What is Demonstrated Interest?
Now that we are seeing the light at the end of the dark Covid tunnel, the college search process is starting to get back to (a new) normal. Campuses are open, admissions reps are touring the country’s high schools, and in person interviews and info sessions are making their way back to the calendar. With the reappearance of these elements of the college search, the term “demonstrated interest” also returns. What is Demonstrated Interest and why does it matter?
Demonstrated Interest is a term that reflects the various touchpoints that a student has with a given college or university: signing up for their email list, attending a session when a rep is at your high school, and going for an official visit of campus are all great examples.
Colleges may or may not go on record that they track a student’s interest, but they certainly consider the likelihood that a student would enroll if admitted (also known as “yield”), and a good way for them to determine this is by a student’s number of contacts with the college - demonstrating their interest. In addition, for those colleges that have supplemental essays asking “Why Us?,” strong and detailed knowledge of the college and its offerings lets admissions know you are serious about attending.
During Covid, it was nearly impossible to visit campus in a meaningful way and colleges beefed up their online presence in order to provide as much information about their programs in a virtual manner. But online tours in the comfort of your home cannot replace an in person visit: to get a sense of the campus vibe, the environment, the school spirit, the best way to get a solid feel is by visiting campuses in person. (More on campus visits coming soon!).
Now that the world has opened back up, and colleges start to track demonstrated interest officially or unofficially, what’s the best way to show you are interested?
Sign Up for the college’s email list. OPEN the emails and read them! They have the ability to not only see if you signed up, but also if you opened the email and how long you spent reading it.
Follow the college on social media, both the college itself and the admissions account if they have one. Go ahead and DM them with any questions on a post!
Complete the virtual tour online and sign up for a virtual information session, both for general admissions as well as specific majors/programs/schools if available.
If the rep comes to your school in the fall, or hosts a larger event in your area, be sure to attend the session if your schedule allows. If you are unable to attend, send an email to the rep and let them know you couldn’t make it, but wanted to, and ask any questions you would have asked had you been there.
Visit campus! Be sure to sign up for an official tour through the admissions office. If the tours are unavailable at the time you are able to visit, call or email admissions to see if there is a self guided tour and if there will be anyone available to answer your questions in person.
In the end, if it comes down to you or another applicant and all other things are equal, you want to make sure you’ve done everything you can to show them your interest in the school. I’m happy to help you navigate any part of this, so just reach out!
