Here is an examination of just how admission decisions are made, along with some tips to help you make the most of your application. What you read in this article will typically not hold true for large, state-funded US universities. Those tend to admit students by objective formulas using grades and test scores, not by the evaluation process described below.

Most selection committees review two broad categories of information contained in applications: academic information and personal information. At top-notch universities and colleges, academic excellence will be the primary criterion for selection.

Academic Excellence

What constitutes excellence? Believe it or not, strong grades themselves are not the answer. What admission officers are looking for is evidence that you have challenged yourself; they view your academic performance in relation to the opportunities available at your school. Admission officers look at your course selection, your grades, your rank in class and your standardized test scores - which are reviewed to see if they confirm the evidence of your transcript - and try to determine your potential for intellectual growth. The bottom line is: Will you be able to succeed here? Keep in mind that all colleges will have at least one counsellor on the admission staff responsible for coordination of international applicants. This person will be very knowledgeable about the educational systems of China and will read your application accordingly.

Personal Achievements

As you might imagine, even after selection committees have reviewed the academic credentials of applicants, there are still many more potential students than places in the incoming class. Admission officers will look at you personal achievements outside the classroom for evidence of persistence and leadership. Depth of commitment and achievement - rather than superficial involvement in - a long list of activities is the important factor. Think beyond your school-related activities too: music and athletics are fine, but colleges also want to know about part-time work, community service, civic organizations, etc. Of course, there is more to you as a person than the sum of your activities. The recommendation letters your guidance counsellor, teachers, employers or others submit on your behalf will be carefully reviewed during the selection process, as will your essays and any insights provided by on-or-off campus interviewer

Your Personal Fit

Also important will be your personal fit with a particular school or program. A cardinal sin of applicants is forgetting to change the name of a college in the last paragraph of a personal statement, so they wind up accidentally sending an essay professing their kinship with, say, Dartmouth University to Middlebury College. Proofread your application carefully! But more important than knowing the name of the school to which you are applying (admission officers can actually be quite forgiving) is understanding what the school offers - and specifically, how you plan to take advantage of it. Don't just scour the website for the minimum test scores and the on-line application link. Read the catalogue. Look at the course descriptions. Identify the programs and research and opportunities that excite you - and then write about that excitement. Try to understand why a school believes itself to be unique, and then talk about how those characteristics coincide with your personal goals.

Often applicants are more interested in the degree they will ultimately earn than in how they will go about earning it. If you can talk about the latter, you will set yourself apart from the other applicants. Do not be concerned if you are not sure what you would like to study. Unless you are applying to a professional program like engineering or architecture, admission officers will not expect you to talk about a specific career interest. You will have more success in the process if you discuss what you want to study instead of what you want to be.

Follow Directions

When assembling your application, make sure you follow directions - and pay special attention to any unique requirements for international applicants. If the school asks for a CV/Resume, send one. If the instructions tell you to keep your responses to less than 500 words, don't exceed that limit. Most importantly, make sure when writing your application that you answer the questions that are being asked. Obviously, you'll want to use your essays to describe yourself and your aspirations, but you should do so only within the parameters of the questions themselves. If you are asked to talk about a time in your life when you failed, you probably don't want to write an essay about why you want to attend a school in a major metropolitan area.

Keep Your Options Open

Here's one more thing you need to know about admission, particularly at selective colleges: Every year these institutions receive far more applications that they have spaces in the freshman class. Consequently, they end up refusing admission to many students that they know could be successful, often for no other reason than lack of space. Receiving a refusal letter is disappointing, of course, but please keep in mind that it is not a referendum on you and your accomplishments. It is merely a reflection of the competition. And remember just because a school is your first choice doesn't mean it's the only school for you.

With a thoughtful and thorough college search, you'll be applying to several colleges that are good matches for you and that represent a range of chances for admission. So even if one or two schools say no, the disappointment will only be temporary. Next fall, after a few days at your college of your choice, you won't be able to imagine yourself any place else.

Author: Scott Anderson
Mercersburg Academy

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