Dos and Don'ts of College Applications

At CSU we use a holistic review process, so we evaluate transcripts for trends in performance and in rigor, test scores, letters of recommendation, activities and essays before making a decision. Although it is primarily an academic review based on performance in school, this style of review gives us the opportunity to look beyond the grades themselves and ask if there are factors that have impeded a student’s performance that they have managed to overcome.

Wesleyan evaluates students’ academic and personal accomplishments in the context of their backgrounds, with socioeconomics seen as a primary factor impacting both educational and extracurricular opportunities and subsequently the choices students can make. Understanding the different circumstances and resources available across a spectrum of school and home environments allows us to view applicant’s academic records within the context of what is available to them and their personal accomplishments in the context of their family’s needs and resources.

We spend a lot of time on every file. We don’t use a formula of any kind to evaluate applications. We don’t pre-screen any applicants out of our pile or anything like that. Every student who applies, whether their transcript says they have 0.1 GPA or they’ve got the best GPA in the class, they’re going to get at least two reads for us.

The most disappointing situation tends to be when a student who has performed well early on has a sudden downward trend towards the end of their high school career, and does not explain what happened in the application or the essay, and the letters of recommendation do not mention what may have been the cause. Then we just have to go based on academic performance including the late downward trend.

The one that bothers me the most is a student who is on the fence but shows no desire or drive. By this I mean, they never visited, never called, no email, and their applications have just the basics. They are admissible but since they are on the “fence” a more aggressive student with like qualifications will get the slot. A student must realize they are applying in a pool of many students with like or equal qualifications. They need to shine.

Often students fail to realize that ALL of high school counts in the evaluation of applications – especially at a selective institution. We expect students to challenge themselves academically AND to do well, and perhaps most importantly, to FINISH their high school well academically.

We are disappointed when a student with the ability to perform at a high level in a demanding program chooses to take a less challenging set of classes. Another unfortunate reason an applicant may be passed over is that he or she has not taken the opportunity to describe circumstances or events that have impacted their school careers. For example if a student has had to change high schools several times be sure the admission committee knows not only why but how that has impacted the student’s academic and extracurricular choices.

Get to know the schools that you’re applying to! Schools have distinct cultures and personalities – you should feel that you’d fit at any of the schools that you’ve applied to. Most importantly, you should be able to produce a mature argument for that fit.

When a student has just made bad choices – she didn’t take a fourth year of math; loaded up on electives that are not college-level or high level or rigor. We know the student could have [taken college level classes] but didn’t because she thought she couldn’t. My advice: to just try; if a teacher has recommended to take a higher level course, don’t shy away. Keys: academic performance and rigor.

So, maybe they attend a high school that’s got an AP curriculum, and they’ve got 23 AP classes at their disposal and they’ve never taken any of them, or they’ve only taken one or two. For us, there’s no way for us to get past that, because the most important thing we look at is the rigor of a student’s curriculum. So, it’s heartbreaking, I see it a lot with first generation students, they think–and a lot of times their parents are advising them–don’t take those difficult classes, they’re only going to hurt your GPA. Why take a harder class, when you can get straight As in regular level classes?

To me one of the most frustrating things is seeing students who have a promising transcript only to blow off their senior year in terms of class rigor and/or grades. Additionally, while it generally won’t place students automatically in the reject pile, careless errors in the application itself (typos, misspellings, incorrect punctuation, or my personal pet-peeve leaving the name of another college in an essay or short statement) all reflect poorly on the application and that negative impression caused by those errors can cost the applicant during committee review.

Applicants must remember that admissions decisions are always made in a CONTEXT AWARE fashion. If your school does not offer AP or IB courses, work with your teachers to understand HOW you can demonstrate that you have challenged yourself academically. Admissions officers cannot expect you to have AP courses if none are offered by your school. But we can – and do – expect you to have challenged yourself academically in whatever way your school allows.

We review applicant in context. We don’t penalize the student for what is not offered. A student we took last year who went to a school in Philadelphia with very poor options (they spent four hours a day in study hall and didn’t have any teacher support); it was an unusual situation; she had great advocates in her corner (some alumni) and she had solid scores and it showed she could do the work.

There are many schools that do not offer Honors and AP classes for various reasons. The high school guidance department should provide colleges with a profile that tells them what the most challenging classes are in each department so admission officers can determine the strength of an applicant’s schedule. Students should be asking their own counselors about a course schedule that is appropriately demanding and striving to continue with five academic subjects or classes through the senior year.

A student this year sent in her activity sheet and listed reading and a list of books that she found most challenging – it was an interesting and provocative list; she found ways to augment her HS classes. She showed curiosity, initiative; transcending her current environment. If a student is coming from an underfunded school, we look beyond that and how they go outside of their school for opportunities

When there are no opportunities to take AP courses in HS, a student should look to take college courses for credit at a local college/university. This will give the student an opportunity to challenge themselves, and have a tangible record to provide in their college applications.

They shouldn’t worry at all for us. We read each application based on what’s offered at their school. As long as they’ve taken the best of the curriculum at their school – that’s what matters.

Some students do independent studies with their teachers. Students will talk to the teacher and say, “you know, I really want to pursue Spanish further, and do an independent study with you; can I be an assistant in one of your classes?” That shows a lot of initiative on the student’s part, and it also allows them to understand on a deeper level, what they’re doing. I’ve also seen students take some free online courses, so if a student has reliable access to the internet, they can do things like Coursera.

Given the holistic nature of our admission review process, a student’s academic rigor is reviewed in the context of the academic opportunities available to the applicant. Therefore, a student is not penalized if honors or Advanced Placement courses are not offered at his/her high school.

Show multiple attempts (do different things to improve your score) at the test; this shows persistence by the student. I would also recommend building a portfolio that can be used as a great demonstration of the student’s ability beyond the standardized test.

If you know that you want to go here and have low test scores, be an early decision applicant. Year after year, their test scores are typically 100 points lower than our average. We have to be thoughtful in the early decision process because the students don’t necessarily have the time to take a second test. But we love the demonstrated interest.

With a holistic reading process, we’re hoping to get to know each student in order to determine two things: whether they’d be happy and whether they’d be successful at our school. Test scores are only one part of the application and of that evaluation. We’re primarily interested in admitting students who fit our community and our curriculum.

Good grades in class or strong upward trends in grades. At CSU we place more weight on grades than we do on SAT and/or ACT.

A student can seek out “test optional” colleges where the strength of their academic work, essay, and recommendations carry all the weight. A student can also seek out an interview. This will give them the opportunity to shine face to face with the admissions committee.

Most of us pay more attention to academic record than the scores of the SAT tests. As a small liberal arts college, our expectation is that students will be active participants in their learning; the SAT exam is not a good demonstration of that. A student with modest test scores but shows a fire in her belly and active participation in the classroom is someone our teachers want to teach.

I can always bring into my committee a student with a great transcript but relatively low testing. The opposite is not possible. If the student has a relatively weak transcript but really strong testing, my colleagues could actually get angry with me if I try to bring that student to the table. The transcript is paramount, that is the single most important piece. I can always work with the student in our process who has a solid transcript but relatively weak testing, but the other work way does not work at all.

I would definitely encourage every student to at least understand how the tests are scored, because they can lose a lot of points, especially on the SAT, by not understanding that you lose a fourth of a point for every question you get incorrect, versus leaving it blank and losing nothing. Even if you just take thirty minutes to look over those things, I think it can sometimes have a dramatic impact on those student’s score.

There are plenty of ways to gain admission with test scores below the mean/median of the overall admitted pool of students. Holistic admissions means we consider many factors in our decision making process, so if a student has an excellent extracurricular background, great recommendations, and/or a stellar academic transcript, those factors all can help a student overcome lower test scores.

Applicants often have the impression that they have to have “experienced a hardship” for their essay to shine & it’s simply not true. The best essays are simple, about everyday things, like relationships or experiences. The key is to be genuine, and ANSWER the question being asked.

Students can separate themselves by sharing who they are and their values. Dig deep, think introspectively, and show creativity.

An applicant wrote about her identifying with food. One example was about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and its balance between sweet and salty and and how that’s like her personality. This kind of essay grabs your attention at the beginning. It shows you can take a lighthearted subject and look at how theoretical aspects behind them show who you are.

The ones that stand out for me often describe or share a personal story in 500-600 words. An example: volunteering through an organization and writing about what you experience instead of just what you see. Or an experience in their community. It’s the reflecting part that’s important.

Students that do a good job of incorporating humor are fun to read, but can be tricky to pull off. If you plan to use humor in your essay please have several people proofread it to make sure it is coming across the way you intend.

Extracurriculars give students the opportunity to demonstrate passion, leadership, the drive to succeed, and other strengths that might not be obvious just from their transcript.

We think of it this way: interests make you interesting, and, like any school, we want interesting people on campus. You should pursue activities which fascinate and excite you – in doing so, you’ll make your application more intriguing. More importantly, you’ll be a more intriguing person.

Some students work a job because they have to; they are breadwinners; they are taking care of family members. Talk about your experience & what it’s like to juggle time. One student whose application I read was literally working 30 hours a week; she had a really – I mean really – bad grade, but she was honest about it; she just ran out of time to prepare. She was honest, sincere and open; this is why she couldn’t participate in extracurriculars, but Swarthmore was the college she wanted to attend.

Colleges are looking for students who will engage and contribute to their communities, who will bring their passion and interests to campus, who will explore new opportunities, and who will be curious about their peers’ interests as well. There is no formula for demonstrating or identifying these traits, but commitment to a few activities over time and some leadership in one or more of those activities offers some evidence that a student will find interests and activities to commit to on a college campus.

Remember that ANYTHING YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DAY is extracurricular! This includes volunteerism, travel, part-time jobs, caring for younger siblings or elder relatives, working with your community of faith, summer camps, etc., not just school sponsored clubs and organizations.

A lot of students will wait until their senior year. We don’t like it when it goes from nothing to doing everything. That shows you’re just doing it for your college applications. If you’re doing things outside of school, we want to know about that. If you babysit 4 days a week, you should mark that. It still counts.

We value the quality of your involvement over the quantity of the activities you are able to include on your application. If you are working part-time, I would encourage you to share those experiences on your application. Part-time work often reveals to the Admission Committee your ability to manage your time, as well as skills you’ve developed through that job experience.

We look at each student individually and we consider working part time to be a positive quality in an application. We would never penalize a student for having fewer extracurricular commitments because their personal/family situation requires them to work part-time.

It’s best from a teacher who really knows your performance inside the classroom. A teacher who says, “I had Thomas his freshman year and I noticed he was intrigued with writing, he took vocabulary to heart and now that I have him in my AP English class, I can see his growth.” This is a strong letter of recommendation; it shows that you’re identifying the teachers who know you.

TIPS:

• Give them resumes
• tell them what you’re doing in school & outside of school
• give them the highlights of your high school years.

The best recommendations come from teachers who know their students beyond their achievement, test results and paper grades. Teachers for whom you have performed well and with whom you interacted beyond class – for example, discussed the class content, paper topics, or the difficulties you were having can address a student’s commitment to learning and education.

Find adults who know you very well and can speak to your integrity, character and accomplishments.

You can get a letter from a teacher in whose class you got a C in but did everything you could to earn it & this allows us to see a different side of you; they can talk to your work ethic and determination. Don’t ask for letter from a teacher who you only had for a month of senior year. We want someone who can share thoughts and insights about you – who can go beyond your “brag sheet.”

Do not use a rec from a club, organization, or advisor in place of a teacher rec, but it’s helpful to be an additional rec. to provide a different perspective from the academics.

You should always show up on time for an interview. You do not have to “dress up” but you do need to have a positive appearance. Remember, the interview is your opportunity to shine. You want to tell the committee why you should gain admission over the other qualified candidates. You want to be positive and articulate.

Don’t go in cold; have a basic understanding of the school you are interviewing at: Is there a core curriculum? Division I or Division III athletics? Are the major options mostly liberal arts and traditional academic disciplines, or are there more pre-professional majors like nursing, education, and accounting? In short, Don’t ask questions that are answered by a brief visit to the website.

Don’t be afraid to put a couple of questions out there. It isn’t a one way street – it should be a conversation.

If you look good and feel good, you’ll do good.

Don’t take the interview lightly – even an informal interview will make an impression on the interviewer and that impression will likely become a part of your application review. We have always appreciated a student who demonstrates through their interview that they are serious about their interest in Rice.

A big Don’t is trying to fake being someone you aren’t. The best way to have a great interview is to come prepared and be YOURSELF. The interview is a chance for the admissions office to get to know the student better. The interviewer is going to want to get to know you, your likes/dislikes, your interests, your strengths/weaknesses, and of course wants to see that you are genuinely interested in the college that you are applying to.

Reasons for rescinding offer:

• Crime & conduct happens very rarely (misdemeanors or felonies)
• Falsifying any documents or information within the application
• Threatening calls or emails to the admissions staff – by your family or friends or you
• Senioritis

I cannot emphasize enough to students that every interaction you have with your future college and its representatives is an interaction that has the potential to shape your application. These interactions include your admission interview, your conduct during your campus visit, as well as your email communication with members of the campus. Keep in mind that your interactions with students, faculty and staff will illustrate your fit, and to that end, you always want to put your best foot forward with your future college.

A drastic change in your academic schedule or performance can lead to a change in the decision (dropping two classes after the first semester, going from As and Bs to Cs and Ds), issues of academic integrity (caught cheating or plagiarizing), and personal character (expelled for fighting, getting arrested, selling drugs, misbehavior on a college campus while visiting) are all potential cause for an offer of admission to be withdrawn or to be required to take a gap year before attending college.

There have been occasions when we have seen something on a student, either somebody brought it to our attention or something like that, that they were being disrespectful with their online presence. They were being rude or they were sending harassing tweets to people. While we don’t go out and look for those things, just keep in mind that that’s a public presence, and a student should really control their public presence.

There are some dos and Don’ts students should keep in mind when it comes to interacting with admissions officers. First, is always be courteous and professional. Being professional (not using slang, informal greetings, being respectful of decisions, policy, etc.) can go a long way in making a good impression. Remember admissions officers are meeting thousands of prospective students and their families. Don’t treat them as your personal assistant for getting into college & respect their time and answers. There is nothing wrong with asking questions or notifying an admissions officer of application updates, but it is important for a student to exercise good judgment when contacting an admissions officer.