Visiting a school you're waitlisted at......

[tdice7]

is it even worth it??  My mom insists we should add Michigan to our list of schools we're visiting this spring break in order to "show them that you're really interested." Do you really think it would help (btw I'm really skeptical that it would)??  FWIW I'm already visiting two other schools I was admitted to, and my parents are being cool enough to pony up the money for my visits.

[CougMan]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

[katluva33]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

What's wrong with that?

[katluva33]

is it even worth it??  My mom insists we should add Michigan to our list of schools we're visiting this spring break in order to "show them that you're really interested." Do you really think it would help (btw I'm really skeptical that it would)??  FWIW I'm already visiting two other schools I was admitted to, and my parents are being cool enough to pony up the money for my visits.

I think it would depend on how Michigan's waitlist works, and I know nothing about that.  If it is already ranked, visiting might not do much.

If it were me, and I would go to Michigan if I got in off the waitlist and I could afford to visit, I would.  Throughout this whole application process, I have asked myself if, in 6 months, I will be able to say that I did everything reasonably within my power to maximize my chances at my desired school.  For my own peace of mind, I need to be able to say yes.  If for you, saying yes to this means visiting, and you can afford it, I say do it.  If it's where you want to be, you don't want to wonder months from now if visiting would have made the difference.

If not, skip it!

[tdice7]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

She's paying for it all and making all the arrangments while I'm still at school, so yeah she's going with me. Besides that< i value her opinion. If you got a problem with that, kiss my a$$

[SilentSwirl]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

She's paying for it all and making all the arrangments while I'm still at school, so yeah she's going with me. Besides that< i value her opinion. If you got a problem with that, kiss my a$$

I can see no benefit to visting a school and city you might live in for 3 years by yourself. I see GREAT benefits in taking someone whose opinion you trust and who will serve as a second set of eyes and ears. People who can and WILL put their life on hold to follow you around for several weekends in a row are hard to come by. PLUS if you are 21 - 25 and unmarried the people closest to you for this type of support tend to be your parents.

I think it's fantastic you're taking your mother.

CougMan, if you are not close to your parents or do not value their opinion or do not enjoy spending time with them or think they should not hold an important place in your life, fine. But everyone has their own support system. It's not like she's asking her mom to go hold her hand in court, and no, it's not a similar situation.

Oy, I get so annoyed when people act like wanting to have help with something means you're a weak person. The culture of individualism is really sometimes just taken way too far for my taste. But anyway CougMan, if you enjoy it that way, more power to you.

To answer the original question -- I would go. I would also call before going and tell them that you are on the waitlist and that you are so interested in attending that you would like to visit them while you're doing your round of visits. Try to go when you can actually meet some faces on campus. And then write a letter after your visit expressing your continued and re-kindled (only don't use the word 'rekindled') interest in their school.  I agree with the poster above who said that if you really want a school, you need to know that if you get rejected, at least you did every thing within your power to get there.

[CougMan]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

She's paying for it all and making all the arrangments while I'm still at school, so yeah she's going with me. Besides that< i value her opinion. If you got a problem with that, kiss my a$$

I can see no benefit to visting a school and city you might live in for 3 years by yourself. I see GREAT benefits in taking someone whose opinion you trust and who will serve as a second set of eyes and ears. People who can and WILL put their life on hold to follow you around for several weekends in a row are hard to come by. PLUS if you are 21 - 25 and unmarried the people closest to you for this type of support tend to be your parents.

I think it's fantastic you're taking your mother.

CougMan, if you are not close to your parents or do not value their opinion or do not enjoy spending time with them or think they should not hold an important place in your life, fine. But everyone has their own support system. It's not like she's asking her mom to go hold her hand in court, and no, it's not a similar situation.

Oy, I get so annoyed when people act like wanting to have help with something means you're a weak person. The culture of individualism is really sometimes just taken way too far for my taste. But anyway CougMan, if you enjoy it that way, more power to you.

To answer the original question -- I would go. I would also call before going and tell them that you are on the waitlist and that you are so interested in attending that you would like to visit them while you're doing your round of visits. Try to go when you can actually meet some faces on campus. And then write a letter after your visit expressing your continued and re-kindled (only don't use the word 'rekindled') interest in their school.  I agree with the poster above who said that if you really want a school, you need to know that if you get rejected, at least you did every thing within your power to get there.

#1 Relax.
#2 We are all preparing for professional school, as in, upon completion we will be professionals.
Upon graduation it is likely that each person that graduates from law school will be looking for different jobs in different cities. Will you be bringing your parents on those trips, will you be bringing them to the interviews?
If a person wants to go with their parents that is fine, it just does not seem to be very professional, when attending a professional school.

[SilentSwirl]

#1, you're right. I should relax.

It's just something that has always been a point of contention for me. I'm from a latin american bg, and no one would bat an eyelash at wanting the support of your parents. In fact, they would pity the people who didn't have it. So sometimes I just get a little more annoyed than I should when people can only see it one way. So, like I said, if you don't want any help from your parents, that's great. But if someone else does, I just don't see it as a sign of weakness.

#2, I disagree. Or rather, I understand that we are all going to a professional school, but I don't think that means we should therefore never ask for anyone's advice. If that were the case, we wouldn't all love this board so much -- it's a great place to get advice.  We are constantly asking people to tell us about law schools they've visited and cities they've seen.  I just can't understand why the same opinions would no longer be useful if they were coming from mom.

I also don't think that a school is expecting its students to act like they are interviewing for a job when they come to visit, they expect them to act like they are students. I don't imagine that the OP is going to ask her mom to sit in on a class with her (at which point I would agree that it's inappropriate) or attend an interview with the admissions counselors with her, but there is much more to visiting a law school than the academics (as is proven again and again on this board by all the "Overview of Visit to XX School"). Would you think it inappropriate to bring your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse with you to scope everything out?

By the same token, if I'm looking for a job, of COURSE I wouldn't bring my parents to the interviews. But what's wrong with bringing them on the trip?  They've been around much longer than I have, they know what it's like to relocate, they have different ideas than I do, and frankly, they know more about real estate than I do. I have a tremendous amount of respect for my parents and their opinions. And yes, I get a little annoyed when people suggest this is a shortcoming.

[tdice7]

Are you really visiting schools with your mom?

She's paying for it all and making all the arrangments while I'm still at school, so yeah she's going with me. Besides that< i value her opinion. If you got a problem with that, kiss my a$$

I can see no benefit to visting a school and city you might live in for 3 years by yourself. I see GREAT benefits in taking someone whose opinion you trust and who will serve as a second set of eyes and ears. People who can and WILL put their life on hold to follow you around for several weekends in a row are hard to come by. PLUS if you are 21 - 25 and unmarried the people closest to you for this type of support tend to be your parents.

I think it's fantastic you're taking your mother.

CougMan, if you are not close to your parents or do not value their opinion or do not enjoy spending time with them or think they should not hold an important place in your life, fine. But everyone has their own support system. It's not like she's asking her mom to go hold her hand in court, and no, it's not a similar situation.

Oy, I get so annoyed when people act like wanting to have help with something means you're a weak person. The culture of individualism is really sometimes just taken way too far for my taste. But anyway CougMan, if you enjoy it that way, more power to you.

To answer the original question -- I would go. I would also call before going and tell them that you are on the waitlist and that you are so interested in attending that you would like to visit them while you're doing your round of visits. Try to go when you can actually meet some faces on campus. And then write a letter after your visit expressing your continued and re-kindled (only don't use the word 'rekindled') interest in their school.  I agree with the poster above who said that if you really want a school, you need to know that if you get rejected, at least you did every thing within your power to get there.

#1 Relax.
#2 We are all preparing for professional school, as in, upon completion we will be professionals.
Upon graduation it is likely that each person that graduates from law school will be looking for different jobs in different cities. Will you be bringing your parents on those trips, will you be bringing them to the interviews?
If a person wants to go with their parents that is fine, it just does not seem to be very professional, when attending a professional school.

Cougman get off your so-called "professionalism" high horse. I see nothing unprofessional about bringing a parent along (who has gone through the grad school process by the way) to a visit that could very well decide where I spend the next three years of my life and impact my future. Is it umprofessional to ask for a second opinion? I'm 22 years old, I'm unmarried, and none of my friends are going to any kind of grad school. So whose opinion am I supposed to get besides my parents who both went to grad school? If you're so damn smart that you don't need anyone else's opinion in choosing a law school fine, but keep your condescending remarks to yourself.

[Yankees Fan]

I think visiting a school while you're waitlisted can only help if you present yourself well.  I have no actual proof this is true though, it would just make sense to me.  It shows you are genuinely interested in the school, and if you meet with anyone in the admissions office during your visit, you can help "sell" yourself.

As for the bringing a parent discussion... it should've ended before it started.  The argument I read against bringing a parent is the dumbest argument I've read in a while.  Using the basis of that argument, I guess it was unprofessional and a bad idea to bring my parents to my UG school visits.  Afterall, I was looking at schools that set me up for the past 2 years of my professional life.  What was I thinking getting the input of people who know me better than anyone else and can give me very valuable input...