Demonstrated interest should not be considered a factor in college applications

Scrolling through the school specific portals in Common App, I see the same questions repeated multiple times: “How have you engaged with [insert college name here] or how have you learned about [insert college name here]?”

Students can choose among options, sometimes even as many as 10, to indicate how they have interacted with the school, such as by signing up for an official college campus tour, attending presentations hosted by college admissions representatives, emailing questions, receiving informational booklets through the mail or sitting in on a webinar.

Demonstrated interest, however, does not represent a student’s merit or ability to succeed in a college environment. 

Students already stress over meeting application deadlines, acquiring recommendation letters and writing college essays; the pressure to demonstrate interest is yet another burden for the students to deal with.

Instead of considering the number of times applicants have expressed interest in a school, college admissions representatives should base their decision solely on the students’ accomplishments and personal character.

According to the National Association for Admission Counseling’s 2016 admission trend survey, 71.3 percent of schools place limited to considerable importance on demonstrated interest.

The 2012 version of the report also concluded that between 2004 and 2011, the percent of colleges reporting demonstrated interest as “considerably important” increased by 16 percent.

This trend may be correlated with the rise in the average number of colleges that students apply to, according to Inside Higher Ed. With the increased competitiveness of admissions, many students feel the pressure to apply to more than seven schools, with some students even applying to upwards of 15.

Anxious about enrolling enough students, colleges (especially lower-ranked ones) fear accepting students that will simply turn away the offer of admittance. They may even reject exceptional students with top grades and test scores if they feel that they are simply a last resort for a student who will likely choose to attend a higher-ranked school.

Consequently, demonstrated interest can mean the difference between getting waitlisted and accepted.

Since much of the information provided in official college presentations can be acquired through the colleges’ websites or Google searches, which are less time-consuming, going to the presentations solely to demonstrate interest is a waste of time. Besides that, some students may have commitments that conflict with the schedules of college events in their area. 

Furthermore, demonstrated interest inherently favors the middle class and wealthy who have the financial resources to travel and who are able to take time off work to accompany their children on college visits. 

Attending a college tour and sitting in on classes is often considered as the best way to show interest in a college; however, many families may not have the time or money to visit nearby schools, much less schools across the nation. Travel costs of visiting colleges should not be underestimated; the combination of flights, hotels, meals and miscellaneous expenses is a sizable sum that many families simply cannot afford, perpetuating a systemic disadvantage within the applicant pool.

While college tours certainly help students get a better picture of the school and decide if the college “feels right,” visiting is more useful after students have actually been accepted to colleges and are deciding between options. 

Just completing an application should be a sufficient metric of interest; if a student has taken hours of time to acquire recommendations, write supplemental essays and complete the application, they have clearly proven enough interest in a school.

Colleges should limit their consideration and tracking of demonstrated interest because the number of times and ways students directly interact with a school doesn’t truly represent whether or not they will enroll if accepted.