How do college admissions departments make their choices? This mysterious question weighs heavily on the minds of people who are getting ready to apply for college. What qualifications will you need to express on your resume to get into your dream school?
Are good test scores enough, or do you need to pad your application with ample extracurriculars? The answer, of course, depends on the school. If you are applying to a state programme, you may find relatively permissive admission criteria. If you are applying to a highly selective university, you’ll usually need an application that meets a wider variety of criteria.
In this article, we take a look at college admission requirements to consider before starting the application process.
When Should You Start Thinking About College Admissions?
The earlier you begin thinking about college admissions, the better. If you can show consistent participation in extra-curricular activities, good test scores, and a consistently high-class rank over four years of school, these qualifications will go a long way toward impressing people in the admissions office.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t rally. If your first few years of high school were rocky, you can turn things around and still get into a good college with a strong academic finish. Many school admissions boards will appreciate applicants who demonstrate the capacity to change and improve.
There is also a subjective element to the admissions process that often goes underemphasised. If you can write a strong admissions essay that describes your academic journey and convincingly argues your aptitude, it may go a long way toward forgiving past Cs.
Bottom line? It’s never too late to start thinking about college admissions. However, the earlier you start establishing your credentials, the more doors you will find open to you.
How Important Are Standardised Test Scores?
For years the ACT and SAT played a big role in who got to go where. Many prestigious universities used these scores as a way to weed out applications. This approach makes sense when you are only able to accept 2% of applicants, but does one test fairly reflect a student’s overall college aptitude?
The answer, of course, is no. This fact has slowly begun to gain traction in the world of college admissions. It began during COVID-19 when millions of high school seniors were unable to take the ACT or SAT due to lockdown requirements. Schools couldn’t very well mandate a test that literally none of their applicants were able to take, so the requirement was waived.
Those waivers are still in effect at many universities. Schools that omit standardised tests from their admission requirements generally allow students to include them as a way to support their submission, but will not weigh the absence of standardised tests against them.
In the last year or so, many prestigious schools have re-instated their standardised test requirement, stating that they found students who lacked good scores failed to thrive within their accelerated curriculums.
The extent to which this is true is difficult to say. Because standardised testing requirements have only recently been modified, there is not strong data reflecting academic outcomes for college students who did not take the tests. The first group of students who entered college with this requirement uniformly waived haven’t even graduated yet at the time of writing.
While the efficacy of standardised testing remains in question here’s one thing you can count on: The absence of a good score usually won’t hurt your application efforts. The presence of a good score, however, will boost your eligibility and possibly qualify you for scholarships.
Grades and Class Rank
Grades and class rank are generally weighed heavily in admissions and scholarship decisions. However, it is important to keep in mind that not all courses are treated equally. For example, honours courses are weighed differently in GPA calculations than electives.
Because every school applies its own admissions standard, there is no one optimal GPA. If you are applying to Harvard, it will almost certainly need to be perfect. If you are applying to a state school you may get in with a 2.5-3 GPA.
Generally, scholarship eligibility begins at 3.5 but the better your transcript is, the stronger your chances are for acquiring competitive scholarships.
Extracurriculars
Extracurriculars are a nice but often overemphasised aspect of college admissions standards. Very competitive programmes do like to see a well-rounded application that reflects not just academic achievement but also community involvement.
However, the vast majority of schools won’t worry that you didn’t participate in school clubs provided your transcript is strong enough.
Don’t Forget: You Can Interview Admissions
College admission is not a one-sided street. While it’s the university that ultimately decides if you will be accepted into their student body, you are ultimately responsible for making a decision as well. Is this college going to be a good fit for you? What is its culture like? What sort of support resources does it provide graduates?
These are considerations that can go a long way toward influencing not just your school experience, but also how easily you will be able to find work upon graduation.
Nearly every aspect of college is framed in a way that does not benefit the people participating in the process. Kids are asked to make choices that they lack the capacity to understand. How could a seventeen-year-old possibly know what it means to borrow $100K? How can someone who has never even legally voted understand that the college application process is just as much about what they want as it is about what the university is willing to accept?
There are literally thousands of four-year colleges in the United States. While they will each produce a unique experience, and leverage their own admissions standards, they also have a lot in common. The credentials they offer are ostensibly the same.
This diversity of options gives applicants power they don’t always realise they have. Take your time searching for schools. Look for programmes that meet your financial requirements, as well as your long-term goals. There truly is no shortage of options.
Pro-tip? Look for qualities that set you apart. Your transcript, no matter how strong it is, will ultimately resemble hundreds of others. Admissions essays are a great way to let your personality shine through. Also, look into diversity-driven grant or scholarship opportunities if you are a minority. Because the application criteria for these opportunities are narrow it is often easier to receive awards.
