How to Demonstrate Interest and the Colleges That Value Demonstrated Interest the Most
The college application process can often feel like solving a complex puzzle—one with no key to follow and whose solution or solutions differ depending on who is doing the solving. However, the puzzle is less complex when applicants are able to see the process through the lens of the puzzle makers, aka, the college admissions officers.
Almost every college places the greatest emphasis on an applicants grades, followed closely behind by the rigor of their courses (essentially, do they choose to take challenging courses in areas of strength when those classes are made available or do they choose the easier path to pad their GPA). Secondary characteristics include ACT and SAT test scores, which are showing signs of rebounding in value as the pandemic moves further behind us, an applicants resume, any notable achievements, letters of recommendation, and the more ambiguous concept of demonstrated interest.
Demonstrated interest refers to the way an applicant shows a college that they are interested in attending said college. One of the most important factors in college rankings (which are, frankly, absurd) is the percentage of students who get into a college who then choose to attend the college. The higher that percentage, the higher the colleges are typically ranked. In order to assure a higher percentage, colleges track how "interested" a student is in attending their school. As a result, smart applicants need to tailor their time and their applications in a way that shows demonstrated interest—even if they are only mildly interested in attending a specific school.
Here's how to do show colleges you're into them:
1) Sign up for the colleges email and/or mailing list.
2) Open the emails and click on any links they include (yes, many schools track these interactions)
3) Follow the colleges on social media and like/comment on their posts
4) If possible, visit the college for an official tour. Get the tour guide's email and thank them for their time. If you can't visit the campus, sign up for a virtual tour.
5) If possible, schedule either an admissions or an alumni interview. Make sure to thank the interviewer in a follow up email.
6) Find out who the admissions rep is for your region. Reach out to them by email and find out if they will be visiting your school or region. If they do, make sure to be there to meet with them in person. And again, send them a thank you email.
7) These are just a few examples. Reach our to our team for more guidance on how to demonstrate interest to your top colleges!
Colleges that track Demonstrated Interest
Consider it to be Very Important:
American University
Cooper Union
Dickinson College
Hampshire College
Ithaca College
Morehouse College
Quinnipiac University
Syracuse University
Thomas Aquinas College
United States Air Force Academy
United States Naval Academy
Consider it to be Important:
Allegheny College
Auburn University
Bates College
Bentley University
Butler University
DePaul University
Eckerd College
Elon University
Fairfield University
Florida Institute of Technology
High Point University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Loyola University Chicago
Michigan State University
Oglethorpe University
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Roanoke College
Seattle University
Seton Hall University
Skidmore College
The College of Wooster
Trinity College
United States Merchant Marine Academy
United States Military Academy
University of Arizona
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Wheaton College (MA)
Consider It
Agnes Scott College
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Baylor University
Beloit College
Berea College
Boston University
Bradley University
Brandeis University
Brigham Young University
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic University
Chapman University
Clark University
Colby College
College of Charleston
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Connecticut College
Cornell College
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Drew University
Drexel University
Duke University
Fordham University
Franklin & Marshall College
Furman University
George Mason University
George Washington University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga University
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Haverford College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hofstra University
Howard University
Juniata College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lafayette College
Lake Forest College
Lawrence University
Lewis & Clark College
Loyola University Maryland
Marietta College
Marist College
Marquette University
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Oregon State University
Pitzer College
Providence College
Purdue University
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Saint Joseph’s University
Saint Louis University
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Sewanee: University of the South
Simmons College
Southern Methodist University
Southwestern University
Spelman College
St. Olaf College
Stevens Institute of Technology
SUNY, Binghamton University
SUNY, Stony Brook University
Swarthmore College
Texas A&M University
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
Union College
United States Coast Guard Academy
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
University of North Texas
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont
University of Wisconsin
Ursinus College
Villanova University
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wheaton College (IL)
Whitman College
Whittier College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Xavier University
Yeshiva University
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