When college admission officers are deciding whom to accept (or reject) from their school, there are certain criteria they are keeping in mind while evaluating stacks of applications.
- What special talent will the applicant bring to the college campus? The student body, at most colleges, consists of thousands of students. What a college typically needs is not thousands of well-rounded students, but thousands of students who each have a talent that contributes to an accomplished student body. The more unique the talent that an applicant highlights on his/her application, the more attention it will likely garner from the admission staff. While colleges typically have many applicants eager to play football, basketball or soccer, there are many fewer applicants featuring talent in synchronized ice skating, fencing, women’s golf or men’s gymnastics.
- Does the applicant have a “passion project?” College admission officers are particularly impressed with students who have identified an area of interest and accomplished something in that field. Perhaps the student has launched a business, initiated a charitable drive that donated a sizable amount of money to a worthy cause, or taught himself/herself an impressive skill and then put it to use to benefit the community.
- Does the applicant have any awareness of, and empathy for, the global community? Colleges encourage students to travel abroad and become immersed in a foreign culture. Students who have already done so in high school should share their experiences and let colleges know what study abroad opportunities they hope to engage in during their college years.
- Has the applicant engaged in meaningful volunteer work? Colleges offer limitless opportunities for students to engage in volunteer work in almost every area of life on the local, national and international arena. Students who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to helping others during their high school years are much more likely to be altruists during their college years.
- Will the applicant, if accepted, likely attend the college? Colleges are ranked on their yield – the percent of accepted students who actually enroll – and strongly favor applicants whom they believe will accept an offer of admission. Students should therefore personalize each application, sharing the specific qualities of the college that the applicant finds most endearing. By demonstrating sincere interest, an applicant has the best chance of moving to the “accepted” pile from a stack of applications all with similar GPAs and SAT scores.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for more than 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.
