representatives to high schools in assigned regions across the country. Admissions officers visit high schools with the purpose of meeting students, connecting with counselors, providing information about their unique campuses, and encouraging students to submit applications. For the past two years since pandemic restrictions were lifted, Episcopal has welcomed around 70 colleges and universities to our campus in the fall. 

All juniors and seniors are invited to attend college visits, which usually last 45 minutes. Students learn which colleges are visiting every week by checking SCOIR (an application management system), listening to weekly announcements, and reading the College Counseling Weekly Update newsletter or social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook). Visits occur throughout the day during class periods, so students must speak with their teachers ahead of time about making up missed work. 

Each visit usually consists of a short presentation about the college’s features and offerings and then time for student questions.  If more seniors are in attendance, the representative might focus more on application requirements and give tips for students planning to apply. If juniors are in the room, the representative may give more of an introductory presentation. Regardless of the format, the feel is typically personalized and focused on helping each individual student discern their goals for after graduation and whether the college is a good fit for what they are seeking for academics, student activities, and more. 

Visits also offer a more in-depth look at an institution than a student might get during a brief conversation at a college fair. Current senior Grace Ciesielski reflected on how the visits she’s attended the past two years “were incredibly helpful for me because they provided valuable insight into the offerings of the college and allowed me to become acquainted with the admission representative and the admissions process.” She said, “I highly recommend them to other students, especially those who may be unsure about their college choice or are interested in a particular school and want to gain a deeper understanding of it.”

Senior Jayden Hiles has attended numerous college rep visits, which helped him build his college list. When asked about the value of visits, he said, “One visit that stood out for me was when a representative from Washington University in St. Louis came. In addition to learning about their diverse academic opportunities and extracurricular activities, I was able to have a more personalized conversation, especially within my specific major. This conversation was incredibly informative, allowing me to envision myself thriving academically and personally at WashU.” Now he highly recommends attending visits to younger students and also said, “Going to a college visit you aren't considering can help you realize the importance of finding a college that aligns with your interests and values, possibly picking up a new college on the way.” Even if students are not sure they want to apply to a college, the experience can be valuable. 

An added benefit of attending a visit is that the person meeting with a student is often an individual who will read their application. Although sometimes a director of admissions will visit, colleges most frequently send regional admissions representatives, who will be the first reader of an application before it is sent to a committee. Admissions representatives appreciate having a face to match with a name on the application, so the meetings are valuable for both parties.  Regional representatives can be excellent resources for students, too, because they can remain in touch to answer questions and provide advice along the way. Visits can also help students show “demonstrated interest,” which some colleges track to measure the student’s likelihood of actually enrolling in the college if accepted. 

Colleges also find value in building relationships and learning a school’s culture over time. Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Fordham College, Maria McMahon Bielen, commented on her past visits to our campus: “Students should take a lot of pride in the fact that so many excellent colleges from around the country travel all the way to Baton Rouge just to meet with them. I have been to Episcopal several times throughout the years, from virtual visits featuring an Episcopal alumna/current Fordham student, to visiting during Homecoming Week -- I feel like I've seen it all! In the same way that high school students love to visit colleges to get a feel for the school, college representatives also love to visit high schools as well. I have loved getting to know the Episcopal community during my many visits to the area.” 

The College Counseling office is wrapping up the 2023 season of admissions visitors, which tapers off in November when colleges shift from recruiting students to reading applications. We are grateful to colleges from across the country and abroad who visited Episcopal this year and look forward to seeing many of them at our College Fair in the spring. The college counselors are also proud of our students who attended visits this semester, engaging in the college process and taking advantage of the opportunities Episcopal has to offer. 10th-12th grade families wishing to connect with colleges should plan on attending the College Fair on March 17th, take advantage of visits next fall, and reach out to their college counselor for additional guidance.   

A veteran Episcopal educator, Julia Spaht is now the Assistant Director of College Counseling. Spaht previously worked as the Episcopal Writing Center Director and an Upper School English and Art History teacher. Most recently, she was the Admissions and Enrollment Director at St. James Episcopal Day School, where she helped boost enrollment by 10%. As an independent college counselor and essay coach, Spaht worked with students from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances as they pursued their long-term education goals. Spaht grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where she attended the Westminster Schools. During her undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University, she studied in Italy and interned at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Spaht later earned a master’s degree in English education from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Arts in English from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.