Each year, admissions representatives book appointment with the Guidance Office to visit Newman. The representatives begin calling in the summer and continue to call during the fall and winter months. The majority of visits occur between September and January, although some schools also make spring visits. The purpose of these visits is to meet with students who are interested in their schools and want to find out more about their programs. This is a convenient way for students to do some preliminary research into colleges, and an added benefit is that students who meet with the representatives (who are often the same ones who make the admissions decision for Newman students) have an opportunity to establish a personal connection with that person.. Thus, when they meet later for the interview, or when the representative reads that student's application, there is a recognition factor already established.
A list of dates and times of these college representative visits will be published on the Guidance calendar and are also announced at Morning Meeting. During these visits, students can ask informal questions in a relaxed atmosphere, and can find out if their academic credentials are a good match for the admissions criteria of the college. Students wanting to attend these meetings should plan ahead with their teachers if they wish to be released from class for this purpose.
Another important, and related event is the National College Fair which is held in April. The junior class attends this event, during which they can talk to college representatives from all over the country and even abroad. For students who have already taken advantage of college visits, interviews and the representative visits to Newman, this may be the third or fourth time the students have met the person who will make their admission decision.They can also pick up information and application forms, and be added to the mailing lists. This will help students organize their summer, since they can gather all the information needed to determine which schools they want to visit. Picking up the applications at the college fair has an extra advantage - applications contain the essay questions, and they can get a jump on writing their essays over the summer.