<p>First, to be clear, Michigan lists “level of applicant’s interest” as a factor that is “considered” in admissions decisions, not an “important” or “very important” factor. I’d take them at their word on that; other factors are going to be more important</p>
<p>That said, here are some things my D2 did to show interest:</p>
<p>1) She signed up online at Michigan’s undergraduate admissions website relatively early (sometime early in her Junior year, if I recall) as a “prospective student” to receive information and updates. Costless sign of interest. You’ll need to wade through a bunch of e-mails and snail mail, but some of it is interesting.</p>
<p>2) She registered for, then actually showed up and did, the standard admissions tour and info session. I don’t think they’d necessarily hold it against you for not doing this if you live far away (though it might get you extra points for doing it under that circumstance). For those who live nearby, it probably shows a lack of interest if you don’t bother to do this.</p>
<p>3) She applied EA. This is also a costless step. Since Michigan’s EA is non-binding, it didn’t prevent her from applying ED to another school, and it’s the same application and the same application fee, as if you apply RD; you just need to complete everything earlier. I would imagine they count this as demonstrating interest because it shows you’re eager to know where you stand with Michigan, not just including it on a list as an afterthought or one among a bunch of schools, and you probably wouldn’t bother to put in the early work on your app unless you had a high level of interest.</p>
<p>4) She threw her heart and soul into the Michigan-specific essays on Michigan’s Common App Supplement. In the process, she learned a lot about the university that she didn’t already know, mostly things that made her think more highly of it, and that came through in her essays. I think these essays can be very telling. Most of the submitted essays are probably pretty generic. Some show a genuine passion for the school, and careful attention to detail that those less interested will not bother to unearth.</p>
<p>5) It probably helps that D2 is a double legacy, with parents who are active members of the Alumni Association of many years standing and long-time regular contributors to Michigan’s annual giving program to support the University. They don’t get tons of money out of us, and they probably know they never will. But somewhat unusually for a public university, Michigan does consider legacy status, and I’ve always believed in part it’s because children of alums tend to be more knowledgeable about and more favorably disposed toward the university, and probably somewhat more likely to attend if admitted. This, of course, is something you can’t control as an applicant: either you’re a legacy, or not, and that’s pretty much immutable, short of going out and getting new parents.</p>
<p>I don’t think contacting specific professors is going to help. At a school the size of Michigan, that information isn’t likely to be communicated to the Admissions Office unless the Professor finds your interruption annoying, in which case it might hurt you. And I suspect chatting it up with Admissions officers isn’t going to have much of an impact, either. They’re busy people, they field literally hundreds or thousands of questions such that any particular inquiry isn’t likely to stand out, unless you make a pest of yourself with repeated contacts or ask basic questions that you could have answered yourself with a little diligent reading of the University’s web pages–either of which might well hurt you more than it helps. If you have legitimate questions, don’t be afraid to ask; but don’t just make something up just to initiate the contact, and don’t prolong the inquiry longer than is necessary, otherwise you’re just wasting their time.</p>
<p>D2 was admitted EA, by the way.</p>