IN today’s college admissions climate everything matters. This week we focus on the role of academic performance and preparation. However, all students should start by creating an appropriate college list. This is the single most important step. I recently overheard a student expressing shock that a friend applied to 12 schools and was admitted to none. It is likely that the colleges were all beyond her friend’s reach to begin with or perhaps he/she was not a good ‘fit’ for many of the schools she selected. A college list should not only be appropriate based on the applicant’s preferences, personality and needs, but it should also be balanced based on a realistic assessment of the student’s likelihood of admission.

The College Admissions process is not “fair” or democratic — just because a student is qualified for a school does not mean he/she will be admitted. At most schools a student applying for financial aid is less likely to be admitted compared to a full-pay student, ceteris paribus (more on financial aid next week). Families must understand the dynamics of the process in order to position students for success. Careful attention should be paid to each admission factor in order to create an application that is as competitive as possible, highlighting the very best the student has to offer a particular institution. But no matter what schools are on the list, if a student prepares the application according to the toughest expected standards — those of highly competitive institutions — it will be good enough for colleges that are less competitive.

Academic performance and preparation

Admissions counsellors consider a range of criteria as part of the review of each application, however, the student’s academic record remains the single most important factor. Universities are first and foremost institutions of learning and admissions counsellors must be convinced that the student is capable of handling the academic demands of their school. US colleges assess academic background by looking at the types of courses taken, cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) and GPA in college prep courses, grade trends, performance on external examinations (AP, IB, A-Level, CAPE), academic honours or distinctions and Standardised Test Scores.

SATs vs ACTs

US colleges accept the SAT (www.collegeboard.com) or the ACT (www.act.org), while some colleges also require the SAT Subject Tests. Applicants should be clear about the requirements of each school on their list. Students often ask which test is easier — the answer depends on the student. The SAT is a logic test, while the ACT is a more straightforward, curriculum-based test. The ACT has fewer wrong answers disguised as right answers, includes a science section and does not penalise students for wrong answers. However, the ACT requires a greater command of academic material than the SAT. Critics of standardised testing argue that these tests are not reliable indicators of a student’s capacity. While it is true that a test is done on one day while an academic record is built over years, the reality is that colleges rely on standardised tests as measures of how students will perform at the college level. Recently an admissions counsellor from the University of Pennsylvania indicated that their office relies on SAT scores to compare students from different countries and high schools and these numbers often underscore admissions decisions. At many schools merit-based packages are also determined by test scores. Students should not treat any official test as a “dry run” since many colleges ask to see the student’s entire testing history. As part of my SAT course students must sit weekly SAT exams, fully proctored under test-like conditions because practice is essential for the SATs. The truth is that standardised test scores are more important in the admissions process than ever before, and definitely more important than most colleges will admit. There is good news for some students — most Canadian and British universities only require the SAT for students graduating from US high schools.

Go beyond the norm

Bill Fitzsimmons, Harvard’s Dean of Admissions estimates that some 70 per cent of applicants would probably be able to handle the academics at the university, yet Harvard admits eight per cent of its applicants. In order to stand a chance at highly competitive institutions, students should go beyond the norm, ie if the typical CAPE student takes four subjects, a student seeking admission to the Ivy League should take five or six. Be careful here, academic rigour alone won’t cut it — a student is expected to perform well while maintaining active involvement outside of the classroom.

Grade trends & red flags

Admissions officers pay keen attention to any changes in performance over the course of the applicant’s high school career. Ideally, a student’s grades should strengthen as he/she progresses through high school and the difficulty level of courses increase. If there is an unexplained drop in grades the student should definitely explain it — either in a supplementary essay or in the main essay. Some students simply hope that admissions officers will not notice, and that is a serious mistake. They will notice. Therefore if there is a red flag anywhere on the application be sure to explain it.

‘Fit’

Most colleges are looking for students from all backgrounds who demonstrate intellectual passion and challenge themselves with a rigourous course load. At some schools this basically guarantees admission. For Ed Gillis, Executive Director of Admission at the University of Miami, it is “all about the academics”. At other schools, even a flawless academic record will still only get the proverbial foot in the door, with more required to throw it wide open. Beyond academic ability, admissions officers at highly competitive institutions seek to build a multicultural community of students with diverse skills, talents and abilities who somehow ‘fit’ the institution. In explaining how admissions decisions are made Dean Rapleye of Princeton advises students “this is about us, not about you”. In order to assess ‘fit’ admissions counsellors seek to get to know the student as an individual, relying on personal statements, recommendations, activities, supplementary material and the interview.

Financial aid

In recent years, another factor has played an increasingly important role in how admissions decisions are made — financial aid. Next week I will discuss its effect on a students’ chances of admission, as well as the other factors listed above that go into the admissions decision.

Nicole McLaren is an educational consultant and director of Kingston-based firm AIM Educational Services Ltd. She may be contacted at nmclaren@aimeduservices.com.