In the admissions process in the US, colleges take many factors into consideration in an effort to gain a holistic view of each applicant. Some factors may hold greater weight than others, depending on each college’s admissions policies, however, students should put their best foot forward in all components to maximize their admissions chances at their most favored institution.
School Records and Transcript (Most Important)
Unlike in some countries where a cumulative exam at the end of high school is all-determining, US universities prefer to see long-term academic strength across Grades 9 to 12. A student’s transcript, therefore, is an extremely important factor in any application. A transcript reflects years of academic work as opposed to standardized test scores which reflect only three hours of work. US colleges pay a lot of attention to how well a student does in high school.
- High school course rigor as well as grades are often considered the best predictors of success in college.
- IB/AP/Honors courses indicate a student who is challenging him/herself rather than just sliding through regular courses with good grades.
- Improvement in grades from year to year looks great. Straight-A grades throughout high school look fabulous!
- Since all high schools have different grading systems and place different weightings on courses most colleges will recalculate GPAs according to their own formula.
Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT etc.)
Test scores are indeed used to compare and evaluate students but they are not always the most important criteria for admission. Many admissions officers say that it is generally only very high or very low scores that affect decisions (over 1500 and under 700) but at the same time, however, test scores are often used to distinguish one applicant from another.
Admissions also look for consistency between high school grades and test scores. High test scores with not-so-great school grades might send the message to admissions people that a student isn’t putting in their best effort in high school. On the other hand, high school grades with low test scores might lead the admissions to question how easily the school gives out grades.
Is A Student Interesting?
Colleges look for young people who will bring a spark to their college community. They want people who are capable of more than just earning good grades and who will add to student life on campus. To determine how “interesting” a student is admissions departments will look at extracurricular involvement, essays, recommendations, and any awards and honors they may have received in the past.
Academic scores indicate how much someone immerses themself in studies however their passions indicate how much they immerse themself in life!
Activities Outside the Classroom
Extracurricular activities often play a large role in distinguishing one applicant from the next. After all, they likely have many candidates with similar test scores and GPAs. Students should avoid just listing activities and instead, use engagement in activities to provide a picture of who they are. It is important to note that the quality of activities is much more important than quantity and sustained involvement over several years in one or a few activities is more important than having just joined lots of groups for shorter periods of time.
Colleges especially like positions of leadership in extracurricular activities and clubs. However, students must remember that they can be President of their class but if they don’t accomplish anything while in the position, it is not nearly as valued.
A popular university in the not-too-distant past made reference to the profile of their incoming class. Academics were mentioned further down the email but before those statistics, it was highlighted that among the admitted students were:
- A professional dancer for the Dance Theatre of Harlem
- A saxophonist selected for the Grammy Jazz Program
- A world-record-holding juggler
- Two Project Runway Junior contestants
- A student building a tiny house from a school bus
- A competitive jump roper
- The namesake of a minor planet
- A nationally ranked birder
- Several successful entrepreneurs
- A student who can recite pi to 250 digits
- One of a handful of people on Earth who can communicate in Volapuk
- An athlete selected for the Philippines Women’s National Soccer Team
Essays
The essays and supplements are the one part of the application a student can control so they need to do a good job. The written passages give students the opportunity to express themselves, have their “voice” heard, and personalize themself in a way that they cannot in the rest of the application. Each applicant is unique and the essay can be used to convey this difference. Even more important than what is written is how it is written and therefore students should have parents, teachers, counselors, or friends proofread and help edit their essays. Don’t forget the most powerful proofreading tool – read out loud!
Recommendations
Recommendations provide information about students that is not included elsewhere in their application. Teacher and counselor recommendations can have an important bearing on students’ chances of success. Students should make sure that the teachers they ask for recommendations know them as an individual, a student, and a learner. It is especially helpful if the recommender can back up any claims about the student with specific anecdotes.
Show Interest
Showing interest does not mean flooding the admissions with pointless emails or calls. Showing interest, however, does mean:
- Participation in campus visits (where time and finances allow).
- Attendance at university visits, events, and information sessions.
- Registration for and viewing of webinars and forums.
- Engagement in virtual information sessions and online tours.
- Activity on emails from the university, when clicking on links and their navigation through the university’s website.
- Interactions with the university on social media.
- Engagement with admissions officers during high school visits.
- Participation with alumni through interviews when available.
- Any contact with admissions officers when asking relevant questions about the campus and programs on offer.
- Providing in-depth answers to “Why Us?” supplementary questions by engaging in extensive interactions and research, online or otherwise.
Financials?
For non-US citizens, many colleges in the US go so far as to say that if they can’t pay their own way, then they needn’t apply. Most colleges, however, do offer financial assistance in the way of scholarships to some students but their funds are limited.
For many schools, it is easier for students to get in if they can pay their own way because that means that the college will have funds to entice other students who would be good additions to their student body but who may not be able to afford the full cost.
Final Note
No two colleges’ admissions processes are the same. In addition to a student’s profile admissions officers look at their college and consider their enrollment projections, student diversity targets, course offerings, faculty needs, and recruitment goals on a year-to-year basis.
The weight placed on each factor will be unique to every college and each student’s application will be weighed accordingly. Admissions and financial aid decisions will be made in an effort to attract not only the best students but also to maximize their revenue.
