Summer is time for lots of things: family vacations, summer jobs and — for many high school students — college visits. On a college visit, the admissions office will tell you things that are important to for you to know. But you’re also telling the college something that might be important to them: I’m interested in your institution.
What Is Demonstrated Interest?
Demonstrated Interest is a term that gets bounced around a lot in conversations about college admissions. And it’s pretty much what it sounds like: anything a potential applicant does to demonstrate their interest in a particular college. Why does it matter? Well, colleges are concerned about their enrollment numbers. If they accept a student, they want that student to accept them back. They have a target for how many dorm beds they need to fill and how many tuition dollars they need to collect. So if they get an application from a student who hasn’t shown any interest in them prior to applying, they might think twice about extending that student an offer.
Who Considers Demonstrated Interest?
The extent to which a college considers an applicant’s interest varies from institution to institution. Some colleges — especially highly selective schools — don’t consider it at all. Smaller schools that specialize in niche majors might consider it a lot. You can find out if and how much the schools you’re interested in consider DI by googling the college’s name followed by Common Data Set and scrolling down to Section C7. (I will devote an entire blog to explaining what the Common Data Set is in an upcoming newsletter). Once you’re at C7, you’ll find a table where the college has checked off which aspects of the student’s application are very important, important, or simply considered. Demonstrated Interest is usually the last category and is referred to as “level of applicant’s interest.”
How Can You Demonstrate Your Interest?
There are a number of ways to demonstrate your interest in a college besides making an official campus visit. (Emphasis on official. If you simply walk around the school and no one knows you were there, your interest will not be recorded). Can’t make it to the campus? Sign up for a virtual information session, go to the college’s admissions page and ask to be added to their mailing list, check in with them at a college fair, follow the admissions office on social media, and open any emails you receive from them. (Yes, they will know you did that)! Finally, if a college has an optional essay about why you want to attend their institution, don’t consider it optional. Answer it with specific examples of what you find compelling about their academic and extracurricular offerings (not about the great weather in their state or the recent conference titles won by their sports teams). And if you really, really want to attend one specific school and they offer you the opportunity to apply Early Decision (ED), consider that option. But please read my blog on ED vs. EA first so you understand the commitment you’re making when you do that.
Don’t Put All Your Hopes in DI
While many colleges will consider Demonstrated Interest, for most that’s all they will do: consider it. It typically isn’t listed as a very important or even important component of your application. Demonstrated Interest will not compensate for a poor academic record or a lackluster essay. It is the metaphorical icing on the cake. The best thing you can do to get into a college is challenge yourself with rigorous high school courses and make good grades. But it’s summer. So maybe take a break from studying to dive into a pool or enjoy a local ice cream shop — perhaps one near the college you’re visiting.
