Colleges have a tendency to be very selfish when it comes to the application process: they want people to pay to come to their schools, but they also want people who are actively interested in what they offer. So, this is a trick that my mom (who has worked at the UCs and at USF) taught me. 

On college websites, there’s usually a form you can fill out that is some form of “Request Materials.” Here, you can put in your address, your email, and various other information, and each school will send you mailers about things like financial aid, the courses they offer, general statistics about the school, etc. It may seem like a pain getting a bunch of pieces of paper at your house all the time, but you’ll be getting tons of them anyways, at least this way they’ll be from schools that you’re interested in. 

This is a super helpful tactic, especially if you’re applying to competitive schools, because it shows that you’re interested in their programs, and you’re willing to go out of your way to receive emails and information from them.