Colleges and universities often espouse that they use a “holistic review” process to determine which applicants will make the cut each year. This terminology can be confusing; without clear-cut parameters by which students are selected, it’s easy to imagine admissions officers whispering in closed-door discussions, putting this student in the “accept” pile and that student in the “reject” pile, for reasons unknown.

Holistic Review

While it’s true that each university has its own process, most of them operate on the same few principles, and almost all of them consider the same basic hard data elements of a student’s academic career, albeit weighted differently for each university:

• Academic transcript and rigor
• GPA
• Test scores
• Geographical residence (especially important for flagship state schools)

and some softer data elements:

• Extracurricular activities
• Work experience/Internships
• Research experience
• Interview or audition

Then, there are some aspects of a student’s profile that are a little fuzzier:

• Legacy status
• First-generation status
• Racial/ethnic status
• Level of applicant’s interest

Wait a second…level of applicant’s interest? If a student is applying to attend that school, isn’t that enough interest in itself?

Demonstrated Interest

As described in our Guide to Wait Lists, colleges aim to maintain a high yield rate, which is the rate at which admitted students actually commit to and then attend the school. A high yield rate means admissions officers are choosing students who will succeed and wish to attend. Similarly, a high retention rate is another marker of success; it measures how many first-year students return to attend their second year.

In order to more accurately determine a student’s likelihood to matriculate after acceptance, universities measure a student’s interest in the institution. The more interest, the more likely they are to attend. So, how does a student show interest? There are a few tried and true ways.

• Visiting campus and attending an information session and tour
• Attending a virtual information session
• Being in communication with an admissions officer
• Following and liking the university’s social media pages
• Writing an excellent “Why us?” supplemental essay

Tips on Demonstrating Interest

Not all of the different avenues of demonstrating interest are created equal – and not all of them are equally accessible. If you are an international student, it may be difficult or impossible to visit all the schools you wish to apply to, and some schools don’t have a “Why us?” supplement. So what are the best ways to demonstrate interest?

1. Research your school. You won’t know which programs offer specific information sessions, tours, or opportunities without doing the work. If you are applying to a school or program, you need to know why you’d like to attend before you start writing essays.
2. Visit campus if you can. If you can’t, attend a live virtual information session and participate. Come to the session with questions. Follow up with a thank you note. Visiting campus gives you an idea of what to expect as a student, what the school is looking for in their incoming class, and whether or not you’ll be happy there. That’s why a college tour itinerary is a key element of Aristotle Circle‘s college admissions counseling package.
3. Write an excellent “Why us?” supplement. Stay tuned for our upcoming guide on best practices.
4. Answer all optional essay prompts. When universities such as NYU or American offer their one and only essay prompt as an “optional” component, what they are doing is measuring how much effort you are willing to put into your application. How much do you care? Check out our guide on Optional Essays for more information.
5. Following and liking a school’s social media pages. This show of interest is the least detectable; it’s not likely to get noticed, measured, or written down if you like and follow (unless you do something that goes viral – which we don’t advise that you attempt). However, what will happen is you will be privy to opportunities such as Q&A sessions, information sessions, prospective student events, and more. There is a caveat: if you like and follow with your personal account, you are much easier to find. If you do or post something inappropriate or illegal, or are tagged in inappropriate or illegal content, be smart. Keep your account private. Better yet, don’t do anything inappropriate or illegal!
6. Being in communication with an admissions officer. This one is tricky. You don’t want to send emails just for the sake of sending emails. However, if you attend a campus tour, information session, or virtual information session, a little thank-you note can go a long way to putting you on your admissions officer’s good side.

Do all schools measure demonstrated interest?

Short answer: not according to them. Each school’s list of considered elements of an application are slightly different. Some schools note that they measure interest, such as Duke, College of the Holy Cross, Purdue, University of Michigan, NYU, Rice, and The George Washington University. Others note that they do not measure interest, such as Georgetown, Yale, Harvard, University of Virginia, Columbia, Johns Hopkins University, and Wesleyan. However, following the above steps to demonstrate your interest will not hurt you. Instead, it will only help you better understand the programs to which you are applying, find opportunities, and write better essays.

Need Help?

If all of this seems overwhelming, Aristotle Circle is here to help. Our expert college admissions counselors can guide you every step of the way, from forming a cohesive college list to post-submission application monitoring. Give us a call at 212-360-2301 or an email at info@aristotlecircle.com.

Never miss a beat: