What Is Demonstrated Interest & Why Is It Important In College Admissions?

Wed, May 10, 2023 11:30 AM

When it comes to the college admissions process – Demonstrated Interest may impact your students’ chances of getting admitted into their dream school. So, what is it?

It is the ability for a student to truly show the colleges they are considering applying to some love. In other words, convincing each college that they are your student’s number one school. What you may not know is that big brother is watching – many colleges are using sophisticated software to track every connection prospective applicants make with their school. Some colleges are trying to meet their admissions numbers so tracking prospective applicants helps to improve the colleges chances of actually having your son or daughter commit to their school. For the most selective/rejective colleges, it lets them focus their attention on students who are really serious about their school and in that competitive environment every connection counts. This means they track every email that is opened, the amount of time spent on websites, whether students visit their campus, etc.

Demonstrated Interest can also be accomplished by reaching out to the Admissions Representative from their college for your son or daughters’ high school or the region where you live. The fact is, doing something is better than doing nothing at all so students should make it a point to research to see if Demonstrated Interest counts for the colleges they are considering and then go for it.

Another idea to improve your students’ chances of getting noticed and possibly admitted to their future college -have them send “thank you” emails to Admissions Representatives they meet at college fairs or when they do an in-person visit at their high school. Encourage them sign up for each college’s newsletter, and even apply Early Action/Early Decision (EA/ED) in the future. All of these action steps can indeed make a difference.

Please remind your student to open all the emails their top colleges send out to them. They need to understand that email is the chosen communication tool used by many colleges and yet this generation of students often forget to check their email which can cost them in the long run. Help your student stand out in the sea of applicants; encourage them to check out and follow colleges on social media. All of these little things add up and can help your student be remembered for all the right reasons.

Need some help – reach out to me, Dan Bisig, at College and Beyond, and Schedule a FREE 15-minute Discovery Zoom Meeting with Me TODAY! to see how I can help your student with some or all of the college process.