To the OP-- showing interest means: Click on the “Request Info” link on the Adnissions site so you start getting g mailings and emails. when you get emails from the school, open them and, if there are links in them about departments, programs wtc you find interesting, click on the links. If there are college fairs in your town or a school where the colleges are attending, go to the booth, sign in, chat with the college rep there. If you do apply, abs cannot travel to campus to visit because of distance-expense, find bout through Admussions if they do alumni interviews in your area, and go ahead and interview. Email the admissions rep for your geographic region (that is usually listed under the reps name on the Admissions rep list), and introduce yourself, with some basic background info about your stats, academic and EC interests, and explain you are not able to travel to campus to visit. You might – and this takes delicate touch and good judgment-- email a professor working in an area of interest, such as international human rights. All of those steps show a small school that an applicant is really interested. Good luck!