- 07 Dec, 2023
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- 3 Mins Read
HOLISTIC COLLEGE ADMISSIONS – MUCH MORE THAN THE METRICS
HOLISTIC APPLICATION REVIEWS VS. METRIC BASED REVIEWS
“WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?”
DID THEY GET IN?
If you know any high school seniors this holiday season, they are about to learn their fate for their early decision college admissions and maybe even their early action decisions.
The one consistent behavior is overwhelming happiness for those admitted and a range of emotions for those denied or deferred.
Statistically, the admit rates have been dropping precipitously at the most select schools. Students who did not consider the admittance advantages of early decision may have some significant mood swings.
Reminder: once colleges were practically forced to go test optional during Covid, applications increased dramatically, especially at historically selective colleges. Students who would previously have not considered schools due to their below par test scores had become more brazen. Some schools became experts in working through their algorithms to fine tune their yield and even went so far as to lower the actual number of admitted students and not just benefit from the application volume increases that lowered their admit rates.
For those familiar with the metric application review in other countries (or the way it used to be in the U.S. just about a decade ago), the move to holistic application reviews can be upsetting.
A typical metric application view: How can my son/daughter who had a 1550 on the SAT (or 35 on the ACT) with a 3.9 GPA, 6 AP’s and a multitude of extracurricular activities not get into every school that he/she applies to?
TIME TO PIVOT
Parents who are familiar with the classic book Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson, may want to consider a re-read. The book’s premise is that things have changed and resorting back to the same way and the areas that brought success in the past may now not result in getting the “cheese”. It’s a statement about dealing with change and seeing the writing on the wall. Similarly, college advice using past “tried and true” approaches are now out of phase with the current college admission realities.
In denial, many parents will question: “Don’t these admission tests and grades and AP tests matter?”
Well for the most selective schools with all candidates meeting the metrics, what is an admission officer to do? How can they decide who to admit?
Thus, the birth, and maturity, of the holistic approach to admissions. By also looking at an applicant’s personal qualities, leadership potential, and passion for learning, colleges can identify individuals who they feel are likely to thrive academically and enrich the campus community.
I just forwarded an Instagram post that parodied the whole college admission pendulum swing: my favorite line– “what do you mean they only cured one kind of cancer?”–implying that they should be doing more.
KEY HOLISTIC REVIEW FACTORS
Some factors the holistic review considers:
- Does the student demonstrate intellectual curiosity?
- In addition to their academic classwork, grades, and test scores, what distinguishes the student from other students?
- Does the student show their character, and does it sync with the school’s commitment to their mission (whether that be diversity, inclusion, etc.)
- Has the student demonstrated why the school they are applying to is unique?
- Does the reader of the application get the sense that if offered an acceptance, the applicant will in fact attend?
THE HOLISTIC CHALLENGE:
It is simply that the process is opaque. It’s never clear now why a student was admitted or denied. So, parents and students are likely to come up with a variety of reasons.
THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS:
Holistic admissions are here for the near future and maybe beyond. To try and “calculate” acceptance on metric factors is like hoping the old cheese that stayed in the refrigerator drawer too long is still good.
NEED HELP IN NAVIGATING THROUGH THE COLLEGE PREP AND ADMISSIONS PROECESS?
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Best Regards,
Neal Schwartz, Owner
College Planning of Westchester
[email protected]
914-273-2353 (office)
914-500-5899 (mobile/text)
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