Until a few days ago I didn’t even know demonstrated interest was a thing. I didn’t bother signing up for official college tours because I have visited basically every neighboring city and seen the region within the last 3 years so I thought it would be a waste of time just to look at a few buildings.
Now I’ve realized there is more to the process as signing up for the tours, talking to AO’s and registering for interviews count as Demonstrated interest.
Should I still sign up for interviews and go on college tours? Idk if I’ll have much time but if I do it by thanksgiving it’s fine right? Or at the latest by winter break? and will it help with admissions?
Not all schools consider Demonstrated Interest. I’d double check the Common Data Set to make sure that’s something schools you’re interested in look for (google “College Name CDS”).
That said, I would do what you can for the schools that do. I do not think it is too late.
Sign up for mailings & emails immediately. If you get emails, open them. For schools that care about interest (per the Common Data Set), check their websites and see if they have any events scheduled in your area. If there is a local college fair, go and be sure you sign in at the tables for the colleges you are interested in. If they have a “Why College X?” essay, research carefully and write an essay very specific to their school. If they have an EA round, get you app in for that round. Once you apply, log into their portal regularly to check your status.
The college reps might also come to your school and you should go talk to them and sign in. If you have a specific question about a college, find out who your admissions officer is and email them.
And yes re: the email listserves now – signing up in summer is better than Nov or Dec when it seems like a college is a late addition to your list.
Check that the colleges that interest you consider demonstrated interest.
Often you can do a Skype interview if you live over a certain distance, I have seen 150 miles quoted for some colleges, away from the campus.
If the colleges are close by you should try go tour them and arrange an on site interview.
Good luck.
Alright thank you all for your advice! I listed all the schools that consider demonstrated interest and will be planning on visiting them.
School starts Monday August 6 for me (ik that’s super early) so I won’t have a chance to tour this summer. It’s still fine if I go during Thanksgiving/Winter break right? Or should I take a break from school in the middle of the semester to get this in?
How impactful are the on-campus interviews for admissions? Do they factor in or are they just info sessions to get to know the college? If they are just info, what specific questions can I ask to get to know more about the college and use those points in my why X essay? (premed)
First, check at your high school to see if any of the colleges you are interested in has an official visit set up for a rep from that college, and sign up if they do.
Second, take a couple of hours in the next week and sign up for the email listserves (this signup usually doubles for getting you on the list for paper mail also) on each of the websites for any college you are interested in applying to.
Third, using the college websites also, email the designated college admissions rep (most tell you by region or whatever who the specific rep for you is supposed to be, and if they don’t, just email the general email for admissions) with a short message that says something like “I am very interested in [name of school] and signed up for the listserv, but is there any other source of information for updates and admissions information put out by [name of college]?” If you have signed up for an official visit at your school, say in your email that you look forward to meeting them at that visit. If the college did not have an official visit scheduled for your high school, then add to your email a line to the effect of “Will an admissions rep be visiting my school or be hosting an event in my area?”
If you have signed up for mail/email, contacted the admissions rep to express interest, and either signed up for a recruiting session or asked if there would be one (and apparently told there won’t be), you have done everything you can do short of visiting campus. I can’t believe that ANY college (in this day of diversity and first-generation recruiting), believes you must visit campus to express interest.
As intparent said, nail your Why Us. It’s not always an obvious question but they want to see you understand your match to them, not just them to you.
I don’t know how far these colleges are from home, for you. But if you’re applying, you should know why. And not need to contact an adcom to ask a generic question like where do I get more info.
If a kid is truly interested, he can articulate that interest. A tour or emails (getting or sending) doesn’t replace that. Be wise. You shouldn’t need to ask forum strangers Why?
You don’t actually have to visit (did you actually read the advice?) T-giving is a bad time - they usually don’t have tours. I think we toured once the day before, but there likely not be tours that weekend.
And you should set aside winter break for finishing your apps. Sure, try to fit in a couple visits to nearby colleges. But don’t panic about it.
@BooBooBear
thanks so much for such a detailed response! What is the difference between a list serve and a mailing list? I signed up for most of these mailing lists (I just googled XX mailing list and entered my info), but if I google XX list serve something different pops up for Northwestern. Do I sign up for this as well?
A lot of schools have homecoming week in October and have open houses. If you’re close to a school of interest it would be a good time to visit. At least you might be able to see inside a dorm.
Another good way to learn about a school, which may help inform your ‘why us’ essay and/or questions for the regional AO is to read the student newspaper. Some of these newspapers also have email lists, but they are not tracked/satisfy demonstrated interest. This is a great way to learn about what campus issues are important to students, they types of events the school runs, etc.
Most schools on their websites have a single portal/subscription option for joining their “mailing list”—once you sign up you will both receive emails from Admissions as well as paper marketing materials from the college. I was probably not using the definition of “listserv” correctly here—though some colleges do have web forums for Q&A, etc., that can be signed up for.
Once you apply, many to most schools will have you create (or create for you) access to a personalized web portal where you can log in and check your application status, get deadline information, etc. This is usually not available until after you apply, but this may vary as well. The admissions information pages on the college website may spell it out, and if it doesn’t, that gives you one more thing to ask about in your email to the admissions rep.
Here’s a tip: Use the same name and email address in your correspondence and mailing lists as you will use on your college application. Be consistent. Make it easy for colleges to connect your online demonstrated interest with the person who applies! Protecting your online identity is usually a good thing, but this is one of those situations where you definitely want the people on the other side to know who you are.
One step you should take is to see if the schools you are considering care about demonstrated interest. Not every college does. I suggest you google the common data set for each school on your application list and look at Section C where it tells you if demonstrated interest is considered at all in making an admission decision. You may be able to prioritize or narrow down the schools you want to visit/interview at based on this information.
The first thing you need to do is google " Common Data Set" and
then look in Section C7: Relative importance of each of the following academic and nonacademic factors in first-time, firstyear,degree-seeking (freshman) admission decisions.
Then look for “Level of applicant’s interest”
Is it Very Important, Important, Considered, or Not Considered?
Big State schools may Not “consider” interest because of the sheer number of applicants.
Ivy League’s, e.g. Yale, may not consider interest or only “consider” it because they think “of course you want to come here”.
Private schools often put more emphasis on interst.
My suggestion is to make a new email that you only use for college. Use that to sign up for info (this way if you want to share it with your parents it is easier)