Do colleges look at the emails you send them?

Applying to College
1

I heard that some colleges look at the questions or emails you send them and consider them as demonstrated interest. Would sending emails to your admissions counselor increase your chances?

2

Colleges do look at the questions and emails you send. Whether those emails to the AOs increase or decrease your chances depends to some extent on what you write. Poorly written emails asking dumb questions (and yes - there are dumb questions, like the ones where the info is easily researched yourself) or wasting the AO’s time might count against you. Well written emails with legit questions or making a relevant connection in another way that your app doesn’t contain may or may not help you.

IMO if there’s even a slight chance that a candidate’s email will annoy an AO or show the candidate in a poor light (too lazy to research, not understanding how busy AOs are), it would be better to not send an email at all.

3

Yes, but they can sniff a “fake question” designed to just show interest a mile away. Or you can look kinda dumb to them (which you don’t want) if your answer is very easy to see the answer to on their website.

If you can’t visit, do the following:

  • Get on their email list. Open every email they ever send you.
  • Apply in their EA round if they have one (assuming you are not EDing, but EA shows you had your act together and they were on your radar before the last minute).
  • Do a good job on the Why College X? essay if they have one. Scan the website for specific programs, research areas, facilities, clubs, etc. that make you excited about the college. Make it as personal to the college as you can.
  • If there are any admissions events in your area, sign up and go to them. Try to have a couple of questions about the college that aren’t easily answerable from the website.
  • If they come to a college fair near your house, stop by the table and be sure to sign in.
  • Once you apply, check the portal regularly. Partly because that is how they tell you if there is an update or if you are missing something, but some schools also track who is checking the portal (who really cares about the status of their application)?