<p>From Matt’s blog, [here](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/march_questions_omnibus_2.shtml]here[/url]: ”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/march_questions_omnibus_2.shtml ):</a>
Eric Schmiedl wrote, “A question about MIT admissions philosophy. One of the things my school’s college counselor said was big this year was “demonstrated interest,” the practice of inundating the admissions office(s) at your school(s) of choice with emails, letters, and phone calls essentially telling them how much you want to go there. How do MIT admissions people weigh the “demonstrated interest” of an applicant in the admissions process?”</p>
<p>I have heard about some schools, often schools more concerned about yield, who emphasize demonstrated interest. For example, have you visited the campus, called the office a lot, etc. MIT does not. Stanford’s admissions website actually has a nice answer that echoes our philosophy, which I’ll quote:
Some students are concerned they must visit campus regularly, attend all our regional information sessions, or keep in close contact with our office in order to show their interest in Stanford. We give no preference in the admission process to those applicants who demonstrate interest through these actions. We believe that the best indication of a student’s ability to thrive at Stanford is through demonstrated excellence during high school and demonstrated effort through our written applications.
</p>
<p>I should note that a reasonable amount of demonstrated interest will come into play in the waitlist process in May; more on that in the future.
So I should amend: MIT does consider interest in the waitlist admissions process – after you’ve been waitlisted, it’s important to let MIT know if you’re still interested in a spot there. But prior to the waitlist admissions process, demonstrated interest isn’t considered.</p>