<p>What's the best way to show a school that you're really into them? Interest is an important factor at a lot of schools, but how can you stand out?</p>
<p>For top schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, it’s quite difficult. Visiting campus and saying it’s your #1 are not enough - that’s over 80% of the applicant pool as well, and they’re all competing against you for a very limited number of spots.</p>
<p>I do believe that, for top schools, if you research a school very thoroughly and find very specific things that cater to you and your interests, it will give you a moderate boost. For example, someone who loves Yale wouldn’t just talk about the residential college system and master’s teas, since almost everyone mentions those, but would talk about a specific department that was particularly strong and of interest to them (such as history), and organizations and opportunities that similar-caliber schools don’t offer. Also, if there’s a few professors at the University you’re interested in whose work you’re familiar with, mention them and how you’d love to learn from them. And if there’s a specific program or course offered within the University that really attracts you (such as PLME at Brown or Directed Studies at Yale), probably mention that as well.</p>
<p>I may be wrong about some of these things, so feel free to correct me, senior members. :)</p>
<p>Figureskater, which colleges and universities are you talking about?</p>
<p>It’s true that it’s pretty useless to demonstrate interest in Harvard. Harvard assumes you’re interested. Harvard assumes everyone who applies is very interested. And Harvard is usually right.</p>
<p>But lots of other colleges do value demonstrated student interest. (Emory and American U. spring to mind.) There are many ways you can demonstrate interest in these schools. Visit, if you can, and register for the campus information and tour through the admissions office. Contact the school and ask to be put on their mailing list. Register at their web portal. If a representative visits your school, or a college night in your area, chat the rep up, take his or her business card, and follow up with an email. Do things that make it apparent that you sought information about them, rather than letting think you’re applying just in case nothing better pans out.</p>
<p>That sounds great, but what about for a student who is completely undecided? Would talking about a class that you sat in on be a good idea or a waste of space? How do you say things that are less generic? I’m not applying to what CCers consider “top schools” if that helps.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already done so, look at the Common Data Set for each school you are interested in. It should clearly state if they take into consideration demonstrated interest. If they state they do not, they do not. There is no ‘gotcha’. Visit the campus if it is helpful to you and the trip is financially reasonable. Certainly join email lists. Many individual departments within the colleges have their own (ie. engineering, etc.). This is helpful to you as an applicant. For schools that do consider demonstrated interest that you are unable to visit, contact admissions and ask them what actions on the part of applicants they consider most beneficial in this area.</p>
<p>Schools that come to mind are UVa, who clearly state demonstrated interest is not taken into consideration. As stated above, if you apply your interest is presumed genuine. As Sikorsky mentioned above, Emory is well known for placing high value in demonstrated interest. It is not clear cut across public vs. private, or other criteria that I am aware of, and would be a mistake to make this assumption. Check with the CDS to see how each school views this part of the admissions process.</p>
<p>Another really good way of showing a college you are truly interested in them is applying early if they have such a program.</p>
<p>One other thing not mentioned is you can call or email the admissions office and ask to be put in contact with a current student who lives in your area so you can meet for coffee and learn more about the school. This is useful for schools for which it can too difficult or expensive for you to visit in person. Unfortunately the fall semester is starting up soon; this would have been better done earlier in the summer.</p>
<p>If you are close enough, and you (and your parents are comfortable), many schools offer programs where as a sr you can request an overnight visit with a current freshman. I’m not sure if this is communicated back to admissions at all schools, but I would assume some do.</p>
<p>The intent of your host is not to make sure you are entertained, although I’m sure they would not be hosts if they didn’t like having prospective students visit. It they are going to the library that night, so are you. If it’s a basketball game and you’re a fan you’ve lucked out. Students often get a much different view of the prospective school on this type of visit than they do on a general tour.</p>
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<p>Talking more generally about the academic philosophy/nature of a school can be effective as well. You just need to avoid sounding too generic or too much like the website (“Brown’s Open Curriculum allow me the freedom to design my own curriculum!”).</p>
<p>Dies anyone know if Upenn tracks. I’ve heard that one kid heard from a representitive that they do track interest but I’ve heard from others that they don’t</p>
<p>[Penn</a> Common Data Set](<a href=“http://www.upenn.edu/ir/Common%20Data%20Set/UPenn%20Common%20Data%20Set%202009-10.pdf]Penn”>http://www.upenn.edu/ir/Common%20Data%20Set/UPenn%20Common%20Data%20Set%202009-10.pdf)</p>
<p>Apparently they don’t care (it’s under C7).</p>
<p>that’s just one school.
how about these?
Agnes Scott College
American University
Barnard College
Bryn Mawr College
Davidson College
DePaul University
Emory University
George Washington University
New York University
Sarah Lawrence College
Skidmore College
UMBC - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vassar College</p>
<p>just google “college name” Common Data Set for each of them and you can look them up yourself.</p>
<p>would it boost your chances if the college visited your school and you went to their informational meeting? or do they not really pay attention</p>
<p>@ctldad- the problem with Common Data Sets is that they are common. I want to stand out. I find it is tough to think of things that I like about the schools I want to go to that could not be found in the viewbook.</p>
<p>Figureskater, I think you have misunderstood the advice that cltdad is giving you. Really Google what he said. You’ll find a lot of statistics about the college’s applicant pool, admitted students, and admissions procedures–including whether the college tracks demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>Where would you put this “interest in a school” part of your application? On the academic resume?</p>
<p>^ Demonstrated Interest is not something you profess on your application. It is something that some colleges track and take into account in admissions. This can be campus visits where you fill out a information card, attending a local information night where you give your contact data, contacting your local admissions representative, interviewing if they are offered, signing up for email lists…specifically departmental ones. These are all ways that a school knows you are actually interested in them and not just tossing out an application to see if you’ll get in. It’s a proactive form of yield control. For a school that considers student interest, if admissions is looking at two candidates who are virtually identical on paper however one has visited campus, attended open house, been in contact with their recruiter, and asked to be on email lists, the applicant who is more likely to accept the offer is the one who is more likely to get it.</p>
<p>Not all schools do this. If you look at their ‘Common Data Set’ it will tell you if they consider Demonstrated interest ‘very important’, ‘important’, ‘considered’, or ‘not at all’. If your dream school is across the country and doesn’t consider Demonstrated Interest at all, you can wait on that plane ticket until you are accepted if money is tight. If they list it as ‘very’ important, then you can judge ways to show interest or if you want to make that trip. Emory in GA, for instance, is well known for wanting Demonstrated Interest. If you want to attend, you are best served to visit the campus. Other schools, Stanford for instance, do not consider it. It’s not that they don’t appreciate it…I’m sure any university does…it simply plays no part in who is admitted.</p>
<p>This thread has covered these topics, however there still seems to be confusion. I hope I helped.</p>
<p>What is a student supposed to contact a recruiter about? I’m talking about a nonathlete. Just to express interest in a school and say if I don’t get a substantial scholarship I can’t come? It seems like that might be annoying to the recruiter.</p>