I was just Zooming with a family who asked, “What are the most important criteria when applying for college?”
I replied:
GPA/Grades/Courses
Students who take Honors, IB, Advanced or AP classes are communicating to colleges that they’re shouldering the most rigorous curriculum their school offers. GPAs are the traditional way for colleges to assess student performance; however, some schools don’t “do” GPAs, class rankings or even grades. I tell students at non-GPA schools not to worry. Their school counselor reports will describe to colleges how assessments are conducted at their individual school. For example, at some institutions, these student evaluations consist of written reports instead of a number/letter grade. Guidance or college counselors can gauge where a student stands in their class relative to peers. I advise students to meet/email their counselors to determine their placement, percentile-wise, in their grade: 50th? Bottom 3rd? Top 10 or even 5? This intel helps me advise my students and families when discussing a balanced college list.
SAT/ACT
I said to a student the other day: “Standardized tests: You either love them or hate them.” Even though many colleges are test-optional, I advise my students to get a diagnostic of each the SAT and ACT by a test prep professional, choose their best-fit format and submit the highest score attained. For some students, this extra data point works in their favor. However, if the scores don’t add value to an applicant’s profile, I usually suggest applying test-optional.
Extracurriculars/Internships/Jobs
Like the college essay, students’ activities often reveal a side of their personality that isn’t obvious when looking at their grades and scores. I’ve had students who intend to major in engineering reveal to me that their free time is spent on nail art or acapella singing. It’s not that the activities themselves are unusual; the twist is that the applicant’s profile with its STEM focus doesn’t point to such a variety of art-oriented interests. When parents ask what sort of outside-of-school activities students should engage in, I say jobs. My students know that I’m a fan of paid work: retail, hospitality, childcare, landscaping, office-work, among any others. Jobs, particularly ones where students interact with the public and are paid at least minimum wage, guarantee interesting content for college application Supplemental Essays.
Students who focus on perfecting the perfect trifecta — grades, scores and extracurriculars – are usually winners in the college application game.
SEP