Guide to Demonstrated Interest

As you navigate applying to college, you may hear the term “Demonstrated Interest” in the conversation. You may be asking yourself:

What is Demonstrated Interest?

● Colleges and universities often track the amount of interest a student demonstrates to their specific college. For some schools, if students show strong Demonstrated Interest, it can increase their chance of being admitted to the specific college. The amount that a college tracks a student’s Demonstrated Interest depends on each college.

There are a variety of ways you can show Demonstrated Interest in a college or university. Here are some examples:

● Visiting campus and taking an official in-person campus tour

● Signing up for and attending an official virtual campus visit

● Viewing a 360 virtual tour of a college and filling out the contact info form when requested

● Emailing an Admissions Counselor with questions about the college

● Scheduling a time to meet with an Admissions Counselor, either in-person or virtually, so you can ask them questions

● Opening each email you receive from the college (Yes, they can see when a student has opened an email from them!)

● Signing up for an interview if that college has an interview process

● Follow the college’s official social media page (mainly Instagram) and “like” their posts (some colleges also have a specific Instagram account for their Admissions Office)

● Attending an event or opportunity where an Admissions Counselor from the school is in the student’s local area

Examples:

■ If an Admissions Counselor from a college you are interested in does a visit at your high school’s Student Services/Guidance office (likely during lunch or a class period)

■ If an Admissions Counselor from a college a you are interested in has a table at a local College Fair

■ If you have the opportunity to sign up for an interview with a college’s interviewer in your area (some schools use their local alumni to host interviews with prospective students in that area)

What should you do if they can’t get to an on-campus event?

● There are various barriers or challenges that may make it difficult for you to visit the campus in-person, and colleges are very understanding of that. One way to demonstrate that same level of interest in a college as visiting the campus is by sending an Admissions Counselor an email explaining that you would really like to visit their campus, attend a specific prospective student event or Open House, however for xyz reasons you do not have the transportation you need to get there. Ask the Admissions Counselor if there is any type of assistance that can be provided to help you get to the school.

○ For example, some schools will host Fly-Out programs for prospective, low-income students who are interested in colleges that are more than a certain number of miles away from their home. These are potential opportunities that the Admissions Counselor could communicate to you as long as you take the initiative to ask!

What do you do if you signed up for an event to Demonstrate Interest and can no longer make it?

● Let them know!! Colleges are very understanding that last-minute things can come up that will prevent a student from being able to attend an event (in-person OR virtual). However, it is important to communicate to the school that you can no longer attend for a specific reason (even if it’s a virtual event!). You do not want a college’s Admissions Office to think you passed on a valuable opportunity to get to know more about the college for no reason.

Extra Tip: Any time you have a strong question about a school (a question that can’t be answered by a google search), you should take advantage of that inquiry and reach out to an Admissions Counselor to ask your question(s), whether by phone or email. Any time you make a point of contact with a school like that, you should add in a sentence or two to re-demonstrate how much you are thinking about the school and how interested you are!

● Examples of strong questions to ask an Admissions Counselor:

○ “What is the residence hall culture at your college like?”

○ “How connected is the surrounding community to the college?”

○ “What healthcare and academic support services are available to students and what percentage of students take advantage of them?”

○ “What steps does the college take to keep students safe?”

○ “What is your favorite campus tradition?”

○ “How does the college help students get internships? Jobs after graduation?”