Although admission officers more heavily weigh factors like a student’s grades, demonstrated interest can help a student stand out and showcase their eagerness to enroll if offered admission.
Why is demonstrated interest important and what is it?
Now more than ever colleges and university admission programs want to know that an applicant is sincerely interested in attending their university. The ability to apply to so many colleges with minimal effort makes it easy for an applicant to submit multiple applications. Colleges want to optimize the ratio of the number of students who enroll to the number of students that are accepted. Admissions departments consider this their “yield” and a ratio that they frequently will boast about to subsequent classes of applicants.
Demonstrated interest from an applicant is communicating serious interest in attending the school, and can have an impact on the advancement of a student’s application. Demonstrated interest is something that many colleges and universities use to track a) how much a student likes their school and b) how likely a student is to enroll if admitted.
10 Ways You can Demonstrate Interest
- Get on the school’s email list, but more importantly… OPEN the emails you receive from a school and click on links within it. Some schools track your digital engagement, but the bonus is that you’ll also learn more about the school while demonstrating your interest.
- “Click deep” on the school’s website. This basically means spending some time learning about specific programs and things that interest you about the school. This will help you eventually write your “Why us” statement and will prepare you for a potential conversation or interview with your regional representative.
- Attend a college fair virtually or online. Try to interact with school representatives and make your presence known.
- Contact your regional rep. More tips on developing a relationship with your rep below.
- Follow the school on social media. Find out what social media platforms the school is on and follow or like their pages.
- Visit campus. This isn’t possible for everyone, but if you’re within a couple of hours from the school, it’s a good idea. Speak with faculty members or students who may share your information with the admissions office. Make sure they have a record that you were there by signing up for a tour of meeting with a rep.
- Interview. Some schools have interviews, some don’t. This information is provided in your college list information and or can be found online. If they do, do the interview. An alumni interview is fine; an interview with your regional rep (i.e. the person who will read your application) is generally better. For schools that track demonstrated interest, the interview matters.
- Apply Early Action or Early Decision (Takes pre-planning, but no extra work to do this beyond actual application). This demonstrates your true interest and potential commitment to the school.
- Submit your application before the deadline. This is especially true for schools that read their applications on a rolling basis (in the order applications are submitted).
- Thank you notes and emails. Spend a few minutes following up after an interview or college fair with some notes. It can be as simple as, “Thank you for talking with me…” and also provides an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. Follow up should always be via email; the communication will make it to your electronic file more easily. If you have an ID number (meaning you have already submitted your application), use it in the subject line.
What happens if you don’t demonstrate interest?
Colleges will still read your applications and you will still be considered for admission. But if a school is wavering or the school looks at demonstrated interest as an active part of their application review, you’ll be at a disadvantage if you haven’t made the effort to indicate your enthusiasm for that college or university. And you don’t have to do all of the above for all the schools you’re applying to, nor do you have to do them all in one day. (In fact, it’s better to show engagement over time!). Just pick a couple schools (3-4) that you’re certain track demonstrated interest, then pick a few things from the list of things to do and do them. And if you’re truly interested in a school, you should probably be doing much of this anyway!
Tips to Connect with your College Representative
- Search the school’s website to find out who your regional rep is. A simple Google search should do the trick.
- Email your rep and ask a question of genuine interest AND that you are sure is not already discussed on the school’s website.
- Keep the email conversation going (for a little bit). Not forever, just a couple of emails. To do this, ask a question at the end of each email. For example, you might ask if they are going to be in your area visiting to speak with them in person..
- If the rep is coming to a college fair near you or is hosting a virtual session, go and meet them or schedule a session! This is especially important if you cannot visit campus. And if you’ve already met the rep, still go and say “hello.”