Visiting Student Programs Forum

[pennylilithwise]

I was hoping for advice on applying for a visiting student program. I currently am a 2L at RWU in Rhode Island and want to visit Stetson in FL next year. I have a 2.8gpa (kinda worried about that). My reasons for visiting are that I have a potential internship lined up in FL, they have a whole concentration in what I want (my school only offers one class that I've already taken) and I have alot of heavy personal reasons for the move.

My questions are:

1- How popular are visiting programs? How hard to get in?
2- I was originally not accepted to Stetson two years ago, but I'm now getting A's; will the original rejection kill my chances?
3- For my application, should I focus on praising the school, should I even mention personal reasons, what should I write?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

[drakewing]

I'm a 2L at the University of Kentucky in the same kind of situation. I'm trying to get out to the Bay Area in California for family reasons. Have you found out anything about how hard it is to get accepted? Also, all of the schools I've looked at have application deadlines into the summer months, which makes me think I won't know if I've been accepted until after I've already started the process of moving. This makes me a little nervous.

[zomginternets]

Write about your reasons for wanting to transfer there--internship lined up, interested in an area that they have a major department in (and that your current school does not), family ties. Those are good reasons. I don't know much about visiting apps in particular, but I know that Boalt says you need a "compelling reason" to do a visiting year at their school. I would imagine its similar at other schools.

re: application and notification deadlines. I imagine that you would receive your acceptances/rejections very late (late July to early August), same as transfers.

[lolada02]

Hi,

2L here, attempting to visit. Spoke to the dean about the whole "compelling reasons" figuring that the fact I'm married and my spouse was transferred to another state 1000 miles away was sufficient to request a visiting year where he is.

Apparently schools don't count "spouses" moving. Do you or anyone have any idea what on earth constitutes a "compelling reason"? It seems unfair that quite possibly they only allow it for Married Couples with Children, since the only person I know that used spouse moved as a visiting reason had children.

If anyone knows anything please let me know. I've reached out to someone else that visited to see what they stated as their reason.

Thanks in advance.

[lolada02]

Also listed in various handbooks (I've been looking at various schools to get ideas) as not compelling reasons:

1) Interested in working in X location
2) Interested in studying in X location
3) Wanting to accompany significant other whether they are studying or enrolled in X location
4) Wanting to pay lower tuition

[Helmholtz]

Hi,

2L here, attempting to visit. Spoke to the dean about the whole "compelling reasons" figuring that the fact I'm married and my spouse was transferred to another state 1000 miles away was sufficient to request a visiting year where he is.

Apparently schools don't count "spouses" moving. Do you or anyone have any idea what on earth constitutes a "compelling reason"? It seems unfair that quite possibly they only allow it for Married Couples with Children, since the only person I know that used spouse moved as a visiting reason had children.

If anyone knows anything please let me know. I've reached out to someone else that visited to see what they stated as their reason.

Thanks in advance.

The dean of admissions at my school said that Berkeley accepted a 3L from my school as a visiting student because her fiancé was out in CA. fwiw

[patrickd139]

Hi,

2L here, attempting to visit. Spoke to the dean about the whole "compelling reasons" figuring that the fact I'm married and my spouse was transferred to another state 1000 miles away was sufficient to request a visiting year where he is.

Apparently schools don't count "spouses" moving. Do you or anyone have any idea what on earth constitutes a "compelling reason"? It seems unfair that quite possibly they only allow it for Married Couples with Children, since the only person I know that used spouse moved as a visiting reason had children.

If anyone knows anything please let me know. I've reached out to someone else that visited to see what they stated as their reason.

Thanks in advance.

Where are you attempting to visit? Also, where are you coming from?

[lolada02]

helm: thanks for that info.. that was very nice of the school...

patrick: attempting to get permission to visit and visit schools of similar ranks just in different states. policies here and there and pretty much elsewhere from what i've gathered is simply that "compelling reason standard" just trying to interpret it as very few schools actually cite examples in their student manuals... if i can't get permission at my home school i can't even move into the application stage for a host school...

From the few posts from other's years at TLS I've gathered that the most difficult portion is having your home school agree to let you visit out... But very few cite the reasons that they were allowed to use...