College admissions not all about making the grade

We hear from students and parents at this time of the summer with their questions about the relative importance to college admissions committees of such key factors as grade-point average, class rank, standardized admissions tests, personal essays, teacher and counselor recommendations, and interviews with admissions officers or alumni representatives.

As students plan their courses for the remainder of their high school years and prepare for required testing, the perennial question that emerges concerns what priorities to set.

Should a student plan a curriculum that increases the odds of attaining a high ranking in his class or should the emphasis be on taking a very challenging curriculum? How important are admission tests and how much time should be devoted to preparing for them? Students and parents also want to know how big a factor extracurricular involvements will be in the selection process; and what is the impact if heavy commitments here will affect grade performance.

To help both high school counselors and students understand what really matters, the National Association for College Admission Counseling conducts an annual survey of its members. These include public and private colleges and universities across the country. There are two noteworthy patterns to be aware of.

First, over the past decade, grades in college preparatory courses has remained the most significant factor in college admissions decisions, according to 78 percent of the respondents. Second, class rank as a significant factor has declined in importance from 42 percent to 33 percent of the responding colleges. About 80 percent of all public high schools still report class ranking for its students. The great majority of private and religious schools do not.

Families that have experienced the elimination of class ranking in their high school, have expressed concern that this will affect college admissions for their student. Such does not appear to be the case.

While ranking has decreased, over the same ten year period, results on admissions tests, SAT or ACT, have increased dramatically in importance both to public and private colleges: 61 percent report that standardized tests are of considerable importance compared to 46 percent a decade ago.

The role of teacher and counselor recommendations, essays, work or school activities has not changed very much over time, and none of these factors come close to the importance assigned to grades, curriculum, and admissions tests. However, any of other elements can be an important “tipping factor” in the admissions process for a strong academic candidate.

It is important for prospective college applicants to recognize some of the differences between public and private colleges in the weight assigned to certain key factors. For example, selective private colleges pay greater attention to teacher and counselor recommendations, the personal application and essays, leadership and individual talents of applicants.

Our experience confirms that for the great majority of selective colleges and universities, the student who has challenged himself or herself by taking all college prep courses, including at the advanced level where appropriate, and who performs well, but not necessarily at the very top of the class, will have the most opportunities to enroll in a selective public or private college.

Due to continuing increases in the number of high school graduates each year and the resulting college admissions competition, a strong showing on either the SAT or ACT will further the odds of acceptance to a quality college of choice. Consider getting a jump start on the fall term by practicing for the standardized tests and lay out an academic program that gives you a healthy balance of challenging courses in subjects you like and in which you will perform well.