Blog

Demonstrate interest!

September 28th, 2021

Demonstrated interest is a concept thrown around in the college admissions world that can be difficult to embrace. Believe it or not, your level of enthusiasm for and engagement with a school may matter, and will be tracked by SOME colleges or universities (not all). I used to view it cynically, akin to Orwell’s Big Brother in 1984, but now see that benefits accrue not only to colleges but to students, as well.

Many colleges work hard to determine the level of interest a student has for their school. This helps colleges predict their yield (% of accepted students who will enroll), which is important for them to protect.

Pre-COVID, there was no better way to demonstrate interest than visiting campus. The pandemic has certainly changed the way some colleges approach face to face contact, making it easier to connect virtually through online tours and information sessions.

Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy, has published a fantastic list of ways to demonstrate interest to your top choice schools. When reading his article below, keep in mind that as you engage you’re also developing a better sense of optimal fit and, ultimately, optimal enrollment choice, goals that we at Shrop Ed hold for all students. The article referenced below is from a site we view as a phenomenal resource for college applicants.

This practical How-To Guide was written by Ethan Sawyer, published on The College Essay Website

What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide

This blog post was inspired by podcast Episode 108 with Monica James, in which we discuss everything from how to find out which colleges track demonstrated interest to whether you should or shouldn’t like a college’s Facebook page. You can find that episode here.

Spoiler alert: In this blog post I’ll share with you a list of potential Action Items that involve (among other things) attending college fairs, speaking with admission reps, and maybe even opening a few of those emails that colleges send you—things that might stress you out. And why, you might wonder, would the “ease, purpose and joy” guy ask you to do things that mostly bring you anxiety?

Why are we talking about demonstrated interest in the first place?
Demonstrated interest (which I’ll explain in a moment) has become an important factor that some (keyword: some!) colleges consider when deciding whether to admit students or not. In fact, take a look at this NACAC survey from 2019 asking colleges which factors most influenced admission decisions: