The College Admission Game: What's the Ante?

Like Poker,  To Play the College Admission Game You Have to Have Jacks or Better

Yep, when you apply to a highly selective school it's a real crapshoot. So how can you improve your chances in this seemingly random lottery? Using a poker analogy, you must have Jacks or better to play the game, Here are some tips to "stack the deck in your favor".

1. At selective colleges, strength of secondary school curriculum and performance (GPA) within that context are the most important criteria for initial consideration. Additional differentiation can be seen in the Standardized test scores and class rank. Students applying to these schools have to have stellar grade and test scores. To achieve them they had to do their BEST at ALL times.

2. Excerpts from college admission officers selection attributes: "Our students have individual passions: things they really care about. They see themselves as playing a significant role in world and know how to accomplish this by making a contribution in their area of concentration using their passions as a driving force.

From a college admissions interview: "We ask about what current events you follow, favorite subjects, what you're involved in at school, what you want to do at our school, your family, who you look up to, in what area are the "king of trivia of", etc.

3. Select colleges have the cream of the crop applying to them (see # 1 above). Part of the ante to play in their league is to differentiate yourself and do so in a way that makes you unique and standout. Playing a sport, being on the newspaper/yearbook, playing an instrument are all nice and may be significant but they are really basic and only par for a course where birdies and eagles are expected. Competing on a school team that has a basis in intellect AND achieves higher level (state/national) recognition WILL stand out and be duly noted as a real positive on the student application. Participation in such areas indicates intellect, critical thinking, teamwork, competitiveness and problem solving skills. These attributes combined are highly valued by admission professionals. These activities can also help you have the ability to answer difficult essay or interview questions such as:

* "If there were five students competing for the same seat in a class, what would be your sales pitch to        the professor for letting you take it?"
* Name a class you have taken that has changed the way you think.

4. The ability to read both in quantity and quality is an imperative to college performance. College students receive multiple reading assignments every week, each of which is usually associated with an accompanying written paper. Learning to read in volume with a high level of comprehension is the acquisition of a skill that will have a lifelong positive impact. Such reading will increase vocabulary, enable better scoring on standardized tests, and perhaps most importantly help you develop critical thinking and problem solving skills while stimulating intellectual curiosity. From another college interview application supplement:

* What book have you read recently that you would tout as a "must read" to your friends? 

* What are your top five favorite books and why are they interesting to you.

5. Colleges look at how students spend their time. While not evaluating things such as playing video games, they are looking for meaningful pastimes that enrich the student's life and help them understand what they will be able to contribute on their campus. From a college brochure: "Students should strive to add things into their lives that will be meaningful to them. This requires effort and a self-starting mentality which will ultimately fully develop intellectual curiosity and the truly valuable attribute of seeking to be a lifelong learner."

6. Schools have two opinions of the concept of volunteerism/community service. The first is compulsory volunteer activity that must be completed as a requirement for graduation. This is seen as a given for all students regardless of selectivity. The second type of community service or volunteerism reflects a drive within the student. This activity demonstrates to the school that the student has matured to a level where their own self-interest is superseded by a real desire to help others over their own immediate needs. The select colleges expect that their student body will be cognizant of the needs of others and actively participate in areas to which they feel drawn.

A recent article and survey in the NY Times : "In the most positive light, such service teaches children and teenagers to look beyond themselves and understand the role they can play in their community and country. In the most negative light, it is one more activity to tick off en route to college."

A 2008 survey of admissions officers from the top 50 colleges and universities by the organization DoSomething.org, found that admissions officers consistently put a higher value on continuous volunteering over several years at a local place than a short-term stint overseas. In the survey, the admissions officers said they were confident they could discern when a student was being disingenuous about her commitment to community service. One noted that "insincerity seems likely when there is a laundry list of activities with minimal commitment."

7. College admissions personnel: We are looking for tomorrow's leaders. The fate of the world is literally in their hands. Students should actively seek any opportunity to take leadership during their secondary school years: captaincy of sports teams, student government, the lead in a school play or become known as a "go to" person that can resolve conflict. Not only will having these experiences help gain admission to a select college, they will provide a development and skill building cycle that will have a significant positive impact throughout the student's life.

8. Many students "hit the wall" at some point in their college career. Hitting the wall is finding that class work is overwhelming. Getting behind in a class can quickly lead to discouragement, and possibly failure. Students must develop the necessary skills that will minimize the chances of hitting the wall. In addition to the importance of reading discussed above, organization, time management and assignment completion planning skills are very important to keep a student from hitting the wall. It is critical that healthy habits are formed during the high school years and to be able to quickly correct a situation while at home where resources and assistance can be readily applied using parents, teachers or a tutor’s expertise.

What Makes a College or University Unique?

When a student and her family are searching for a post-secondary school that will be a “perfect” fit, they may see this as a daunting or even overwhelming task. How can they better the odds that the schools they consider will meet most of their needs? Will they be able to provide an environment where the student will have a chance to thrive in the midst of preparing for their career or post-graduate life?

While there is no easy answer, the process of school selection is quite definable, manageable and with enough advanced research and planning can be a wonderful experience for the entire family. The one MUST of this process is that it stem from the student point of view: what are her passions, what environment best suits her personality, what are her values? If these parameters are not brought into the selection process, there is a very HIGH probability that the student will not graduate in 4 years, will not enjoy the college experience, or not find anything that will facilitate their entry into the workplace upon graduation.

So put all of the above into the mixing bowl and add several additional key ingredients: student stats (GPA, ACT/SAT, rank, curriculum challenge, extracurricular involvement), their essay, their choice of large or small school, location, selectivity etc. When you stir this mixture you have the opportunity to then select several of the over 3500 colleges and universities where you can seek admission. Oh yeah, you then need to factor in that not so little consideration: the actual cost of attendance.

Okay it took a bit of preamble to address this topic of this post but here it is. While you should be prepared to do all of the above, it really helps to look a large variety of schools when you are trying to make a decision. Some you choose should be sure shots for admission, some should be possible and others a bit of a reach-visit as many as you possibly can. Make your visits with variety in mind; see a few large and small schools to get a feel for the campus and students that attend.

Here’s the deal, almost without exception each school you see (even though you have carefully narrowed down your choices) has some MAJOR uniqueness that will make it stand out. Whether it is faculty, specific majors, school spirit, the physical plant, student type or location there will always be something different about each institution.

Over the past few years, we at Educational Avenues have visited over 400 colleges. We use a practiced eye to look at each school as an entity unto itself: what student would fit there and who might have trouble? Is the faculty research oriented to the exclusion of student development? Are the students accepting or exclusionary? For some very good reasons, a number of these schools fall off our list of possible choices for the students we help in the school selection process. The rest have that uniqueness that will be an absolute match for one of our students. Give us a shout (chip@eduave.com or Claire@eduave.com) and we can share some of the ways we spot these characteristics as well discover the true hidden gems. We just completed a tour of 16 private colleges and universities in Florida and can give you an example of how each one has been able to be competitive as well in touch with what students of today require.