When applying to college, your academic strengths and personal qualities are going to be the most important factors in the admissions process. However, in addition to choosing students who are the best academic and social fit, colleges also need to make sure they will meet their enrollment goals. As a result, some colleges will track students’ demonstrated interest to gauge how likely it is that an applicant will enroll. How much a prospective student enthusiastically engages with a school during the college application cycle can make a difference in their application.
Colleges hope that admitting students with greater demonstrated interest helps them achieve greater “yield.” They conclude that the more effort students take to get to know the school, the more interested those students are, and the more likely they are to attend if they’re accepted. Colleges understandably don’t want to admit students who will not attend, and they need a realistic estimate of how many admitted students will enroll so they can meet their target number for the incoming class.
If you’re highly interested in a college and want them to know it, here are some things you can do to show demonstrated interest.
Apply Early Decision. Applying Early Decision is one of the strongest ways to demonstrate interest to your first-choice college. At many schools, Early Decision acceptance rates are higher than Regular Decision acceptance rates. This is in part because applicants admitted under Early Decision are committed to attending that school. However, not all schools offer Early Decision, but they might have an Early Action or Restrictive Early Action route. If a school is too far out of range academically, applying Early Decision may not be enough of an advantage. Before applying Early Decision to any school, be sure to discuss it with your college counselor or adviser.
Visit and attend an information session. A campus visit is an effective way to convey your demonstrated interest. Touring will help you get a specific sense of what you liked about the schools on your list, which in turn will help you write stronger supplemental essays about why you want to attend those schools. In addition, if you sign up for a visit with the admissions office, the college will have an official record of that visit, which will be noted in your application.
Pay attention during your visit to find out more about the school, ask questions relevant to your interests and goals, and talk to professors in your field. Be friendly with your tour guides and ask them about their experience.
Schools also understand that not everyone is able to make their way to campus, and many now offer virtual tours and information sessions that you can register for on their websites. Some schools will also arrange for local or regional information sessions. If there is one at a date and time convenient for you, you should attend to learn more about the college and get your name on the school’s radar. You can also use websites such as YouVisit to arrange a virtual tour or check for information sessions that are hosted online via Zoom.
College fairs. Talking to an admissions representative at a college fair is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the people who will be reading your applications in a setting where you’re familiar and comfortable—your own school or local conference center. Read up beforehand on the schools that are attending the fair and create a list of questions to ask them, talk to them about your interest in the college, and use this as a chance to learn more about the school. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for the schools’ email lists.
Have an Interview. The most important reason to have a college interview is because taking the extra step to speak with an admissions officer, student working in the admissions office, or alum shows the college that you’re interested in them. Interviews are your opportunity to let the school put a face to the name and show them your personality, talk about why you think the school is a good fit for you in greater detail, and bring your application to life. In general, if interviewing is an option at the colleges you’re applying to, it’s a good idea to schedule one to show that you’re a committed applicant, even if interviews don’t ultimately make or break your application.
Stay overnight. Many colleges have overnight programs for prospective students to visit campus, stay at a dorm with a current student, and sit in on classes and extracurricular activities. Wellesley and Davidson have programs for all prospective students in the fall, as well as separate ones for admitted students in the spring. Aside from having opportunities for prospective students from all backgrounds, some colleges, such as Bates, Washington and Lee, and Hamilton, offer overnight diversity programs.
Not only does an overnight convey your demonstrated interest, it also helps you experience what it could be like to be a student at the college. You have the ability to see who might be your future classmates, you’ll be able to talk to current students and professors about what they like and dislike about the school, and you’ll get a feel for what it is like to stay in the dorm for a night or two.
Click email links and spend time looking through college websites. Whether it’s through a college fair or the school website, sign up for emails from schools that interest you. When you receive an email, make sure you open it and click any links it contains to the website. Just like any other business organization sending marketing emails, some colleges, like Quinnipiac and American University, will take a look at whether or not you open their messages, how long you spend reading them, which links you click on, and how much time you spend on a page.
Admissions officers sometimes use the number of clicks and the amount of time spent on pages to track your demonstrated interest and what you might be specifically interested in. Don’t panic though—you’re not expected to click on every single link from your dream school!
Follow the school’s social media platforms. Every college has profiles on multiple social media platforms, from YouTube and Facebook to Instagram and TikTok. Similar to email and website clicks, the interaction you have with these pages might be tracked by colleges. Explore their blogs, and give them some likes and shares every once and in a while to let them know that you are engaging with the content. But that doesn’t mean you should give a like to every single thing they post without actually reading! Your demonstrated interest needs to be credible. You could even mention an Instagram post or YouTube video that might have stuck out to you or taught you something notable about the college in your supplemental essay.
Contact your admissions counselor. Most colleges have specific admissions counselors assigned to different parts of the country and the world. A great way to show demonstrated interest is to look up the admissions counselor assigned to your region and send them a nice email to introduce yourself and ask a couple of thoughtful questions (that don’t have answers you could easily find on the website). However, if you’re going to reach out to colleges via email, be sure to send personalized emails to each school, rather than a blanket email to several schools at once. In addition, be sure to double-check for any typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes. Remember, whatever you send to a college could become part of your application file!
Mention what stood out to you in your supplemental essays. When you visit a school or interact with someone from the college, take notes. These notes will come in handy during the application season, particularly if the colleges have a “why this college?” essay. Use the essay option to mention parts of the school that stood out to you and highlight why you’re a good fit for their campus. Admissions officers will appreciate the attention to detail and know that you made an informed decision before applying.
It’s important to note that not all colleges consider demonstrated interest as a factor in the application process. However, if there’s a school you’re interested in and you want to try some of these ideas, you can check with the school to find out if demonstrated interest is a factor or discuss it with your college counselor.
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