Colleges and universities around the globe range in their degree of selectivity from extremely selective (less than 10% acceptance rate) to far more open (greater than 70% acceptance rate) and this is measured by the number of students who are admitted as compared to the total number of applicants. The more selective a college is, the less likely it is that an applicant will get accepted even if they are a highly qualified candidate.
Selectivity can be misleading, however, as there are some wonderful schools that are not incredibly selective and some not-so-wonderful schools that spend a great deal of time and energy enticing students to apply only to reject them in order to move up another rung on the selectivity ladder. When exploring possibilities for future studies it is, therefore, important to keep in mind that:
- A highly selective college is not necessarily “better” than those at the other end of the selectivity scale.
- The quality of education is not questionable just because a college has a more open admissions policy.
- Selectivity is not a measure of how good a “fit” the college is as not everyone wants to go to a selective school nor is every student prepared for, or would do well, at a selective school.
- Students should not use selectivity as the sole or major factor in evaluating a college but instead match themselves to colleges that meet their profile.
On the flip side, however, the degree of selectivity of a college gives applicants an idea of the degree of difficulty they will face when seeking admissions as well as the preparations they will need to put in place in order to give themselves the best chance of success when applying.
The Application Preparedness Matrix (APM) is a helpful tool that highlights, to students and parents, the relationship between a student’s Degree of Preparedness, the selectivity of the colleges (Acceptance Rate) to which they are applying, and the likelihood of their application being successful (Application Risk).
| COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATE | >40% | >20% | >10% | <10% |
| DEGREE OF PREPAREDNESS IN KEY AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT | A LIMITED degree of preparedness is needed over the long term (9-12) | A MODERATE degree of preparedness is needed over the long term (9-12) | A HIGH degree of preparedness is needed over the long term (9-12) | An EXTREME degree of preparedness is needed over the long term (9-12) |
| APPLICATION RISK (Risk of being denied) | LIMITED-RISK | MODERATE-RISK | HIGH-RISK | EXTREME-RISK |
Colleges with more open admissions policies will require a lesser degree of student preparedness throughout their high school journey as compared to the degree of preparedness required by those students who wish to have any chance of gaining entry to extremely selective colleges, however, depending upon the institution to which a student applies, they may need to demonstrate an appropriate degree engagement in 7 key areas to have the best chance of being successful.
In addition to their academics, which is required for most applications, students may also need to showcase their level of engagement in writing, supporting others, personal development, in-depth learning, and college connectivity. It needs to be kept in mind however that the degree of student preparedness does not take into consideration other possible advantages to a student’s chance of admission that may include such aspects as the parent’s level of education, being the first in the family to attend college, type of application such as Early Action / Early Decision, whether parents or siblings graduated from the desired college or university, being a recruited athlete or financial need (or lack thereof).
“In addition to their academics, which is required for most applications, students may also need to showcase their level of engagement in writing, supporting others, personal development, in-depth learning and college connectivity. ”
It is recommended that students and parents have a close look at the full version of the Application Preparedness Matrix, as early as possible in their high school journey, to gain a realistic view of what admissions officers at universities and colleges, across the selectivity spectrum, are looking for in the key areas of engagement and then plan backwards accordingly and if this is of interest to you, please do not hesitate to make contact.