In the last few years, the college landscape has changed quite a bit when it comes to demonstrated interest. Historically nebulous and opaque, demonstrated interest didn have a clear definition, nor did universities disclose how much it factored into their admissions decisions. Recently, more top-tier universities have come out to say they do not consider demonstrated interest when evaluating applications, but each school has a slightly different policy. Northwestern might seem a bit complicated at first glance, but were here to cut through the noise so you can focus on what matters most this college application season.
Northwestern Policy
According to Northwestern most recently published Common Data Set, they do consider level of applicant interest. Of course, an applicant interest level is not necessarily the same as demonstrated interest as we typically think of it that is, data that tracks whether an applicant has engaged with a school or not.
To this point, Northwestern addressed its own policies a few years ago, clarifying that it uses relevant data to inform its marketing and educational strategies but not to make decisions on prospective students. Here Northwestern full response to Do We Track Demonstrated Interest?:
We get this question a lot. The answer is part yes, part no. We do keep track of whether students visit campus or attend regional events like high school visits or information sessions. We do this so we can tailor our communications and get a broad sense of an applicant interactions with Northwestern throughout the college process.
But we don tally up touchpoints for the sake of our review processthat is, our process doesn necessarily favor applicants whove made more total contacts since we realize students circumstances often prohibit in-person connections.
There are also activities that we welcome but simply don track, including phone calls to staff, contact with faculty, time spent on our website, and emails with admission representatives.
What This Means for You
Admittedly, this might sound murky, but it good news. To use their words, Northwestern is not [tallying] up touchpoints and scoring applicants based on how many times theyve reached out to admissions. Don hit us with that nice guys finish last bs. Stalking will not be rewarded!
Ultimately, demonstrated interest is for your benefit, not theirs. Yes, they might collect some data to find out which students should receive brochures at their houses to encourage them to apply, but behaviors you would typically think of us as demonstrated interest (visiting the website, contacting your admissions rep, reaching out to faculty, etc.) don mean anything to Northwestern. That not even the data they collect.
The value of these things is that they help you get a comprehensive, fully informed view of Northwestern. In the end, that perspective will affirm your interest in being a Wildcat or redirect your college search to schools that feel like a better fit. The more time you spend learning about Northwestern, the more facts and personal anecdotes youll have to weave into your supplemental essay.
The demonstrated interest that admissions counselors really care about is already contained in your application does your essay have research that supports specific reasons you want to attend? Have you learned enough about the school to show in a few hundred words that youre a good fit socially, culturally, and academically? Focus on that, and youll be just fine.
Weve been helping students turn interest into exceptional essays for years. Reach out to us here for personalized college counseling.