Countdown to College
The Application Is In . . . Now What?
The coming months can be filled with anxiety for many college applicants and their parents. As you and your student wait to hear from schools, you may start to worry and wonder: What’s taking so long? What if she doesn’t get in to the school she has her heart set on? This newsletter will help you understand the admission process and give you some tips for what you can do while you wait for decisions and for how to handle disappointing news.
What goes on in college admission offices?
College admission officers are incredibly busy. They actually do read every essay and letter of recommendation and consider each applicant’s interests and passions when determining the makeup of a freshman class. But there is a finite amount of space in each freshman class and far too many qualified applicants. Last year, for example,
Admission officers have to be selective and look at factors beyond grades and test scores. But the old adage about colleges and universities looking for well-rounded students is not quite right -- colleges are looking for a well-rounded student body. They want individuals who will add to the school’s overall mixture, which means admitting students who have something unique to offer as well as students with solid test scores and grade point averages (GPAs).
The work of crafting a well-rounded class from a pile of thousands of qualified applicants often makes people feel that the application process isn’t fair. Students who are not admitted may be qualified in terms of their grades and test scores, but they could be denied admission for factors that are out of their control.
Admission officers juggle many different factors during the application review process, including:
Source:ilw
