How Do We Select Students?

 Nancy Gibson, Senior Associate Director ◦ Denison University  Michele C. Brown, Senior Assistant Director ◦ The Ohio State University

◦ Media Attention  Headlines “Toughest Year Ever in College Admissions” ◦ What does “Holistic Review” really mean? ◦ Confusion between “Best Schools” and “Most Selective” ◦ We’re here to give the insider’s view on admissions at selective colleges! What’s the hype with the college admission process?

 Open Admission ◦ HS diploma, accept on first-come first-served basis  More Selective ◦ More selective than open enrollment ◦ Look at a variety of factors  Very Selective ◦ Small number of schools ◦ Receive apps per slot ◦ Tough review process for admission

 Admission and Application Process  Types of admission: ◦ Early Decision (ED)  ED admit/deny  ED defer ◦ Early Action (EA)  EA single choice – restrictive EA  EA defer ◦ Regular Decision ◦ Deadlines vs. Rolling Admission ◦ Final grades do matter

 What are we looking for? ◦ strong record of academic performance ◦ enthusiasm for learning ◦ academic promise in part by standardized testing ◦ distinctive achievements or talents ◦ knowledge of self & appreciation for individual differences ◦ demonstrated interest ◦ institutional needs/goals  Bottom Line: We want students who will be successful and who will contribute to our community

Review Process  First Read: ◦ Typically - counselor assigned to high school ◦ Make admission/scholarship recommendations  Second/Final Read: ◦ Another admission counselor – adds another dimension ◦ Approaches review from a non-familiar look at app ◦ Committee: ◦ Some files – borderline cases ◦ All files – some schools may review every app in a discussion environment

 Key factors on the transcript ◦ Course selection  what is available at your school, and what did the student take? ◦ Grade trends  Upward or downward trends  Strength or weakness in a subject area ◦ Level of rigor  Did the student challenge him or herself?  Did the student take the minimum requirements or go above and beyond?

 What do admission offices need from high schools? ◦ Grading Scale ◦ Description of rigor  Is this an honors or accelerated class?  Is it included in the GPA?) ◦ School profile  Demographic information about your school  Course offerings  College bound rate of your students  Performance on standardized tests

 An essay that grabs our attention ◦ Students should be willing to take a risk and talk about something unique  An essay that doesn’t just retell information that is already included in the application ◦ Too many essays just list activities and other information that can be found on the transcripts  An essay with appropriate topic/subject/language. ◦ Students should consider if they really want the committee to know about this particular topic ◦ Students need to use appropriate format and grammar. We do judge on how the essay is written! ◦ Students should ask - What image is left with the reader? ◦ PROOF READ

 Recommendation letters can carry a lot of weight ◦ Tell us information about the student beyond the information in the application ◦ What type of student is this individual? Are there special talents we should know about?  Enlist others to help ◦ Ask parents to submit a “brag sheet” to give you a better picture of the student  Help other faculty and staff ◦ Develop writing guidelines for teachers and other staff who might write letters of recommendations

 Extra-Curricular Activities  Leadership  Work  Race/Ethnicity  First Generation Status  Socio-Economic Status  Geographic Diversity  Special talents

 College Admission decisions do not happen in a vacuum  The institution will have set goals that will affect who is offered admission that can include: ◦ Number of students ◦ Diversity of student body ◦ Types of majors available