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Exactly. Many top colleges have these type of essays, often even marking them as optional to try and tip the scales further into only getting responses from those that really care about attending.</p>
<p>I was wondering about this too.</p>
<p>Interesting thread --</p>
<p>I guess, to a certain degree, any school that either says that demonstrated interest in the school is considered (or which has a demonstrably easier path for admission through ED) could be said to have the so-called Tufts Syndrome.</p>
<p>However – the fact that someone got into one or more high-reputation schools (let’s randomnly label them School H, School Y, School P, School S and School M) but does not mean that School T uses the Tufts Syndrome. There are so many top students whose stats are so close that supposedly anomalous results really should be expected.</p>
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<p>Guilty! Except I got in EA and therefore didn’t even bother finishing the application. Though if I did have to write the GW essay I was actually interested in the school so it would have turned out okay. But American. Nothing I could do would hide the fact that I didn’t want to go there xD</p>
<p>Tufts itself says that “level of applicant’s interest” is currently “not considered”.</p>
<p>[Tufts</a> University Admissions Information - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=155]Tufts”>Tufts University Acceptance Rate | CollegeData)</p>
<p>It does not look like they have current or past common data sets that could show whether it was considered in the past.</p>
<p>I think “demonstrated interest” is very important at “Tier 1.5” schools, at least at the LACs that we toured here in Midwest. We attended two Open Houses at Beloit, for instance; its admin director’s presentation implied each time that “B+” students are often more attractive to Beloit than anonymous “A-student” applicants . Even though our Son did ED and no subsequent applications, he’s still receiving e-mails from other schools he visited, asking him to apply even though their formal application deadline date has passed.</p>
<p>There was an article last month in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the admissions process at Lehigh. One kid was not accepted because he had never even bothered to log onto his assigned portal after applying. The admissions officials specifically discussed this in front of the reporter.</p>
<p>Lehigh is somewhat unusual in that it considers “level of applicant’s interest” to be more important than “academic GPA” and “class rank”.</p>
<p>[Lehigh</a> University Admissions Information - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=794]Lehigh”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=794)</p>
<p>(It also considers “standardized tests” to be more important than “academic GPA” and “class rank”, so perhaps it is the answer to the “high SAT/ACT but low GPA” students who show up here wondering where to apply.)</p>
<p><a href=“Tufts University Acceptance Rate | CollegeData”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=155</a></p>
<p>@whenhen This says that Demonstrated Interest is NO LONGER a factor in Tufts admission. I guess that Tufts feels that they have become much more renowned university over the last few years, so much so that they no longer need their applicants to show interest.</p>
<p>Please use old threads for information only. You can start a new thread if you’d like.</p>