Admission officers evaluate applications in several different ways, depending on how competitive their college is. In terms of selectivity, colleges and universities fall into three basic categories:
- Less Selective
- More Selective
- Very Selective
Less Selective Colleges:
Less selective colleges usually determine your acceptance by posing two questions: have you met the college's basic requirements and does the college itself have availability? While not required for admission, ACT and/or SAT scores may be used for placement.
More Selective Colleges:
More selective colleges, which is the category most colleges fit into, have stricter standards. These colleges and universities look at the following:
- Admission Test (ACT/SAT) Scores
- Course Work
- Grades
- Letters of Recommendations (if requested)
- Personal Statements/Essays
Very Selective Colleges:
Finally, very selective colleges evaluate students on all above-named criteria and more. Very selective colleges scrutinize every aspect of a student's high school experience. Many applicants that apply to very selective schools are already strong academically, thus factor such as your personal statement and transcript are critical.
In normal situations admission officers will follow what is called a need-blind admission policy. In other words, yours and your family's income is not a factor in determining whether you are accepted or not. In some cases, admissions officers are 'need conscious,' so at these schools you and your family's income is a factor.
Collegeboard.com states that selective colleges consider these factors for admission:
- Admission Test (ACT/SAT) Scores
- Alumni Relationship
- Application Questions and Essays
- Completed Courses
- Counselor and/or Teacher Recommendations
- Ethnicity
- Extracurricular Activities
- Geographic Location
- Grades
- Grade Point Average
- Major and/or College Chosen
- Personal Interview
- Rank in Graduating Class
- Special Talents and Skills
Now that you have a better idea of what colleges are looking for, you will be able to meet these prerequisites with confidence.
