<p>As in, do they look to see if you've requested information, visited the school, etc? Someone on another thread said to make sure that WUSTL didn't think you applied to the school as a backup, and I don't want them to think that I'm applying to their school as a backup when I apply next year.</p>
<p>as far as i kno they do look for interest. so make sure to attend one of their info sessions and an interview</p>
<p>Does WASHU penalize way out of staters who can't attend an info session?</p>
<p>Don't forget there are info sessions given by Wash U around the country. There are other ways to show interest even if you don't visit the campus.</p>
<p>washu is one of the schools that weigh demonstrated interest the most. this is because it has a reputation for not liking to be used as a safety for ivies, so often they reject highly qualified applicants who didn't show interest but got into stanford.</p>
<p>thanks everyone that responded</p>
<p>also, do you know where I can find out additional information about when admissions counselors will visit various places around the country for info sessions?
thanks again</p>
<p>Start showing interest now by contacting the Wash U admissions office and ask them to put you on their mailing list and to let you know when any representatives are visiting in your area. Sometimes the reps hold court in other schools, sometimes at hotels in the area. When you get an invitation, if you can't go, CONTACT them and explain why you can't attend but say that you remain interested in WU and why. If at all possible, visit the campus and schedule an interview. Not only to "show interest" but to be sure it suits you as well. If you cannot visit, study the info guides sent to you and then email the admissions office with specific questions arising from the info you've read, but not the kind of questions that could be answered by reading the material.</p>
<p>Tracking interest is done by every highly selective college. When a college is flooded with way more applicants than it can accept, it will look for some way to distinguish even the strongest candidates from each other. Showing that WU is where you want to be does carry weight, as it does at other colleges. When my son applied this last spring, he not only sent the common ap and required essay, he also sent a second, shorter essay and a list of everything that excited him about a particular Wash U program -- the Integrated Project for the Humanities. I guess they saw him as a "fit" for WU as much as he saw WU as a fit for him.</p>