<p>Because all college websites say approximately the same thing, and I'm mostly picking colleges based on typical stuff like money/chances of acceptance/availability of classes I want/"it's a good school."</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I am a student. Not an admissions rep. Take my advice with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused between the post title and the actual post content so I’ll answer both of what I’m seeing:</p>
<p>How to demonstrate interest:
Some schools offer online webinars that let you ask questions. I’d “go” to one of those. Also being on the college’s mailing list counts, however most of the “interest” you demonstrate is going to be from your actual “why X” essay</p>
<p>How to pick a school without visiting:
You’re going to have to dig a little deeper. Honestly campus visits for the most part repeat what the websites say unless websites don’t have dorm photos. However if you need that student question-answer, try contacting someone who attends there (i.e find a student blogger, someone on tumblr, anyone really) and asking direct questions so they know what to answer. I’d search through the course catalog or ask for a copy (a lot of schools keep copies for this express purpose, but the number is going down since they are online). Then apply away. I only visited half of the schools I applied to. I only visited one of the schools I’m deciding between now. Honestly not visiting is not the end of the world.</p>