Demonstrated
Interest Hacks

Admissions departments use sophisticated enrollment management software to track and record key metrics about their applicants.

One of the most important metrics they watch is something called Demonstrated Interest (DI).

Many colleges give more weight to Demonstrated Interest than they give to counselor recommendations and essays.

The reason is simple: the greater the student's interest in their college, the more likely they'll enroll if offered a letter of acceptance. If this yield rate drops, so does their U.S. News Ranking. This is why DI is so crucial and drives acceptance decisions.

Here are a few hacks to ensure your student receives a high DI score:

🚗 Take a campus tour (in-person is better, but virtual also counts).

📧 Open all of the college's emails the moment they're received.

🖥️ Login to the college's website. They're watching "time on site".

🔥 Follow the college on social media.

❓ Answer supplemental questions about why you want to attend their school (don't copy & paste anything from the website's About Us section).

🏛️ Attend off-campus college fairs and sign up at their booth.

👔 Take advantage of optional interview opportunities.

☀️ Participate in pre-college summer programs showing interest and your ability to do college-level work.