You wouldn’t just walk through the halls and ask any random person to prom, would you? Probably not. And if you did, your chances at rejection would be pretty good. After all: Why should a hottie in the hall take a chance on you if you haven’t shown any interest?
Now think about that in terms of picking a college. Chances are, at least one admissions committee will have to pick between you and another student. But why should a hot college take a chance on you if you haven’t shown any interest in it?
Sure, you may have looked at a college’s Facebook page or visited campus to see a friend from high school. But until you’ve done some official communicating, a college has no idea you’re into it.
That’s why it’s important to show “demonstrated interest.”
What is demonstrated interest?
Nearly any kind of action that you initiate with a college counts as demonstrated interest. That includes sending back a reply card, calling admissions with a question or even attending a college fair and chatting with the rep.
Don’t be a stealth app!
Admissions reps have a name for students who make no effort to communicate with a college, but then apply to the school: “stealth applications.”
“So many kids come on the campus and stay the night with a friend from high school in the dorm, which is a great thing to do,” says Rick Clark, director or undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech (admission.gatech.edu). “But take the time to swing by the admissions office and fill out a card. It can’t hurt them, but it can help them.”
Will showing interest help you get in?
It can. Admissions reps want to extend an offer to a student who will actually accept it. And if you’re tied with another student on everything else, demonstrating interest can swing the vote in your favor.
