Tufts Blogs

A highly selective admissions process is partially about the applicants and partially about the institution.  We care if your application contains merit in the many ways “merit” is defined, but we also care if you’re a fit on our campus specifically, and if you are excited about joining our community.  That’s why demonstrated interest matters (at Tufts and at many other universities). 

Often when you hear about demonstrated interest, things like campus visits and attending admissions events get the most hype.  Which is fair: they’re usually the best way for you to determine if you like a college and the biggest indicators to us that an applicant is serious and well informed. But if you’re a senior and you haven’t done any of those things due to scheduling, finances, distance, etc.: that ship has pretty much sailed.  (Good luck telling your parents on the brink of the holidays, with school and extracurriculars in full swing, that you just MUST drive to Boston to visit Tufts.  I can hear the eye-rolling and exasperated sighs now.)  If that’s the case, don’t panic.  Just focus on other ways to show us some love.  Here are a few ideas for everyone, including those who have been to Medford:

1. Understand Tufts:  You’re on the blog, which is a great start.  But keep clicking.  Visit our student blog, go on the virtual tour, check out Tufts Now, cruise through the Daily, email current students.  The single most important aspect of demonstrated interest is HAVING interest.  The more you know about Tufts and whether or not YOU see yourself as a fit, the easier it will be to convey your interest and fit to us.
2. Apply: By the sheer virtue of being in our applicant pool, you have shown interest.  We do not make it easy to apply (three extra essays, robust testing requirements, etc.) so the fact that you’ve sent a complete file our way is a good start.  Every applicant in our pool is given the benefit of the doubt that they’re at least a little interested (or otherwise total gluttons for punishment who are applying to 45 schools and sacrificing their social lives to write supplements).
3. Nail the “Why Tufts?”:   If you want to be here, you should have a decent answer to this question.  The hard part is transforming your answer into a good essay.  Look here for examples and remember: be specific, be honest, and write in your own voice.
4. Put a little hustle into the supplement (ok, a lot of hustle): Don’t just answer the two other Tufts “Member Questions,” but answer them well and do it with feeling and authenticity.  We read thousands of applications, and it’s surprisingly easy to tell when the applicant’s heart just isn’t in it.  If you invest in these responses and give a sense of your voice, we’ll know you took applying to Tufts seriously.  (TIP: Never use your answer to another’s school’s supplement on ours.  We know the questions they ask, and can tell if you’re cutting corners.)
5. Just be a great fit: For a variety of reasons (ranging from lack of resources, to lack of savvy, to just being a teenager), a good portion of college applicants don’t totally know what they’re doing.  And we get that.  So every year there will be students who are perfect fits for Tufts but don’t seem to realize it just yet.  They apply on a whim, and are often lacking “demonstrated interest” in the traditional sense.  But when someone’s a quintessential Jumbo, we’ll take a chance.  We’ll admit them knowing we might not be a top pick now, and spend the month of April showing them why we should be.

I hope this helps as you finish navigating the process.  Demonstrating interest is not particularly complicated, but it can take time.  If you are really interested in a college or university, you should make the time to do it well.  If you can’t or don’t want to take that time, perhaps this a good moment to sit and reconsider your list.