The Meaning of Demonstrated Interest in Admissions

Emory University absolutely cares about students expressing interest in the school.

Demonstrated Interest Matters Big Time in Admissions

Emory University Invented Demonstrated Interest

The Founder of Ivy Coach, Bev Taylor, often tells a story from back when she was a high school counselor in the early 1990’s. The director of admissions at Emory at the time was quite candid about the importance of Demonstrated Interest in the university’s admissions process. In fact, on the day Emory released Regular Decision notifications that year, a student named Sally came to Bev’s office in tears. It seems David (who was also one of Bev’s students) was admitted to Emory, but Sally was denied.

While one student’s admission to a college and another’s rejection (both from the same high school) may not seem like such a big deal, in this case it was. For starters, Sally took the most rigorous courses at her high school including a total of 7 AP’s, earned 4’s and 5’s on all of them, and had a GPA of 99.5 / 100. She also had an SAT score of 1420. She happened to also be a talented cellist. David had 2 AP courses, a GPA of 92.4 /100, and an SAT score of 1310. David had no real angle, so he would have been considered as well-rounded — typically a kiss of death at highly selective colleges like Emory.

After Sally calmed down and went back to class, Bev called Emory and spoke with the director of admissions. Although she expressed how happy she was that David was accepted, she questioned how David could have been admitted while Sally was denied. His answer was that David had visited campus and attended an Emory information session at a local Marriott. Sally had done neither. David had also emailed Emory a couple of times with a question or two that demonstrated he had really done his homework on the programs at Emory that were of interest to him. A few of Emory’s responses to David’s emails referred David to someone in particular, and each time David followed through and emailed or called that person. Emory actually logged each call and email. Sally, on the other hand, had never emailed or called admissions, not once.

Emory University Still Loves Students Who Love Emory

While it’s true that Emory University no longer asks for Demonstrated Interest on the Common App., up until the college Class of 2018, they asked applicants, “What are the unique qualities of Emory University, and the specific school(s) to which you are applying (Emory College, Oxford College, or both), that make you want to become part of Emory University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?” And prior to that prompt, the question read, “Many students decide to apply to Emory based on its size, location, reputation, and yes, the weather. Besides these valid reasons to choose Emory as a possible college choice, why is this university a particularly good match for you?”

Also, and up until the college Class of 2018 on the Emory University supplement, there was a question that read,”Which contacts have you had with Emory? (Please check) Which contact has been most helpful?”