Keys to Admissions

The heading might be a lie. Although there are things students should do to give themselves the best possible chance to get accepted, there are no formulaic guarantees for success. At any school that accepts less than 50% of its applicants, by definition, the odds are against the student. Highly selective schools turn down many, many qualified students. Stanford has more applications from valedictorians than it has spots to offer. More than half of the Harvard applicants who had 1600 on their SAT's were turned down. While there is a mysterious element to the whole admissions process, there are qualities colleges want to see and things students should be doing beginning in the freshman year.

Five elements of a good application are:

1. Transcript Take a rigorous course load and do well in it.

2.Standardized test scores These matter. Prepare for them.

3.Leadership How is your corner of the world different/better because of you?

4. Commitment/Passion What do you care about deeply?

5.Talent Are you an artist, musician, or athlete?

#1 above is universal. The others you can argue about, re-order, add to, or take away from, but it all starts with the transcript.