Demonstrated Interest

Applying to College
1

<p>I've been hearing alot about this, and I was wondering how big of a role does this really play in the whole admissions game?</p>

<p>I realize this is probably impossible for us to really know, since we aren't adcoms and it isn't really something adcoms openly publish (even if it is very apparent). But what are ways to show interest, besides visiting the campus. </p>

<p>I am a little worried, because alot of the schools I'm looking into, I probably won't be able to visit, just cause they are too far away. Some people have told me its a good idea to send the admissions offices an email introducing yourself and iterating your interest and asking questions. Well what if we don't really have any legitimate questions to ask? </p>

<p>I think this would be a helpful thread for alot of us rising juniors to just get an idea of the kinds of things we should be doing if "demonstrated interest" does truly play a role.</p>

2

<p>Let me ask also, about interviews. I've heard from people that they schedule on-campus interviews whenever they visit schools.</p>

<p>Are these interviews meant to be for prospective students and are they different than interviews you sometimes schedule when you apply? I'm very confused by this. Are there two seperate types of interviews? One a more informative, prospective interview for visiting students, and another evaluative, interview for applicants?</p>

<p>And besides the obvious reason to learn more about the school, is it important or worthwhile to schedule these types of interviews?</p>

<p>Any information would be greatly helpful.</p>

3

<p>for top 20 colleges, i know washu tracks interest the heaviest (and advertises the heaviest, in fact).</p>

<p>most colleges understand that you're unable to visit, but are there regional sessions you can attend?</p>

<p>if you CAN visit, it's good to have an interview, to demonstrate more interest</p>

<p>hope that helped</p>

4

<p>but what exactly is this "interview"</p>

<p>I mean, I am just confused, cause I always that the "interview", was something that happened during the fall or spring after you apply and the adcoms look at your app?</p>

<p>Are we talking about two different types of interviews here? (I assume so)</p>

5

<p>i think you're talking about alum interview-- in the cases that you can't get to campus and schedule an interview OR college doesnt conduct oncampus interviews.</p>

6

<p>Wash U tracks interest the heaviest..... yes. Most people get placed on the waitlist if they did not visit but were qualified for admission. As for the ivies i don't think they care.</p>

7

<p>you need to look at the admission web pages (and this forum) for schools you are considering to see if they care about demonstrated interest. Some care a lot, others don't even track it.</p>

<p>As for ways to demonstrate it, they include requesting/accepting an alumini interview, asking the admission office to put you in contact with current students home on break, requesting the brochure, attending (and signing in) if they have an adcom visit your area.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
you need to look at the admission web pages (and this forum) for schools you are considering to see if they care about demonstrated interest. Some care a lot, others don't even track it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>How would one know that they care or not from the website? What clues does one look for?</p>

9

<p>collegeboard helps too-- look at admission criteria under "considered"</p>

10

<p>You can check the common data sets for the colleges (there's a thread stickied in one of the forums about this), but it's easier to check on the College Board website. </p>

<p>The importance of interviews varies by campus, but in my opinion you should take any opportunity to have an interview, so you can try to be "memorable" in a positive way. In that regard, on campus interviews are preferable to off-campus alumni interviews, as the alumni are not the ones selecting who will be admitted.</p>

11

<p>Insane, What Mikemac says is true: some colleges care more about demonstrated interest than others. It’s especially important at smaller colleges. Many of the large universities that get thousands of applicants don’t have the time to track visitors.</p>

<p>I also think that visiting can really help the applicant in the case of safety schools. Visiting can put a positive light on a college that may be otherwise less appealing and help with that cardinal rule of college search, Love Thy Safety.</p>

<p>Having said that, if you live too far away and can’t arrange a visit they won’t hold it against you. Again, in the case of smaller schools you could try establishing an e-mail relationship with someone in admissions. “What if we don't really have any legitimate questions to ask?” Think of it like starting up a conversation. If you’re interested in the college, you should be able to come up with a question – preferably something related to academics or extracurriculars.</p>

<p>Some colleges offer on campus interviews to anyone who requests one. Some arrange interviews after applications are received. Some don’t interview at all. Find out what the schools you are looking at require or recommend. They won’t penalize you if you are not able to arrange an interview if you have a good reason. I agree with Fireflyscout, if you’re on campus and interviews are offered, take advantage of the opportunity. </p>

<p>On campus interviews are either conducted by members of the admissions office or by current students. It’s a positive experience and in addition to letting the college know who YOU are, you can learn a lot about the school. Repeat – especially valid for safeties.</p>

<p>In spite of what the colleges say, I don't believe that there is such a thing as a non-evaluative interview.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
How would one know that they care or not from the website? What clues does one look for?

[/quote]
You go to the admissions website of colleges you are interested in and read what they post, especially the FAQs. </p>

<p>For example Stanford in their admission FAQ lists the following question (they also supply the answer, I'll let you look it up so you can see I'm not making this up) "Does Stanford show preference in the admission process for students who have demonstrated interest by visiting, calling and emailing?"</p>

<p>By contrast WUSTL states in its FAQ "When reviewing your application, we will look for signs of interest in Washington University. "</p>

<p>Not all colleges will give this info on the web, of course. Another sign is whether they track visits or meetings. If you attend a college nite and they have a sign-in sheet that's generally a sign they care.</p>

13

<p>Does submitting the supplental part of the application early (like now) help as well? </p>

<p>Cause I guess alot of them say submit as soon as your interested in applying.</p>

14

<p>Get online, do some homework on the college website. Schedule an alumni interview, even if it is on the phone...this is demonstrated interest. It is a bit like looking for a job, you have to get up some energy and do the legwork. You have to remember that these schools have lots of applicants, you have to demonstrate some level of interest and activity on your end...follow the suggestions in the above posts and you will do fine. Distance will not be that huge a factor, lots of kids apply to schools they can't go visit due to distance. Most schools have alum who do interviewing all over the place. And for heavens sake if you interview with an alum, dress correctly. Do not post a question about whether it is okay to wear jeans...Okay that is enough lecturing from this mother.</p>

15

<p>It matters where you're applying. If it's public universities, they are basically just interested in your stats.</p>

<p>It's also worth it to pay to access the entire US News college site, which has detailed information -- including admissions info -- about virtually all major colleges in the country. It costs about $15 to access the site for a year starting around Aug.</p>

16

<p>For the interview, if we are planning to do an on-campus interview with our campus visit, is it important to dress up?</p>

<p>I was thinking just cargo/khaki pants and a striped polo shirt. Should I consider a little more formal clothing like a button-down shirt with dress pants and maybe a tie?</p>

17

<p>Most colleges -- absolutely care 0% about demonstrated interest.</p>

<p>WUSTL - visiting gives you more points than a 2400 SAT score.</p>

18

<p>From the websites I've read of a few colleges ( UPENn, Brown,etc ) it seems alumnia interviews are only given after the applicaoitn hsa been submitted.. Am I missing somethign here?</p>

19

<p>Very few real top 20 schools care about demonstrated interest because they don't have to. The next tier down (including Tufts and WashU) care because they are sensitive about being "safeties" for the top 20, which of course makes them no longer safe.</p>

20

<p>Washington University is a top-20 school...</p>