Elite college admissions and dating are two different beasts. While you might be rolling your eyes and thinking, “That’s obvious!,” a shocking number of applicants apply the same logic they use to navigate their love lives to their college applications. Playing hard to get might be the right strategy to pique the interest of your crush, but doing so to your prospective school will only earn you a well-deserved rejection! 

Why? Because colleges want to admit students who are highly enthusiastic about attending their campus. They don’t want to admit the student who is playing hard to get (i.e., the student who has applied to many other schools, who hasn’t bothered to visit the campus, who doesn’t know a thing about the programs and opportunities available on campus, etc.). Admissions officers want you to be just as into their school as they are (hopefully!) into your stellar application.

Do Colleges Consider Demonstrated Interest in The Admissions Process?

But still, there are some similarities between college admissions and the dating game. Colleges are often coy about what they like. They claim not to weigh Demonstrated Interest when deliberating between applicants, yet they do! Just as, in your heart, you want that text back from your crush, colleges want their applicants to be obsessed with their campus! But in either case, no one likes to show their cards and admit it!

So, how does one demonstrate interest in the school of one’s dreams? We’re glad you asked!

Visiting Campus, Applying Early, and Doing Your Research

Demonstrating interest is not a matter of spamming your local admissions representative’s inbox with disingenuous overtures of friendship. It’s not, as some so-called admissions “experts” might have you believe, about replying to mass emails from your prospective school with a thank you note. Nothing as trivial as that — these actions only make you seem unlikable and annoying. In other words, less admissible!

Instead of these half-measures, demonstrating interest takes one secret ingredient: genuine interest! If you want to show admissions officers that you mean business, there must be a commitment to your actions. What does this look like? Scheduling a campus visit, for one thing. Nothing shows commitment like making the trek to the campus of your choice, sitting in on an information session, asking worthwhile questions to the student representative leading your campus tour, and getting a sense of what life will be like once on campus. Colleges may claim they won’t notice this show of interest, but believe us when we say they sure will!

Another crucial aspect of demonstrating interest in the school of your dreams is applying during your school’s Early round. Ever notice that Early Decision acceptance rates at elite schools tend to be much higher than Regular Decision acceptance rates? This is because schools want to admit highly enthusiastic students who know they want to spend the next four years on their campus. If it were your job to curate an incoming class, wouldn’t you want to get as many students as possible from the pool of applicants who have signed a contract promising their commitment if admitted? It should be no surprise that Early Decision applicants experience a significant advantage (and so too do Early Action applicants even though they’re not making a binding commitment to attend because these schools know that students could have applied elsewhere Early Action).

Finally, students applying to their top choice school must fill their application with specifics that only apply to that school in particular. Yes, this requires extensive research! You should aim to teach the admissions officers much about their employer with your application. You should understand the academics, culture, history, traditions, and activities on your prospective campus that only a current student would know. 

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Demonstrate Interest Effectively

Need help finding the details that will really wow admissions officers? Are you worried you’ll fumble your love affair with your top choice school? Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers are well-versed in the intricate courting ritual between applicant and school known as Demonstrated Interest. We’re here to help you or your child show in no uncertain terms that your top choice school is the right fit. 

So, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services that will help you optimize your child’s case for admission to a highly selective school.