What is "Demonstrated Interest" and How Do Colleges Use It?
There is a question that I get asked a lot: what is “demonstrated interest”? And a follow-up question is, so how do I do that?
Demonstrated interest (even abbreviated to DI in admission lingo) is when selective colleges use indicators on how interested a student is in attending a college as one factor in their decision-making.
The long and the short of it is that colleges want to increase their yield because it's good for business--a higher yield means they are higher in the food chain/rankings. That can even affect the interest rates they can get on loans (have you seen the fancy gyms and science buildings on these campuses lately?!)
The less snarky (and still honest) explanation is that colleges are building thoughtful, intentional communities, so of course they want students who are excited to be there, and excited to participate in said community.
Wouldn't you want to offer a job to someone who really wanted the job? That seems like a way better scenario than having to beg someone to take a job who doesn't really want it.
Here is are some quick tips on how your student can show demonstrated interest to colleges:
Sign up for their mailing/email list. While most communication from colleges comes in the form of email these days, they still love to send your family shiny brochures that you might keep on the kitchen counter to show grandma. Signing up for their list is perhaps the most simple way to get on a college's radar.
Open and read these emails they send (at least most of the time). They can actually see which emails your student opens from their email system. If they are asking him or her to take action (i.e. sign up for a virtual event, interview, etc.), they should consider taking action!
If you are able to, sign up for a campus visit! You absolutely don't need to visit every college on your student's list before they apply, but if it's in driving distance, many colleges will expect that you will have taken the time and energy to do so. This should be an “official” visit through the Admission Office (which usually consists of an information session and a campus tour), otherwise, they won't know you were there (unless perhaps they write about it in their application).
Is the admission rep coming to your son or daughter's school? Attending the meeting is a wonderful way to get good information and shake the hand (do people shake hands anymore?) of one of the admission officers who will most likely read their application.
Email the admission rep for your area (with a caveat being your student must be sincere and professional). Is there a question she has that isn't readily available on their website? Does he want to update the college on something that happened since he applied? These are good uses of email communication. Reps are busy--reaching out once is great, but be respectful of their time.
Write awesome supplemental essays. Many students assume their main essay is way more important than their supplemental essays. This is not true! The supplemental essays are often where students can speak specifically to their fit at that particular college. It should be as specific as possible, not cut and copy or generic.
As a general rule of thumb, the most highly selective colleges out there (i.e. Ivies, Stanford, Williams) and big publics do not use DI. The former just doesn't need to and the latter just don't have time.