While it remains shocking that a school whose official mascot is just the color green but big (and whose unofficial mascot is 鈥淜eggy the Keg鈥�) has maintained its position as one of the most competitive colleges in the U.S., numbers don鈥檛 lie. With an acceptance rate of just 6.2%, Dartmouth is not only an Ivy League but one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in America, founded in 1769. If you鈥檙e thinking 鈥渃ut to the chase already,鈥� we鈥檒l give it to you straight. If you want to one day see a somewhat worse-for-wear foam beer keg tap itself at sporting events all over Hanover, New Hampshire (sidenote: is that auto-cannibalism?), you鈥檒l need to set yourself apart in every possible way before applying. (We wish we were joking.)
It goes without saying that you鈥檒l need a stellar academic track record, a history of top-tier extracurricular involvement, and credible recommendations that speak to your character and personal qualities to gain admission here, but those aren鈥檛 the only categories taken into consideration. There鈥檚 also the elusive and beautifully vague factor of 鈥渄emonstrated interest.鈥�
What Even Is Demonstrated Interest?
First, we鈥檒l start with the burning question. What is demonstrated interest? Is it interest that you demonstrate? Eureka! That鈥檚 exactly it. Demonstrated interest is interest demonstrated by demonstrating your interest. We鈥檒l stop being annoying now and just say it鈥檚 exactly what it sounds like: leaving historical proof of your sincere and continuous interest in a school.
Why do colleges care about demonstrated interest? Well, the positive spin is that colleges want to recruit genuine people with passion for their academics and future careers. These students make wonderful peers and create a supportive, engaged community, plus they go on to dedicate themselves to their professions and succeed publicly, which reflects well on their alma mater. Generally speaking, superficial self-serving types are both insufferable and will erode the social fabric of a campus if toxic individuality becomes the school鈥檚 defining culture. The more cynical view is that admissions can use demonstrated interest to predict the odds that applicants will actually attend, allowing them to optimize yield, minimize acceptance rate, and maximize their profit. This creates a positive feedback loop, because the higher the yield and the lower the admissions rate, the more prestige an institution accrues. Elevated cultural standing then leads to more applications, a more competitive applicant pool, and鈥t is a vicious cycle.
Anyway, that鈥檚 why demonstrated interest matters to colleges, but why should it matter to you? It鈥檚 another facet of your application you can build strategically, improving your chances of admissions. Dartmouth鈥檚 admissions data confirms that they do in fact consider 鈥渓evel of applicant鈥檚 interest.鈥� Yes, that鈥檚 the exact word they use; demonstrated interest is 鈥渃onsidered.鈥� No, consideration is not an exact science, but we know that demonstrated interest does factor in with admissions. It鈥檚 less important than academics, recommendations, and extracurriculars, but it鈥檚 weighed equally against your interview, legacy status, certain demographic information, and even work and volunteering experience.
So, yeah, don鈥檛 write off demonstrated interest. At the same time, know that the category of demonstrated interest 鈥� and its impact on admissions decisions 鈥� is intentionally imprecise. In fact, despite the fact that Dartmouth鈥檚 common data set lists 鈥渓evel of applicant鈥檚 interest鈥� as considered, they鈥檝e also to say they don鈥檛 track 鈥渧isits, communications, college fairs, or web events鈥� and 鈥測our completed application is all the demonstrated interest we need.鈥�
So鈥� Should You Demonstrate Interest?
Well, not to sound like a broken record, but there鈥檚 just no proof that demonstrated interest has statistical significance for acceptance. Even if it doesn鈥檛 sound like it, that鈥檚 a GOOD thing. It鈥檚 not fair to prioritize people who have the resources to travel and visit campus over students who can鈥檛 do so, and the truth is those behaviors aren鈥檛 a reliable source of information for colleges anyway. The vast majority of college applicants don鈥檛 tour, so that鈥檚 never going to be an unspoken requirement.
In the end, demonstrating interest is something you do for you 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 tell admissions much. So, yes, definitely check out a school鈥檚 social media to get an understanding of its culture, talk to current undergrads if you can, and go to college fairs and virtual events, but don鈥檛 expect them to be the tipping point. Those actions help you determine if Dartmouth is the place you鈥檇 want to spend four years, or if, after learning more, you decide you鈥檙e looking for a school that has a relationship with the outdoors but doesn鈥檛 rely on the Greek system for social activities. No matter what you decide, it鈥檚 time well spent.
You might still be wondering, though, why Dartmouth鈥檚 data includes 鈥渓evel of applicant鈥檚 interest鈥� at all if they don鈥檛 weigh things that are typically considered demonstrated interest. Well, crucially, 鈥渓evel of interest鈥� is undefinable and pretty subjective. So you can trust that, if their website says they don鈥檛 use campus visits, college fairs, or emails with admissions when evaluating applications, they mean it.
Level of interest is super vague, probably by design, and varies on a student-by-student basis. If you wrote your supplemental short answer on 鈥淲hy Dartmouth鈥� in just 50 words and didn鈥檛 say anything about Dartmouth in particular, admissions can probably tell you鈥檙e not that interested. A die-hard would have done their homework and polished their essay to sound genuine and well-researched. Not all regions offer interviews, but if the school sees you were given the opportunity to interview and turned it down? That reads, ahem, disinterested.
The rule of thumb with demonstrated interest is to use common sense. Sliding into the @dartmouth DMs constantly is not only thirsty but also futile. No need to stoop so low! But, as you would when applying to any school, make sure your application materials are polished, thoughtful, and relevant to that institution. Maybe one day you can pretend to tap a human being wearing a keg costume, or you can tell us what 鈥渂ig green鈥� is supposed to mean.
Not sure how to show your dream school that you care? Get in touch with us today.