<p>Would going to a diversity round-table meeting increase one’s chances??</p>
<p>Thanks in Advance!</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Bump! Answer me d:</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Just work on your essays.</p>
<p>^ I’m done with them tho</p>
<p>Proofread them.</p>
<p>I did…</p>
<p>Proofread them again. Along with the interview it is the most important part.</p>
<p>Why would you think going to a “diversity round table meeting” might increase someone’s chances of receiving a letter offering admission to a boarding school?</p>
<p>When you answer that question, the follow-up question I might ask might be along the lines of “Are you demonstrating a commitment to those values/aspirations/views in other ways or are you just going to a meeting and thinking that sitting on your butt for an hour is proof of something?”</p>
<p>And then, in the end, I deeply suspect I might follow-up your response to my follow-up with something to the effect of, “No, in your case, it probably wouldn’t change a thing because if you’re asking if sitting through a meeting will prove something, then you clearly have little or nothing else better than that to make your point…though, if you did have lots of things you’ve done that demonstrate a genuine commitment to a particular cause, the answer would still be ‘no’ considering those other things would be impressive and stand out and that one extra meeting would be disposable, throw-away material.”</p>
<p>Proofread your essays and then, when you’ve done that, follow the advice at Nos. 5, 7, 9, above. And if you’re not going to do that, then go ahead and attend the conference/meeting thingy. It might be interesting…especially if you participate willingly and not with a view of padding your application.</p>
<p>I mean, it was a meeting with the schools to get minority students to apply. And I heard if you go to one of these meetings your chances of getting in are higher. But idk</p>
<p>Well, that’s a horse of a different color…</p>
<p>…but the answer is very much the same (just less snippy). I think the idea is to draw more minority applicants. You’re already sold. You don’t need to sit through the sales pitch, particularly if you have better things to do (like write and proofread essays…or go to a movie with friends). I’d send a letter or e-mail to your Admissions contact at the school(s) telling them that you’re very much interested in the school. Point out you’ve made the effort to get to know about the school and, in fact, you are already impressed enough that you are almost done with your application…but, regrettably, you have other obligations and cannot attend the round-table.</p>
<p>I don’t think an application that comes in from a minority candidate who chose to apply without attending the round table will get points deducted. It’s not as though you’re not exhibiting enough interest by telling them that you’re already fully interested, right?</p>
<p>If you were on the fence about whether to apply or if you were NOT yet done with your essays and wanted some inspiration that will help you make a stronger essay connection with the school…you might want to attend. But if you’re ready to pull the trigger on that application already, a meeting like that is nothing but a time sink for you and it would be presumptuous of a school to expect you to attend it. They don’t impose that kind of expectation on non-minority students…so any school that dings you for not attending their round table is probably a school you don’t want to attend. Not attending is a great way to help them weed themselves out.</p>
<p>I’ll take a risk, and disagree with the eminent D’yer Maker. If it’s an event at which you have the opportunity to meet admissions officers from several schools, then attending the event might not be a waste of time. You may have the opportunity to meet AOs who did not interview you, but who might influence admissions decisions. You will at the very least demonstrate interest in the process, which is not a bad thing to do.</p>
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<p>I agree that not attending the round table will harm your application. On the other hand, you may be competing for spots with other students in your school or city. Displaying interest in the process through your actions may help to support the assertions in your application. It may also mean that one more AO on the committee has met you, which is not a bad thing.</p>
<p>Fair enough, Periwinkle. I think I had a different idea of what the round table would be like. But I agree with Periwinkle that the more you can interact with the Admission Officers, the better.</p>
<p>I know better. The only thing “eminent” here is my eminently bad advice in this thread. I’m forever driving Periwinkle’s point home to my son with his college search, and I think it applies here as well. My son recently had an on-campus college interview and then a couple weeks later he got an e-mail asking if he wanted to meet with an alumni interviewer. He fired back a reply, much like the one I outlined for you above, and I blew a gasket. And that was for an alumni interviewer. Four hours away. So I stand corrected.</p>
<p>In particular, if you’re going to get some “face time” with your Admission person from that school, make an extra effort to check it out. Let him/her have a real live person in mind that goes along with that admission folder s/he’s reading through.</p>
<p>EDIT: This is why I prefer advice being offered on the forum and not through the back channel of PMs. Sometimes privacy concerns make public advice impossible, but the advice dished out here has lots of watchful eyes to make sure the cr@p gets filtered and discarded before too much harm is done. If you want a particular person to reply, send a PM directing them to your question on the board, where they can be held accountable for any lame advice they might be serving up – like mine.</p>
<p>I believe that what Periwinkle meant to write was
And I agree with her. I also agree with her that showing up for the round table might also be a terrific help! It’s like getting a second shot at your interview - take advantage of it. You might impress someone who will later go to bat for you behind closed doors when your application is hovering between the “Keep” and the “Toss” piles. If someone can say, “Hey, I met that kid and I liked him!” - that’s always a good thing! (As D’yer Maker has just so eloquently said!)</p>
<p>Thanks!! :D</p>
<p>Thank you, Dodgersmom–that’s what I get for trying to avoid a double negative!</p>
<p>I’d add that it wouldn’t hurt to be well groomed on that day. Hair and teeth brushed, clothes clean and neat, and if possible, no jeans or t-shirts. Your school may have a uniform, or give you guidance as to expected attire, in which case, go with their advice.</p>