Demonstrated Interest

What is demonstrated interest?

Demonstrated interest is the way you show a college that you are genuinely interested in attending their school. It might seem simple, but it’s an important tool used in admissions for many schools. Why do schools use this? It’s a way for them to measure the likelihood of a student attending their school. Not all colleges use it, but for those that do it’s important to add this to your list of to-dos in the application process.

Here are several ways you can show interest in a school

Campus Visits:
Schedule an official campus tour and attend an information session.
Attend college fairs or events where representatives from the college will be present.

Information Sessions:
Attend information sessions or admission workshops hosted by the college, either on-campus or virtually.

Interviews:
If the college offers interviews, request one. This is an opportunity for you to express your interest and learn more about the college.

Contacting Admissions:
Reach out to the admissions office with specific and thoughtful questions about the college or the application process.
Attend any webinars or virtual sessions hosted by the college.

Join the mailing list and follow the college on social media:
Consider participating in social media networking or online chats hosted by the college.

Open emails from colleges you are interested in and forward to your parents:
Colleges track if a student opens an email, and if they forward them, so this is an easy way to show interest.

Attend a class while you’re on campus:
Most colleges allow you to sit in on a class during your campus visit. Doing this not only gives you a sense of what classes are like at the school, but also shows your admissions rep that you’re going above and beyond in your research.

Email with a professor:
Though not appropriate in every circumstance, it sometimes makes sense to send specific questions about a department or course offering directly to a professor. In this case, you may want to ask your admissions rep for a contact.