Do colleges know if you visited them?

I've heard that visiting a college can show your interest, but do they actually keep track if you go for a tour or something? Does it really matter for admissions?

Yes, many colleges do keep track of prospective students' visits as a way to gauge demonstrated interest. Demonstrated interest is a measure of how much you've interacted with the school, and college visits can be a part of that. When you sign up for a tour or an info session, the admissions office typically records your name and the fact that you attended.

However, how much this impacts your chances of admission varies a lot. For some schools, demonstrated interest can factor substantially into their admissions decisions – they want to accept students who are likely to enroll if accepted. On the other hand, a lot of highly selective colleges don't consider demonstrated interest at all in their admissions processes.

So, if you're interested in a school that does consider demonstrated interest, visiting can provide a slight boost to your application. However, don't stress if you can't visit a particular school; there are plenty of other ways to show interest, such as attending virtual info sessions, reaching out to admissions officers with thoughtful questions, or mentioning specifics about the school in your supplemental essays.

Remember, though, that visits and demonstrated interest are just one tiny piece of your application. Your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters are much more important in the grand scheme of things.