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There is something that every college applicant can do to improve their chances of getting into the first choice college.  According to college admission counselors, beyond improving SAT scores this activity is more important to the admission decision than guidance counselor recommendations, teacher recommendations, or even extracurricular activities.  It is called “demonstrated interest”.   So let’s discuss the concept of demonstrated interest and describe how one goes about showing it.

Basically, demonstrated interest is showing some form of formal interest in a college.  The main ways are through taking an official campus tour and interviewing on the campus.  However, at some colleges, any contact you make with a school goes in your file, and the more “touches” you make the more serious of an applicant they feel that you are.  “Touches” are activities like contacting an athletic coach, if you play a sport, or contacting a band or music director.  You can also show “demonstrated interest” by visiting with admission officers at a local college fair.  While showing demonstrated interest will not get you accepted at a college where you don’t otherwise qualify, many schools use it as a tipping factor when all else is equal.

Campus Tours are a great way to learn about a college

I heard a great example on showing demonstrated interest at an informational session I attended at Johns Hopkins University.  The admission officer making the presentation advised students to find out who would be reading their application, and in some way, create a contact with that person.  He then shared the example of a student he met at a college fair.  He said they had a great conversation, and during the conversation, the girl mentioned that she was going to write her college essay about picking apples in upstate New York with her family.  A few months later, he got that essay, and remembered meeting the girl and enjoying their conversation.  Needless to say, the girl was accepted into Johns Hopkins.

A college visit is certainly the best and most obvious way to show demonstrated interest. While it is better to visit a school during the academic year when there are students on campus, you are better off visiting during the summer than not visiting at all.  We are almost at the midway point of summer, so make sure to use the rest of the summer to get out and visit some colleges.

While on your visit, take a tour and sign in, so that you are formally in the college’s system.  Also, be sure to ask for the business card of the admissions officer who is in charge of your high school or region.  If you can, drop in and say hello while you are on campus.  If the admission officer is not available, send a follow up email after your visit.  While you do not want to email daily and become a nuisance, it is permissible to send periodic updates on any new major accomplishments or activities.

In addition to a college visit, here is a list of some other ways to show demonstrated interest in your first choice college:

• Fill out any information request forms on the college website

• Call the college to request information

• Do your research on the colleges, so when you speak to an admissions representative you can ask informed questions

• Attend local college fairs and sign up for information and give the representative your card

• Write coaches and advisors, even if you aren’t sure if you are going to continue that activity in college, request more information

• Follow up any contact with a representative of the school by sending a thank you card or a short note

• Arrange for an on campus interview

• Apply for “early action” admission and, if you are certain this is the college for you, apply “early decision”

• Submit your college applications before the deadline

• List your favorite school first when submitting the FAFSA (yes, some do check where they were listed on the FAFSA)