Many of you are already well aware of the concept of "demonstrated interest" and its role in the admissions process at many institutions. In short, some colleges and universities will factor in whether or not an applicant has shown genuine interest in attending said college in their admissions review.
Demonstrated interest can take the form of in-person or virtual engagement with the college. That can include campus visits, attending an information session, interviewing, connecting with a rep at a college fair, engaging social media or other contact with the admissions office, even smaller tasks like signing up to request information on the college's website or opening emails sent to you. This assessment helps admissions offices to manage a critical statistic, yield, which is the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll. Students who have shown some interest may be reviewed more favorably than those who have not because they are seen as more likely to enroll if offered admission.
Consider the statement below, which comes directly from an admissions update we received from a selective college:
"MYSTERY COLLEGE received a record number of applications this year –a 14% increase over last year. As a result, some decisions may appear to be different than what you may have expected, based on what we have done in the past. With extra scrutiny given to students who had, or had not, demonstrated an interest in the COLLEGE, we waitlisted some who may have historically been admissible. Likewise, some students whose profile would have yielded a waitlist decision in the past have been admitted."
We strongly encourage you to read the articles below, which are a few years old but still do a great job of illustrating this concept:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-data-colleges-collect-on-applicants-11548507602
Also, make sure to read Chapter 3 of the NACAC Guide to College Admission, available in the Document Resources section (see the College Office folder) of your Naviance account.
Prospective students can engage colleges in-person or through virtual means. Campus tours, information sessions, webinars, chat sessions with admissions counselors and other staff, social media opportunities, are some of the many possibilities through students can connect with potential colleges.
You’ll find these kinds of opportunities posted on the admissions pages of each institution’s website. If you request information by signing up on the college’s website you’ll be emailed directly about events happening this semester and beyond.
So as you begin to identify the colleges and universities to which you'll apply next fall, remember to connect with each of them in some fashion in the coming months.
Don't go too far, though...showing interest is only one piece of the puzzle, and is not a factor at many colleges. You don't want to bombard admissions offices with unnecessary emails or phone calls, waste time with multiple campus visits or online info sessions, etc. Spamming admissions officers or simply being annoying is never a helpful strategy; you can’t stalk your way into Princeton :)
Just make sure to show some interest in the colleges to which you think you’ll eventually apply, and particularly those you might see as your target and safety schools.
