Admission decisions sometimes appear to defy logic, but they are far from being arbitrary or random. The admissions process isn’t exactly formulaic and that is actually a good thing. Being qualitative and subjective allows colleges to both define and admit the students that best meet their requirements. Is there a Secret Formula to gaining admission to colleges? Many college aspirants try in vain to find the elusive secret formula and some even claim to have found it. 😊

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The reality is, there is no such secret formula, and each college conducts its admissions process differently. While all colleges look at a common set of parameters, the difference is largely in terms of prioritization and weighting that they attach to the different parameters and the details of how they define and analyze the parameters. In the end, all colleges practice variants of what they deem as a holistic admissions process with the aim of enrolling a student mix that comprises of diverse backgrounds and experiences, strengths and talents, and academic interests.

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Researching and choosing colleges to apply to, is not easy. In fact, it is complex, tedious and time consuming. Having clarity on what the common set of parameters that colleges care about and look for in students is a good start.

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Colleges care about and look for (in descending order of importance)

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1. High School GPA
   How well you do in your high school academics is seen as the single best indicator of how well you are likely to do in college. Did you challenge yourself and how did you fare? For example, AP courses and AP exams are tools to demonstrate that you are willing to stretch yourself intellectually and academically, beyond the high school coursework.
    

2. Test Scores
   The past 18 months has seen a huge shift in colleges going test optional. Maybe not as much as before but getting a stellar test score still counts as a huge plus on your college application.
    

3. College Essays
   It is said that by the time you apply, everything you need to do in order to be admitted has already been done, or not. The essay is an exception to this rule. You can’t change your grades or test scores, but you still have the golden opportunity to write a compelling essay, so make the most of it.
    

4. Recommendation Letters
   You have to work hard at getting a good letter of recommendation. Please read the article on this topic to learn more about letters of recommendation.
    

5. Extra-Curricular activities
   On this, we have only one thing to say... Pursue what genuinely interests you and are passionate about rather than what you believe will look good on your application. Write boldly and proudly and let your passion shine through.
    

6. Other
   There are a few other factors that play a role e.g., Demonstrated interest aka you communicating to the college through any means possible that you are interested in that college. Over 70% of the colleges say that demonstrated interest plays at least some role in admissions decisions.

 

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In judging an applicant, colleges look for academic ability combined with imagination, vitality, concern for others and a capacity for growth. Never forget that it is a real person who is reading and evaluating your application. An application written with care, that reflects who you truly are will always triumph over an application that checks all the boxes but lacks authenticity.

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College & Me is a series of articles featuring useful information about College Admissions for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in US colleges.

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