An Inside Look at How College Applications Are Evaluated
As the gatekeeper of higher education, college admissions officers review thousands of applications each year and select applicants who best serve their institution's mission. As a result, they have to make incredibly challenging decisions when admitting students because they are forced to decide between thousands of qualified applicants and turn many of them away. Ultimately, admissions officers must balance numerous factors to build an incoming class with diverse backgrounds and perspectives while also seeking to ensure that institutional priorities are satisfied.
The institutional priorities set by a college or university can have an immense impact on college admissions, but often in ways that people don’t always consider. For example, if diversity is an institutional priority for a particular school, then admissions processes are created or adapted to prioritize applicants from different backgrounds.
One common goal is to ensure racial and socio-economic diversity among the student body. Therefore, many schools often look beyond GPA and standardized test scores to weigh factors such as race, community involvement, family income, parents' education level, or first-generation status when considering a potential applicant. It is important to note that the Supreme Court is hearing two cases that will determine the fate of race-based college admissions in the United States. While the cases attack affirmative action consideration in admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, their outcome may have broader implications for higher education institutions across the country. As parents of high school students, it's important to stay informed about this issue and understand how it might affect your children's college admissions chances.
In addition to racial or social-economic diversity, geographic diversity also plays a vital role in college admissions. Schools may look for students from different parts of the country or even internationally to add new perspectives and experiences to their student body. In addition, admissions officers may consider students from rural and urban areas, ensuring that students from various geographic backgrounds are represented in their class.
Creating diversity in majors and academic departments is another essential institutional goal for colleges and universities. This can mean seeking out students with unique interests or experiences that can add to the learning environment or enrolling students to fill a newly added or under-represented major or program.
Enrollment needs change from year to year at most universities, meaning that one year, State University might be looking to improve their football team, or have more oboists for their orchestra, or exceptional debaters for their debate team. There is really no way to know what needs the admissions office is tasked with from year to year, however, these changing needs can cause the admissions process to look different at State University from one year to the next.
At the end of the day, colleges and universities may prioritize different things depending on their location, culture, enrollment needs, and strategy. These prioritizations can shape how students experience the process of applying for and being accepted into higher education institutions.
While college admissions officers have the daunting task of reading thousands of applications and making difficult decisions based on various factors, applicants need to find a way to stand out in the application process and differentiate themselves from their competition. While many of these factors are entirely out of an applicant’s control, there are things applicants can do to make their application stand out.
College admissions officers consider the entire person when reading through an application, looking at academics, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, essays, etc. Admissions officers review each piece carefully when reviewing applications and building their class.
Strong academic credentials are an integral part of the admissions evaluation. Admissions officers carefully review student transcripts to assess academic performance and look for those who demonstrate academic excellence. In reviewing transcripts, admissions officers consider both grades, as well as rigor (AP, honors, and IB classes). To determine their competitiveness for a particular college, applicants should look at the admissions statistics for that college from prior years and ensure that their transcripts look similar to those of previously admitted students.
In addition to academics, admissions professionals also look for traits that make one applicant stand out from other applicants; they want to see a student’s unique experiences and accomplishments and how they have grown over the years. Admissions officers also consider meaningful activities outside the classroom, volunteer work, awards or honors, leadership experience, and other commitments. Finally, they look for applicants who display integrity, maturity, and leadership skills that will benefit their campus community.
Essays and letters of recommendation can be another critical component of a successful application. Essays allow applicants to show who they are beyond the scores and grades on the page. They help admissions officers gain insight into an applicant’s personality, passions, and interests. A well-written essay shows strong writing skills, creativity, individuality, and thoughtfulness.
Letters of recommendation also provide additional information not included in test scores or transcripts. They can offer an outside perspective on qualities such as leadership and character traits that may not be readily apparent from other parts of the application package. Strong letters of recommendation should come from people in authority who have seen the applicant’s potential firsthand, such as teachers, counselors, or employers.
In conclusion, the college admissions process is a highly competitive and nerve-wracking one. Admissions officers have a very important job to select the applicants who will best serve their institution’s mission, while applicants must work diligently to stand out and successfully differentiate themselves from the competition. While the admissions process is daunting, it doesn’t mean that your dreams and ambitions should be set aside. With dedication and hard work, future college applicants should be able to differentiate themselves from the competition and paint a vibrant portrait of who they are. Crafting an application that reflects your individual passions and talents is essential to show any admissions officer who reads it why you would be an ideal student for their college or university.
All the best in this endeavor – go out there and put yourself out there!
If you are looking for support to help your child conquer the admissions process in a stress-free and productive way, contact North Shore College Consulting today to learn more about our one-on-one, individual college consulting packages.