<p>This has been repeated over and over on this forum, to not apply to too many colleges because you won't show "enough interest", and that a deciding factor for deferred people is the "interest shown" in the college, and that "much interest" can be done to compensate for a lacking part in the application . . so my question is how do people show this interest?</p>
<p>Right now I have some colleges set in mind and one that I really really am interested in, and I'd like to show them before I even apply how interested I have been and will be . . any tips on how I could do this? send a random email explaining who I am, where I stand, and why I want to go to the college over the summer? I mean, besides requesting their viewbooks and being put on their mailing list . . any thoughts?</p>
<p>For a lot of schools, they ask you whether you visited the campus, spoke to a student/alumnus, attended an information session, etc.
I suppose those show interest.</p>
<p>Applying Early also shows a lot of interest, of course.</p>
<p>For the school that i'm applying to ED, I visited the school, observed three classes, ate lunch with a current student in a private tour, spoke with the dean of the school and went to a program where the admissions directors came here yesterday.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm going to apply to Columbia ED, and I know that in their application, you have to check off which things you've done.
So far I've got: Campus Visit, Conversation with alumnus/student, Information session, Personal letter, Campus tour, Viewbook.
Hopefully I'll visit again, since I live in the suburbs of NYC, and maybe add some more to the list.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if these things actually have the slighest impact on admissions? I would expect zero.</p>
<p>talk to your region's counselor, send them a short note asking for more information about a particular aspect of the university. or tell them you'll sell your soul if it will get you in, lol...but don't make it seem too desperate.</p>
<p>This is good advice, thanks guys, but whoa that checklist is news to me . . so I'm assuming that's not on the common app. . I mean I've been studying that thing for a while and still haven't seen it . .</p>
<p>Personal letter? so what kinda things did you include? your undying interest in words and maybe some stats about yourself, how you'd be a positive addition to the college, etc?</p>
<p>Visit, interview, try to get recs from alums, call every so often and ask questions</p>
<p>The best time to show interest is during the interview - be knowledgeable about the college, be excited about it, and ask lots of juicy questions (but not stuff that could easily be found in one of their brochures)</p>
<p>
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a deciding factor for deferred people is the "interest shown" in the college, and that "much interest" can be done to compensate for a lacking part in the application . . so my question is how do people show this interest?
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Interest does not substitute for a weakness in the application. Colleges have more than enough applications from students of the caliber they are looking for; showing interest helps them choose between them. </p>
<p>It is important to do a little research and find out if the colleges you are considering even care about interest. Some do not, and even say so on their websites. Harvard and Stanford are examples here. At others, interest is crucial in getting accepted, and the classic example is WUSTL.</p>
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This is why GWU tracks EVERY SINGLE attempt you make and have a "point" system to give preference to applicants with more "points" in interest.
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For WUSTL, the easiest way in is ED. However, I would use your ED on Princeton instead and write a very potent "why i want to go here" essay for WUSTL. WUSTL more than any other university cares about its yield and ranking. If you do not visit/interview/call them/show interest/or write your additional essay about them, you might not get in (waitlisted).
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For JHU, focus again on their programs (Ie: premed) and the environment. I would not mention grades/SAT scores at all in your case and instead focus on "sucking" up to the college by letting it know how interested you are in their respective programs.
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you never answered what to do if you have a high GPA/low sat!
-Rather, by acknowledging the low score, you show modesty and are able to turn the reader onto something more important. Example: I know my scores are low, but I'm extremely dedicated to my ECs which I've always felt are more important than a 4 hour test.
-Try demonstrating interest in the college. That's a big one. Big, big one.
<p>And that's just one thread, I've seen it repeated so many times. So yeah, these are really great tips though, I'm gonna get right on this as soon as school is over; but yeah, some colleges don't care, but extra interest doesn't hurt, and taking the extra step almost always yields + results.</p>
<p>I agree with mikemac that no amount of "extra" interest is going to compensate for things that are lacking in a candidates application. Usually a student who said that demonstrating interest paid off for them this was a tip factor. You would be better served using the time and effort to build a stronger appplication (but that is jmho).</p>
<p>Thanks to Papachicken:</p>
<p>The level of interest issue is now addressed on the Common Data Set starting 2005-2006.</p>
<p>The standardized Section C of the CDS is termed "First-time first-year (freshman) admissions", and contains, among other things, the college's ranking of importance of several admissions criteria, in academic & non-academic categories, section C7. Each category is rated either Very Important, Important, Considered, or Not Considered. Section C7 is a great place to view a specific college's take of standardized testing and volunteering importance, for instance. And each school has a unique mix of what's important, although "rigor of secondary school record" is almost always ranked as Very Important.....beyond that, some may view standardized tests as very important, some may only consider them (e.g., Davidson).</p>
<p>Wow, thanks sybbie for such an informative link! I had no idea Cornell still charged 70 dollars for online apps, I thought it was free when done online as someone said a few days ago . . ahhh seems like you have to verify EVERYTHING you learn from here.</p>
<p>the best way to show interest to a college: visit, interview, and apply to them early so they know you weren't just a backup for them. i visited my first choice school (a slight reach) in march 2005, sent in application beginning of october 2005, went to an additional nonformal interview 2 weeks later, and got in.</p>
<p>Don't go crazy- if you can't visit the college. If you live in Oregon and can't make it to Dartmouth or any east coast school, there is another good way to express interest. Contact the admissions office over the summer and ask if they will be having a college presentation in your area. Schools will often send their Reps all over the country to get kids from different geographic areas. They also have alumni do HS college nites, so it is quite possible that the "school of your dreams" will be at a High School near you. Even if they are not going to be near by, you have already made contact with the admission office and they know some kid in Oregon or Wyoming is interested. No one really expects you to spend a few thousand dollars to travel around the country looking at colleges. On the other hand, if you live only a few hours away from the campus, it is a good idea to visit.</p>