22 percent of colleges now rank demonstrated interest as “considerably important” in deciding who will get accepted. This is one of the findings of the 2008 State of College Admissions of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
So what is “demonstrated interest”? Demonstrated interest is something that a student does to show a college that they have an interest in that particular college. Contacting the college asking for information shows interest. If you contact the college before they contact you, that shows even more interest. Visiting a campus shows interest as does going to see a college representative who visits your high school or sending an email to the college representative.
Many colleges that use demonstrated interest as a factor in the admissions process keep track of each of the contacts that you have with the college. So regular contact with the college can be helpful. But don’t overdue the contacts. Calling or sending an email daily does not show interest; it shows an unhealthy obsession that will not impress the college.
Demonstrated interest won’t offset poor grades or other deficits in your application. However, as a deciding factor amoung equally qualified students, demonstrated interest can be a tie breaker.
[…] Test Scores to Colleges to Show Demonstrated Interest I have written about demonstrated interest in the past and how important it can be for admissions to some colleges. But the big question is […]