Inside How Demonstrated Interest Is Evaluated In Admissions Decisions

Demonstrated interest is defined as any meaningful contact a student has with a college/university. We suggest you read this blog post for a full explanation here before continuing on. Let’s take a look at how demonstrated interest is tracked and evaluated. First, we must be clear that not every college tracks demonstrated interest, but many do. Do not miss the opportunity to have the actions your student is already doing tracked.

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First, colleges typically use a database system that houses not only your contact information and ultimately your college application, but also every meaningful contact you have had. For example, if a college sends you an email, they will do so using this system, and from there they can track if you have opened the email, and some systems are sophisticated enough to see which links you click on!

DOWNLOAD A COMPLIMENTARY DEMONSTRATED INTEREST WORKSHEET FOR STUDENTS

We always recommend making contact with your assigned admissions representative to both introduce yourself and ask questions that you are not able to find answers to on the website. This kind of get-to-know-each-other email exchange can help your admissions officer fight for you during committee and decision making. A word of caution, these contacts need to be meaningful and not “just checking in” or “Hey, how is your day?”.

If you have contact with a professor, coach, or staff member on campus outside of the admissions office, please know that this likely will never be shared with the admissions office. If you’d like them to know about your additional interactions, cc the admissions officer that you have connected with or let them know as part of a meaningful email contact.

Every visit you have - virtual or in person - is tracked as the show of ultimate demonstrated interest. Until your family feels able to travel to the school, make sure you sign up for the virtual visit and ATTEND it (because they also track no shows to events).