‘Demonstrated Interest’ and College Applications

In your quest to apply to colleges, you may have come across the term ‘demonstrated interest.’ Your first thought regarding said term may have been something along the lines of: “What the heck is demonstrated interest?” In basic terms, demonstrated interest is one’s display of enthusiasm towards a specific college. Demonstrated interest makes colleges feel special, like they’re more than just the 20th school you applied to and you’re passionate about what they stand for and respect them as an educational institution.

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Does demonstrated interest really matter?

According to a study done by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 16.9% of colleges surveyed hold demonstrated interest of considerable importance, 33.3% at moderate importance, 26.8% at limited importance, and 22.9% of those colleges put no importance in demonstrated interest. To put these values into perspective, 22.1% of colleges from the study hold essays at considerable importance and 17.3% at no importance. In short, demonstrated interest should not be your highest priority in applying for colleges (test scores and grades are more valued), but depending on the school you’re applying to, it’s something to consider.

Something to note is that more and more colleges are caring less about demonstrated interest. Some notable colleges that care very little about it, according to a report from the Huffington Post, are Yale University, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins. Other colleges that do care about demonstrated interest are Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Boston University. However, regardless of any statistics, if you find a college you’re really passionate about, it would not hurt to demonstrate your interest in said college and possibly increase your chances of being accepted.

So, how do I demonstrate my interest?

According to the Huffington Post, the four fundamental ways to demonstrate your interest in a college are “…college visits, reaching out to professors, reaching out to students or alumni, and showing specifics in the college application essays”. Of them all, Huffington posts ranks specifics in essays as most important. Putting your affection into words is perhaps the easiest and most direct way of proving to a college that your passion is authentic. If you really love an institution, this should come easy as you will have many things to discuss and be able to make excellent connections between yourself and the university. Research and college tours are the best ways to get to know a college and find out if you click.

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The best thing to do before taking the time to apply to any college is to make sure you are applying for the right reasons. These reasons could be academic or personal, so long as they make you a good fit for the college. Your compatibility with an institution is what admissions officers are looking for while considering your application. Once you have decided you are genuinely interested in a college, put that passion into words, and hope you get your point across.