What Colleges Are Looking For

It’s your senior year in high school and it’s time to think college. Starting the process of getting into college in your senior year (even your junior year) is almost too late. You should really starat thinking about getting into college in your sophomore or freshman year. The reason for this is that there are certain activities and classes that you should take or participate in. But now that you are in your senior year of high school, everyone is giving you unsolicited advice. Your parents, friends, relatives, next door neighbors, and everyone else are all are eager to share advice on how to apply and get accepted at the college of your choice.

So, what is it that colleges are truly looking for when you apply? Do they “zero in” on grades, your essay, or your ability to pay? Or is it a complicated mix of all these things? Let’s explore the factors that will help or hurt your chances of making it in to your top choice college.

A good pointer for you is to get to know your high school guidance counselor. It is their job to get you into a good college, so you should utilize their free services. In that special little office, you will find all the information that you will need to get into the college of your choice. Do yourself a favor and make an appointment with your guidance counselor to discuss the best colleges for you to apply to, admissions tests, your college applications, and everything else college related. If you aren’t already a senior, you should ask about college prep classes and extracurricular activities that might help you get into the college of your choice.

More Students Means More Competition – Here Are More Options

Statistics show that the number of high school students graduating and then applying to college has continued to grow over the last thirty years. This has significantly increased the competition. The more applicants to a specific college mean more applications that must be reviewed, which in turn mean that the more selective this college can afford to be.

While the following isn’t necessarily present at every college, wait lists, early decision, and early action are gaining in popularity and resulting in anxiety for applicants. Yes, the heat is on.

So you may ask, are there some “last-ditch” efforts I can make before I apply to a college? Something that will make the decision-makers notice? Is there something that I can do to boost my odds of getting into my top-choice college? Is it possible to cancel out that ‘D’ grade in Math by doing some extra volunteer work? Or would my college admissions essay help make up for the fact that I performed poorly on the math section of my SAT test?

Generally colleges measure admissions criteria in a very similar way. So what is acceptable to one college is most likely be acceptable by most other schools. And what is that criteria?

GRADES, TEST SCORES, AND RANKS – OH MY!

It’s all about grades … test scores … and high school graduation rank.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADES

Don’t even think about taking it easy during your high school senior year? The logic is very simple, good grades in challenging classes in high school, will probably translate to good grades in your college classes Colleges view your grades as a major sign of how well or how badly you will do in their college classrooms. 91% of colleges put a huge emphasis on grades when deciding whether to accept an applicant. This is where you as a student need to also put a huge effort. However, an A in your high school, might only be worth a B in another high school. For this reason, admissions tests are used as well.

ADMISSIONS TESTS – SATS AND ACTS

Two of the most highly used admissions exams in the US are the SATs and the ACTs. With both of these tests, the exam is administered on the same date and with the same rules everywhere i n the country. This levels the playing field. SATs and ACTs are just tests, right? —Are they really worth all the effort involved in taking them? This is a definite ‘Yes’. Colleges put a huge emphasis on ACT/SAT scores. A whopping 88% of colleges put a huge emphasis on SAT and ACT scores.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RANK

And then there is rank. This is an area that, unfortunately, can not be controlled directly by you. Class rank is calculated by how many students are in your high school class, the mean grade point average, etc. In other words, if a large number of your classmates are doing exceptional in honors classes, then you are going to have to work harder to get a higher class rank. There is nothing you can change. All you can do is focus on your accomplishments. 28% of schools put a strong emphasis on class rank, while another 37% only moderately use class rank as a determining factor when deciding on an applicant. This means that an astonishing 65% of schools might weigh their decisions about applicants on their class rank.

OTHER FACTORS

When students “weigh out” equal on the above three important credentials (SATs/ACTs., grades, and graduation rank), schools then turn to some other factors to formulate their final decisions. This is especially true if you are applying to a smaller college.

COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY WRITING

If you are a good writer then you will enjoy the essay section of your college application. This could put you ahead of some of your less effective writer applicants when applying to a top tier college. If not, you need only to put in your best efforts and hope for the best. Make sure to write in a manner that the admissions officers will get a genuine feel for your personality. Your essay is the perfect way to showcase who you are. The reason for a college application essay is to find out how the applicant writes and thinks. This is important to find out since writing is an essential part of college life. Your GPA and admission test scores are still more important, however highly selective schools have recently been placing more attention on well-written essays than public colleges with higher approval rates. Overall, 25% of colleges attached a heavy importance to a college application essay samples.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Does working at a job after school or playing sports in you spare time score any points with the college admissions boards? Not really. 50% of colleges surveyed ranked extra curricular activities as not having much effect on successful college admissions. And, surprisingly enough, the bigger the school, the less important extra-curricular activities were. But even then you can’t beat the benefits of extracurricular activities when it comes to learning to manage your extra time. These are qualities that you will find very helpful when attending college and in addition, you will have gained work experience, potential application references, and money for attending college. I also think that extra-curriculars will showcase to the college admissions boards that you are dedicated and able to stay focused on a particular task. And if you were able to hold down a job, a sport, and still keep your grades up, this will show the board that you are able to multitask.

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

One of your teachers has agreed to write a letter of reference in your behalf. This will really help you get into a good college, right? Not really. Although, admissions officers do take the time to read letters of recommendations, they really don’t affect whether or not a student will get into that given college. Only 18% of college put a large weight on any guidance counselor and/or teacher recommendations. An extra 12% said that teacher recommendations weren’t important at all, and the remaining college are somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Although it can’t do any harm ascertaining teacher recommendations, it doesn’t seem to carry much weight with the college admissions boards. However, I do believe that letters of recommendations from teachers, counselors, and employers show that you are a responsible young adult, showcase your strengths, and possibly convince a board that is ‘iffy’ about you to accept you.

I recently read an article about a girl who was rejected by her top choice college. She had five people that she respected send in recommendation letters. The admissions board was so impressed with the way she promted herself that they landed up changing their minds and accepted her! Here is the article.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW

Unless you are entering grad school, the interview will probably not be part of the admissions decision. Some colleges still require an interview in the admissions process, but most colleges don’t require it and allow you to decide whether or not you want to be interviewed. And the larger the college, the less important that the interview is for getting into that school. This may be because larger colleges receive more applications and in reaction to this have less time to interview each applicant. But still, it doesn’t hurt to refine your interviewing skills, especially if you are going to apply to a university with fewer students. When an admissions officer interviews an applicant, it is to find out how well the college matches the applicant’s goals and personality.

ABILITY TO PAY TUITION

As far as the ability to pay the college tuition and whether or not you will be accepted, note that 82 percent of schools say that the ability to make tuition payments made no difference in whether or not a student would get in to that said school. In addition, there are always many options at universities to finance your schooling.

So as you work your way through you senior year, choosing a college and finding financing, you may want to review these timely tips to assure your application will glide through the choosing eyes of admissions.

Here is a Link to More Articles About Getting Into Your Top College

Here is a Link to Articles About Getting Into College

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