One of the points that we have heard at our high school’s college preparation presentations is that prospective students who show a “demonstrated interest” in the colleges they are applying to may have an advantage over the ones who don’t. Demonstrated interested was defined as registering and going to college visits (easy), but also contacting admissions offices with questions or letting them know you are interested. Has anyone done/not done this? My son has not specific questions that he wants to ask any of his prospective colleges, so it seems a little weird to just call an admissions office and say “hey, I am interested in applying to your school!”. Any advice on whether this is a customary practice?
It’s going to depend on the type of schools he’s looking at. My son didn’t do that; we visited and signed up for emails etc… But he didn’t apply to highly selective schools.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1626043-ways-to-show-a-high-level-of-applicants-interest.html is an older discussion on the topic.
It depends on which colleges your son is applying to. Some colleges don’t consider the “Level of applicant’s interest” while others do. Google “CDS ‘whatever the college’” and go to the section C7. Under the “Level of applicant’s interest,” the college will tell you whether they consider it important, considered or not considered.
If your son is applying to those colleges that consider the demonstrated interest, then there are several ways of showing it:
- Pre-registered campus tour
- "Why Us?" college essay
- Subscribing to college programs
- College Interview
- Talking to college rep during regional visit etc.
IMO, anytime a college has a “why us” essay, they care about demonstrated interest, in the sense that they want to know you have researched them well enough to explain the fit.
Columbia is an example where they say no demonstrated interest , but have a why us essay.
^ that. If you’re truly interested, you know why, right? This is so much more than superficial contact. And it shows in your app/supp that you match what they like. You’ve taken time to dig into what they value in their community, what they offer. Be one of the kids where they can say, “he gets it.”
The difference is when you live near (ish) a college. Then, of course, if you dont visit, they wonder why not.
related question - when is it necessary to start showing interest? Is it only senior and junior year? Do schools track interest and engagement from sophomores?
Those living near a college may have visited “unofficially” enough times to be familiar with it, so they may not have bothered to visit in a way that the college knows about. Of course, if you know about the “level of interest” game, you would make sure that at least one visit is recorded by the college.
I think if you visited sophomore year and checked in at admissions, they would have a record. If you are on their mail and/or email list, they know that.
Emails when you don’t have a real question are just annoying.
Be sure to open the emails they send, and also kid should log into and check portals regularly after applying. Some colleges track both as a sign of interest.
Some have a question about visits on their supp. Bottom line: be informed. This is all different than jst getting through high school.