No student wants to be rejected by a college. And guess what? Colleges don’t like rejection either.
Consequently, teenagers can boost their chances of gaining admission to the colleges high on their list by showing “demonstrated interest.”
Demonstrated interest has become a hot buzz word in higher ed today as an increasing number of teenagers apply to a ridiculously large number of schools. Colleges, however, don’t want to offer their finite financial aid/merit money to kids who have no interested in attending their institutions.
Here are ways that students can show demonstrated interest:
- Request literature from the school.
- Contact the admission officer for your state or region.
- Visit the school.
- If a visit is a financial hardship, check to see if the school will be attending a college fair or conducting interviews in your area.
- Respond to recruiting messages.
- Ask to talk with a current student.
In the latest annual survey of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 22% of colleges said demonstrated interest was of “considerable importance,” in their admission decisions. That’s up from 7% in 2003.
You can learn more about demonstrated interest at colleges in this article in The Boston Globe.