You have looked at the colleges. Now you want to know how they will be looking at you. Once again, it is important to see this process from the larger perspective.
The most selective colleges typically receive many, many more (sometimes thousands more) applications from qualified students than they can possibly accept. In the 2008 admissions cycle, Harvard accepted 7.1 percent, and the percentage acceptance rate gets lower every year. This means that these colleges are denying admission to students who would be great matches for their college, many with high SAT scores and near-perfect grade point averages.
Most admission offices think not in terms of a large applicant "pool," but in terms of many smaller applicant "puddles," all of which have their demanding constituencies. High grades and test scores mean better statistics in the next issue of U.S. News and World Report, and that makes the college president happy. The coaches are looking for good athletes. The band director needs a new clarinet player. The development office is reviewing the applicants for hidden fortunes. The college is looking to increase ethnic diversity. The college is looking for applicants from each and every state in the U.S. Perhaps you are applying to a college one of your parents attended. I always say that it is hard to know which of your qualities, talents, and attributes the college is going to hone in on to decide if you are the student they are looking for.
Although there are special factors in the process, the following elements in your application are considered at most colleges. More to come on these individual components in later posts.
- high school academic performance (most important)
- high school course selection
- academic rigor of high school and relative performance of students
- scores on standardized tests
- out-of-class activities
- application essay(s)
- recommendations
- interview
- additional skills and talents (for specialized colleges)
No comments:
Post a Comment