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When you start applying to college, you’ll often hear plenty about all the things you should be doing to demonstrate your interest in attending each college you apply to. For many students, this can feel like a huge task that includes many moving parts. Should you attend every recruiting event to show your interest?
Do you need to sign-up with every school at the college fair? Thankfully, when you break down the concept of demonstrated interest, it’s often a lot easier to show your interest than it appears at first glance.
First of all, you should know that not every college considers demonstrated interest in their admission decision. However, of those that do, many weigh your demonstrated interest heavily in addition to your academics, extracurricular activities, and essay responses.
Demonstrated interest, at its most basic level, refers to actions that you take to show a serious level of enthusiasm toward attending the college you’re applying to. These actions are hard to quantify and nearly impossible to show off on your application properly. However, for schools that consider demonstrated interest, it can be a key part of your chances of being admitted.
You can easily find information about how a college measures demonstrated interests by searching their Common Data Set to find how a college ranks the relative importance of academic and non-academic factors, including the “level of the applicant’s interest.”
If you have trouble finding this information, reach out to the admissions office in an email (asking about everything they take into consideration, not just demonstrated interest) or talk with your college counselor.
Get on the school’s email list by visiting the undergraduate admission pages on their website and looking for links such as “mailing list,” “request information,” etc. This should take you no longer than a minute or two and is an easy, non-negotiable first step. Not only will you easily be demonstrating interest, but you are guaranteeing that you will receive important admissions information from that college.
Online webinars and other recruitment-based events are a great way for students to demonstrate interest without having to miss school or shell out the money required for a campus visit. Another note on online interaction: open every email you receive from a college. Common email marketing software can show which emails a user opens, and many colleges use this software as a soft way of measuring interest.
Visiting a college is the most classic way of demonstrating interest, and it’s one of the most recommended because of its usefulness to you as a student. Showing up on campus is one of the biggest commitments a student can make to a college they’re applying to. Because all of these things are on you, the student, it’s a great way to show how enthusiastic you are about attending a college.
Another traditional way to demonstrate interest is to interact with a college during college fairs. During your junior and senior years, you’ll often be inundated with these future-focused fairs, and you’ll often have plenty of chances to speak with representatives and sign up for the college’s email list.
Applying to a school under their Early Decision deadline is the most powerful way to demonstrate interest - but it comes with a large trade-off. When you apply to a school via early decision, you commit to attending the college if accepted, and you must withdraw any other applications you’ve submitted. As the name implies, you’ll have earlier deadlines to submit your application and will receive an earlier response.
If the college you’re extremely serious about attending offers Early Decision, you should talk to your counselor to learn more about how it may benefit you to apply this way, and of course, have a very serious discussion with your parents about this binding commitment.
For many colleges that consider demonstrated interest, every interaction between a student and the college is given some weight. This is why you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to their admissions or recruitment office with questions - just be sure to ask questions you can’t find the answer to with a quick search through their website.
When you show real enthusiasm about applying to a college, it’s easy to spot. You’ll have plenty of questions for your guide through the college tour, you’ll make a point of opening emails and corresponding with admissions officials, and you’ll show real investment in your essay responses about the school you’re applying to.
Understanding the nuances of demonstrated interest can be the key to turning a waitlist into an acceptance. If you are looking for support to help your child conquer the admissions process in a stress-free and productive way, contact North Shore College Consulting today.
You don't have to navigate the complexities of college admissions alone. Whether you are aiming for the Ivy League, a top-tier public university, or a highly selective major, our expert counselors are here to help you craft a personal brand that stands out.
