Taking the Guesswork Out Of College Admissions

Its nothing to be ashamed of. The college admissions process can be overwhelming, and because its constantly evolving (and each school uses different criteria for evaluating admissions!), it would be difficult for anyone to master the process.

To take some of the guesswork out of admissions, we decided to get the latest on the process from those in the know. Kerry Rosen, Director of Admissions for Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, and Susan Hertz, Associate Director, Marketing of American University, shared advice and information for high schoolers preparing to apply to college.

What is the most common mistake you see applicants make to hurt their chances of getting accepted into a college or university?

ROSEN: They submit late or incomplete applications, or dont check to see what is required, such as how many letters, an essay vs. a graded writing sample, etc.

HERTZ: Or they dont check to make sure that all the required parts of the application have actually arrived.

What is the approximate weight given to grades, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the applicants have what it takes to be successful here. We look at test scores, the strength of the classes taken, grades, and also require a graded writing sample so that we can see the how well the applicant is able to communicate in written form. In addition to academics, we are interested in what the applicant does outside the classroom school and community involvement, employment experience, honors and awards. Letters from teachers, counselors and people in the community tell us a lot about the students character, motivation and level of compassion.

HERTZ: This information is found in most guidebooks. At AU, we look at grades in conjunction with the difficulty of the courses selected and test scores; essays and recommendations; and then activities.

Can you give us an example of a few applicants whose grades or test scores were below the average for your admitted students but who were admitted for other reasons?

ROSEN: We sometimes take a chance on a student with a less than stellar academic record if they have demonstrated an extraordinary level of character or persistence in the face of economic, social or cultural obstacles. Some examples might be a recent immigrant or a student dealing with a very difficult family situation.

HERTZ: We look for students who show evidence of leadership. Essays also often explain the circumstances that have caused low grades or test scores.

What can/should high school sophomores be focusing on regarding college?

ROSEN: Tenth graders should be focusing on learning more about themselves, academically and personally about their interests, about their strengths and weaknesses. They should begin to compile a list of the kinds of things they would like to find in a college. From that list they can come up with a list of colleges that meet the criteria they have set. It seems to me that that way theyd be able to find a better fit between themselves and the school.

HERTZ: They should take a challenging course of study and find an activity that he or she can be passionately engaged in.

Regarding extracurricular activities in high school, is it better to try a little bit of everything or to excel in one thing? Does it matter what the activity is or is it mainly that they devote meaningful time to it?

ROSEN: We prefer to see a couple of activities that the student has really gotten involved with. This is much more impressive than a long list of clubs that someone has joined mostly to be able to list them on college applications and resumes. It is especially impressive when a student has either had a leadership role in a school or community organization or they have demonstrated initiative by actually starting a new club or activity.

HERTZ: Excel in one thing. The activity doesnt matter.

To what extent is it better to take honors or AP courses even if the grades are lower? For example, what looks better: an A in regular English or a B in AP or honors English?

ROSEN: Taking challenging courses is a real benefit. They are great preparation for college work and taking them is worth possibly getting a lower grade.

HERTZ: For a competitive university such as AU, better to take AP or honors, definitely.

How important is balancei.e. sports, academics, volunteer workin your admissions criteria?

ROSEN: We like to see applicants who are involved in things other than academics. But it is not a good thing to be so involved that the academic record suffers for it. We sometimes see this happening when a students job becomes too demanding and does not leave enough time for studying. Students need to be very careful to achieve the right balance.

HERTZ: Balance is nice but not a deal breaker, so to speak. We believe that a wide range of types creates a dynamic academic experience. Most of our athletes are also scholars; some academically outstanding students do no sports and minimal volunteering.

What are your policies on Early Admissions and Early Action? What trends are you seeing with these? Do students have a better chance of being admitted under these plans?

ROSEN: We have a non-binding Early Action deadline of December 15. We do not believe that binding plans are in the best interest of the student. Having an applicant make an irrevocable decision that early in the senior year does not strike me as fair and equitable. Students at age 17 or 18 are still learning too much about themselves and what and where they want to study to make a good choice that early.

HERTZ: We do Early Decision only. Typically students have about the same chance of being admitted although this can vary tremendously. Some years they have had a better chance.

How has the admissions process changed over the last few years?

ROSEN: It has gotten to be a more stressful experience for all concerned. Colleges treat admissions more as a marketing venture. Students and their families are increasing focused on gaining admission to a prestigious and well-known school, sometimes for the wrong reasons. They need to look more closely at finding the best fit for their particular needs. And sometimes this means going to a little-known institution that may serve them better.

HERTZ: More applications by more students who are more conscious of financial aid/scholarship considerations.

My College Guide is a print and web-based guide to help college-bound students with admissions, college search, and college survival. For more information or to get your own free copy of My College Guide, please visit http://www.mycollegeguide.org.

Author: Wendy Burt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

QuestBridge

“The moment you are identified as a QuestBridge applicant, you are prioritized in a way that very few applicants are. When you’re a QuestBridge student, you’re in a priority bin. They’ve got a leg up in a way that perhaps an athlete or legacy would have a leg up.” (quoted from the web site)

Tom Parker
Dean of Admission
& Financial Aid
Amherst College

QuestBridge program provides college matching program to high school students from low income families.  The partner colleges are some of the top colleges in the country, including Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Amherst, Pomona, CalTech, MIT, U Penn, Wesleyan, U of Chicago and many more.

Selection criteria for QuestBrige program include academic, financial (usually family income of 60,000$ or less), first generation college applicant, standardized test scores and so on.

This program is a great program for students who meet the criteria.  If you know of anyone who will benefit from the program, let them know about QuestBridge.  You can even nominate a student on the web site.

If you know any programs like QuestBridge, let me know by contacting me.

Letters of Recommendation

When college admissions officers look at the applications, they begin to put together a picture for each individual.  Then some questions might come up regarding the applicants.  These questions can be: “Will this student need extra help in dealing with the rigors of our school?”  “Did something happen during his sophomore year to cause him to get a bad grade in Biology?”  Or about anything that seems a little out of place.  College admissions officers may need more information to answer those questions.

Letters of recommendation written by teachers of counselors are very important in explaining the person behind the numbers shown on the applications.  Letters of recommendation can explain about the personal side of the applicants.  They can explain any inconsistencies in GPA’s, family issues that prevented the applicants from achieving what they are truly capable of.  One letter of recommendation should come from the teacher the student intends to major in college. The second letter of recommendation should come from a teacher who taught a different subject, an English or teacher if the student intends to major in science and vice versa.  The counselor’s letter of recommendation can explain any family issues, student’s illness or any other personal matters and about the character of the student.

Make sure that your student asks the teacher who knows your child well enough to write a strong and personal recommendation.  Make sure to ask the teachers well in advance so that the teacher will have enough time to write a well-crafted letter.  To have someone write strong letters of recommendation, the student must have been active in the class with positive attitudes.

Social Networking Sites

Social networking is a phenomenon that some parents may not be familiar with.  There are numbers of these such as Facebook, MySpace, Stumbleupon, etc. Many young people use these sites to find new friends and keep connected to old ones.  We all have heard about a teenager committing suicide after being told that she should not have existed in the world from someone who pretended to her friend.  Not all teens will go that extreme with these social networking sites.

One important thing that teens should know is that their prospective college admission officers may be looking at their profiles and pictures on these social networking sites.  College admissions officers may want to look into these social networking sites to get a glimpse into the personal and private side of their applicants.  So, teens need to be careful not to post pictures of them being drunk or doing silly things, or comments with bad languages or ideas that are dangerous.

I do not know whether college admissions officers do search and look up their applicants on these social networking sites.  But it is certainly a possibility.  I heard that some employers look up their prospective employees on these sites.  So, sit down with your teens and have a talk about this issue.  You can not monitor everything they do on the internet, but they will listen to your concerns if you present the issue in a caring way.  One more thing…  Have your teen use e-mail address something else than ninjamonkey@—–.com or any of that sort. You know what I mean.

Early Look at College Application Forms

It is a good idea to have an early look at the application forms of the colleges that your children might be interested in.  It can be a big surprise if you look at the application forms just before applying to the colleges.  These forms ask about things that you may have never thought about.  Let’s have a closer look at Harvard’s forms, for example.

From their web site, you can download 6 PDF files.  In addition to the common application form, there are online supplements, school report, teacher evaluation, mid-year report and, of course, welcome instructions.  If you look at the teacher evaluation form, you will get a glimpse of how teachers will evaluate your children.  In other forms, they ask about summer experiences, any summer schools, awards and so on.

As some professional admissions advisors recommend, if you want to put your children’s case together and present it in a way that will make your children stand out from the rest, you should look at the application forms early, even before the 9th grade.  You can “reverse engineer,” if you will, and have your children do activities that will allow them to fill in all the blanks in application forms and leave nothing to be desired. 

However, do not try to fit your children into the type of people colleges look for.  After reading and studying about college applications, I learned that you should do things that are enjoyable and be successful at doing them.  Then, the good colleges will want you to come.  So, take a look at the application forms early and keep your children busy.  It will keep them busy and keep them out of trouble, at least.

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

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