Demonstrated Interest is all the buzz when talking about the college admission process. But what does it mean? And how can you be sure to make sure I show demonstrated interest?

There are many different ways an applicant can show interest and it does not only involved buying costly plane tickets and spending a weekend out of town. Here are some helpful pointers that can let admissions offices see your interest.

  • Do you know all those emails that you colleges send you daily? Some schools actually collect data and see who is opening their emails. So open the email, actually read it, maybe you will learn a thing or two about the school, and in the process you have begun to demonstrate interest.
  • When a college rep comes to your high school, sign up for the information session, come prepared with a thoughtful question or two. At the end of the session, send the rep an email thanking them for their time and insight.  You may also want to ask a question in the email that may spark a dialogue between you and the rep. Now you are on their radar.
  • If you can make a trip to visit the campus, be sure you sign up for an official tour and attend the information session. This puts your name in the school’s database and yes, this also demonstrates interest.
  • If there is a local college fair, attend it, search for the school you are interested in and speak to the rep at the fair. Perhaps you have met that same rep at a school visit or have corresponded with him/her via email. Reintroduce yourself and you got it, you have demonstrated interest.
  • Applying Early Decision is an obvious way to show demonstrated interest, but remember an ED offer is binding. If financials may present a problem, do not apply early. Early Action is another way to let a school see interest, and the good news it is not binding!
  • Some schools include “optional” questions as part of their application.  Take for instance Duke. The optional question that is included is: (Optional) Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better-perhaps related to a community you belong to or your family or cultural background-we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 word limit)

The reason I have put the word optional in quotes is because when an applicant is applying to a school, nothing is optional.  Answering an optional question and putting forth time and effort as you answer the question is, in fact, demonstrating interest.