Student Opportunities » College Fly-In Programs

College Fly-In Programs


These Fall programs allow seniors to fly to and stay at universities such as MIT, Tulane, and Penn State for free. They are not very competitive and usually include one-on-one college application and financial aid workshops with admissions deans. Some come with a scholarship or the ability to stay in dorms and attend lectures. A few institutions, like Carnegie Mellon, even offer one-on-one interviews with admissions deans anytime.

 

 

 

1:1 Admissions Officer Virtual Interviews 

 

Bentley

Bentley Virtual Interviews

 

Calvin

Calvin Virtual Interviews

 

Carnegie Mellon

CMU Virtual Interviews

  • Admissions insights videos

 

Franklin and Marshall

F&M Virtual Interviews

 

Wesleyan

Wesleyan 1:1 interviews

 

 

 

Fly-in Programs

Amherst

Access to Amherst

  • App due: mid-August
  • Components: transcript, 350 word essay, academic writing sample
  • Waived college app fee, sometimes regardless of program decision
  • Admissions workshop, sometimes regardless of program decision

 

Babson

Access Babson

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, extracurriculars, two 250 word essays
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops
  • Stay with a Babson student, attend a class

 

Barnard Women’s College

Barnard Bound virtual program

  • App due: mid-September
  • Only open to low-income or 1st gen students
  • Admissions workshops

 

Bates

Prologue to Bates

  • App due: mid-August
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, short essay, extracurriculars list
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops

 

Bowdoin

Explore Bowdoin

  • App due: early August
  • Priority to low-income and 1st gen students
  • Components: transcript, extracurriculars, 250 word essay
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops
  • Stay with Bowdoin students, attend classes

 

Brandeis

Students Exploring and Embracing Diversity

  • App due: early September
  • Priority to low-income and 1st gen students
  • Evaluative admissions interview

 

Bryn Mawr Women’s College

Lantern Scholars Program

  • App due: mid-July
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, resume, letter of rec

 

Caltech

Caltech Up Close

  • App due: early August
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, short answers
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops

 

Carleton

Taste of Carleton

  • App due: early August
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, resume
  • Admissions interview
  • Attend a class​​​​​​​

 

Case Western Reserve

Diversity Overnight

 

Claremont McKenna

CMC Fall Preview

    • App due: late August
    • Multiple admissions workshops and financial aid workshops
    • Only open to underrepresented
    • Waived college app fee for participants

 

Colgate

Colgate in Focus

  • App due: mid-August
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Attend a class

 

College of the Atlantic

COA Fall Fly-In

  • App due: mid-July
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, extracurriculars, two 500 word essays
  • Attend classes

 

College of the Holy Cross

Perspectives Overnight Program

  • App due: early October
  • Admissions insights

 

Colorado College

Experience Colorado College

  • App due: early September
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript and counselor evaluation form
  • 1:1 interviews with admissions ambassadors
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops

 

Columbia Engineering

Engineering Preview at Columbia

  • App due: early September
  • Waived college app fee, regardless of program decision
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops
  • Tour of an engineering firm like Google or Bloomberg, stay with a student

 

Connecticut College

Explore Conn

  • App due: mid-September
  • Components: transcript, personal statement
  • Admissions workshop

 

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Bound

  • Mock admissions committee exercise, 1:1 interviews, open access to admissions officers
  • Admissions and financial aid workshops

 

Davidson

Access Davidson

  • App due: early August
  • Connect with admissions and financial aid officers, talk with College president
  • Attend a class

 

Denison

Dialogue with Denison

    • App due: early August
    • Participants guaranteed to receive a full-ride if admitted to Denison(?)
    • Priority to underrepresented

 

Dickinson

You Belong at Dickinson.

  • Admissions and financial aid workshops

 

Emory

Emory LEADs Experience

  • App due: early September
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: two 150 word essays, transcript, extracurriculars
  • In-depth admissions and college evaluation workshops

 

Hamilton

Home at Hamilton

  • Priority to low income

 

Harvey Mudd

Future Achievers in Science and Tech (FAST)

  • App due: mid-August
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Waived college app fee
  • Admissions workshops

 

Haverford

Have-A-Look

  • Priority to underrepresented

 

Johns Hopkins

Senior Visit Day- Travel Assistance

  • App due: early September
  • Priority to low income
  • Components: transcript, short answer, form

 

Lafayette

Our Beloved Community

  • App due: early October
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Waived college app fee
  • Admissions interview

 

Lehigh

Diverse Achievers Program

  • App due: mid-September
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, 500 word essay

 

Miami U

Bridges Program

  • App due: early October
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Components: two 250 short responses, counselor recommendation form

 

MIT

Weekend Immersion in Science and Engineering (WISE)

  • App due: mid-August
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, five short answer questions
  • Admissions workshops

 

Middlebury

Fly-in Program

  • App due: early September
  • Priority to low income
  • Components: transcript, one page essay
  • Tips from admissions dean

 

Oberlin

Oberlin Overnight

  • App due: late September
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, 300 word essay

 

Occidental

Tiger Access Program

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Admissions workshops

 

Olin College of Engineering

Mix & Mingle Fly-in

  • Counselor nomination due: mid-September
  • Only for low-income
  • Components: transcript, counselor nomination

 

Penn State

Admissions Strategics Partnerships

  • Multiple programs

 

Pitzer

Fall Preview

  • App due: late August
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Components: transcript, one 650 word essay, one 250 word short response

 

Pomona

Perspectives on Pomona

  • App due: mid-August
  • Priority to underrepresented

 

Reed

Senior Scholars Virtual Program

  • App due: early November

 

Rensselaer Polytechnic

Science, Technology, & Arts at Rensselaer (STAR)

  • App due: late November
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Virtual admissions workshop

 

Scripps Women's College

Discover Scripps

  • App due: mid-August
  • Only open to underrepresented
  • Admissions workshop

 

Smith Women's College

Women of Distinction

  • Only open to underrepresented

 

Swarthmore

Discover Swarthmore

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Waived college app fee

 

Tufts

Voices of Tufts

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Waived college app fee

 

Tulane

PreviewTU

  • App due: early September
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Admissions workshop

 

University of Denver

Pioneer Prep

  • Waived college app fee
  • Low-income who complete program may qualify for $30,000 scholarship

 

UMich Business

All-Access Weekend

  • App due: mid-June
  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Admissions workshop

 

UPenn

Penn Early Exploration Program (PEEP)

  • Priority to low income, 1st gen
  • Workshops with admissions counselors

 

Rochester

Multicultural Visitation Program

  • App due: early October
  • Only open to low-income
  • Components: transcript, two short responses

 

U of Vermont

Discovering UVM

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Waived college app fee

 

UWisconsin Madison

Visit Bucky

  • Event date: early October
  • Virtual, no app
  • Admissions tips

 

WashU

Preview Days

  • App due: early June
  • Priority to underrepresented

 

Washington and Lee

Diversity and Inclusion Visit Experience

  • Priority to underrepresented
  • Admissions workshops

 

Wellesley Women’s College

VOICE

  • Components: transcript, 400 word essay
  • Workshops with admissions counselors

 

Whitman

Visit Scholarship Program

  • Admissions workshops

 

Williams

Windows on Williams

  • App due: early July or early August, depending on selected date
  • Priority to low income