Does showing interest at Harvard/Stanford increase your chances of getting in?

<p>If I were to visit Harvard/Stanford at least 3 times over the next year & a half and sign up for admissions mailing lists would I increase my chances of getting in?</p>

<p>Not at all. When you have a university like the ones you listed (hypsm) there is no shortage of applicants who have interest.</p>

<p>No advantage whatsoever. Focus instead on building a resume that makes them want to accept YOU.</p>

<p>I’ve heard it’s a definite no for the Ivies, but it can’t hurt. I mean, you should check out the college you’re interested in anyway, regardless of whether they consider demonstrated interest or not.</p>

<p>No.
But if you visit a campus at least once, you’ll have a better idea of what you like about the school and perhaps write a better “Why ____?” essay.
That part will help you a tiny bit.</p>

<p>Harvard pretty much assumes you’re interested. I’m quite sure Stanford can do the same.</p>

<p>Furthermore, think this through. Suppose your strategy did work. Word would get out, and everybody would adopt your strategy. Thirty-five thousand applicants, times 3 campus visits per applicant, is 105,000 Harvard campus visits per admissions cycle. Current Harvard students would have no time for classes. They’d all be giving campus tours, or just trying to force their way through the wall of eager high-schoolers clamoring to show their interest in Harvard. Please, crossing Mass. Ave. is difficult enough as it is! Then, of course, three campus visits would no longer seem like extraordinary interest, so applicants would visit four, five or six times apiece.</p>

<p>Seriously, there’s a better use for your family’s time and money than visiting Harvard (or Stanford) three times. And, also seriously, if that actually were enough, wouldn’t that kind of cheapen admission to Harvard (or Stanford)?</p>

<p>I agree… I highly doubt they even consider that at all.</p>

<p>They do like interest - when you apply REA that’s interest. Not showing up on campus.</p>

<p>Stanford has actually said efforts to show interest are not considered in the admission decision and that you should assume those who actually make the decision won’t even know about any such efforts.</p>

<p>As someone who showed absolutely zero demonstrated interest in Stanford, I’d say it’s not a prerequisite for admission.</p>

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<p>The answer is: no</p>

<p>Can you imagine what it would look like at these schools, if ‘showing interest’ did factor into the equation? The campus would have kids camped out in tents… visiting the admissions office weekly or daily!!!</p>

<p>the answer is no. Straight from the AD Coms mouth. Everyone is interested in those schools. And many that they want to admit don’t have the means to visit. </p>

<p>So no, interest is not important. One way to assess this is to google search “common data set Stanford” or Harvard. As you read through all of the pages, the schools list what criteria they look at and how important it is. For some schools, interest is listed as an important factor or a considered factor. For harvard and Stanford, its “not considered”.</p>

<p>No, but if you can, visit. It gives you a better feel of the campus, and it enriches you.</p>