Attending college is a major stepping stone, and there a lot of myths and undue stress surrounding the college admissions process. If you’re worried about college admissions, the last thing you should do is construct some crazy formula of needing 8 AP courses, a volunteer adventure abroad, three seasons of a spring sport, and mastery of a Southeastern Asian language.
Understanding College Admissions
Unfortunately, there’s no magic, guaranteed code that will help you get into a certain college or university. What you can do is take into consideration the following points:
- Admission officers value applicants who challenge themselves. Lower grades in AP courses might be more respected than higher grades in lower level classes.
- It’s better to demonstrate a strong commitment to one activity rather than list 20 activities you kinda-sorta participate in.
- There’s not one piece of your application that will individually make or break you. This applies to your GPA, class rank, course history, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation, personal statement/essay, interview, or any other aspect you can think of. If one area is below average, don’t let it drive you crazy.
Colleges are interested in how you will fit into their institution: What will you contribute to the campus? What will you get out of it? Will you be a positive role model on campus? Think about how you can demonstrate favorable answers to these questions.
Reading through thousands of applications a year, admission officers are well trained in spotting b.s. They can differentiate between the person who has been fervently committed to volunteer work for several years and the person who raves about their experiences at the homeless shelter, which they clearly went to twice for the express purpose of prettying up their application.
Every required piece of your application will be reviewed. Don’t assume that a large university will only glance at your test scores and toss your essay aside. Although some schools hold more objective pieces (i.e. class rank, tests scores, GPA) to a higher standard, they will still look at everything asked of you to supply.
Despite whatever urban legends you hear, there isn’t a college that accepts every single applicant. Some schools will accept everyone who meets a certain minimum requirement but those requirements must actually be met.
