A parent and her son came to me asking for help in searching for and applying to New York State schools. His core course GPA was in the high 70’s and his total GPA was 82. I had reservations about how successful he would be in gaining acceptance to some of the state schools to which he wanted to apply.
As the two planned a trip to visit state colleges near the Canadian border, I advised them to find their admissions counselor, the one that covers our geographic area, and speak with them about how interested they were in attending the institution. They did so and continued to communicate with the counselor after they returned home. This student and his mom followed this pattern with the counselors at all of his top schools, and he got accepted to each of the schools to which he applied.
How Much Interest You Show a College May Impact Your Admission
Demonstrating interest in a school can play an integral role in whether or not you are accepted. In addition, it will provide you additional information on the school to see how interested you are in them!
Demonstrated Interest is a term used by colleges that describes how much a student is interested in attending their college. It encompasses every touch point that a student has with a specific college.
Demonstrated Interest Touchpoints include:
• School visits
• Emailing a college admissions officer
• Sending a thank-you note after an interview
• Completing an information request form on a college’s website
• Following on Instagram
• Signing up for their admissions email list
• Facebook “Likes”
• Tweets about the college
• And more . . .
These touchpoints can improve a student’s chances of being admitted to certain colleges and are used not only during the application process, but also when a student is waitlisted.
How Colleges Track Demonstrated Interest
There are specific software packages that colleges can utilize to track these touchpoints. They use this software not only to gauge how much a student is interested in their school, but also to gain insight on how to better market their institution to students and parents given the competitive landscape in today’s search for the right college.
How Much Consideration is Given to Demonstrated Interest
Each college considers “Demonstrated Interest” at varying levels from very important, in line with consideration of academic GPA, to not considered whatsoever. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, 50.2% of colleges consider Demonstrated Interest of moderate importance to considerable importance. You can find out how much a specific college takes into consideration demonstrated interest by searching on the Internet “Common Data Set” and the name of the college in which you are interested. Scroll down to section C7 to view how important this is to that college.
The Bottom Line: Actively Show that You Want to Attend the School
Don’t ever underestimate the importance of demonstrating interest in a college. Keep in mind that every interaction you have with a school may be tracked. It just may mean the difference between being admitted by the school of your choice or not. So, if you are interested in a specific school, make sure to actively participate in the touchpoints.
Signature College Counseling is here to help you with college search, application assistance, essay guidance, interview preparation, career assessment and financial aid counseling. We help alleviate your stress by navigating this complex process with you. Count on our expertise to help you through the college admissions process, finding the best colleges that fit you academically, socially and financially.
If you’re a parent or student looking for help, call us at (845) 551-6946 or email info@signaturecollegecounseling.com
