A recent piece by the Wall Street Journal reports that colleges are using data mining—tracking email open rates, link clicks, website visits, and social media engagement—to inform whether or not a student gets accepted or rejected.

Colleges use these data to track “demonstrated interest,” or the applicant’s enthusiasm about a particular college. Demonstrated interest can be a predictor of yield—the likelihood that students will attend the college if admitted. “As the admissions process becomes more digital, it makes sense that data analytics would play an increasing role in the admissions office determining the depth of a student’s interest,” says Peter Zimmermann, a past Stanford admissions officer and Solomon Admissions consultant.

Source: forbes.com
Author: Aviva Legatt