Are College Admissions Fair?

n Recent Years, College Admission Scandals Have Resulted In Parents And Students Paying Closer Attention To The Admissions Process...

For decades, people believed the college admissions process was simple; a student’s suitability for college was determined by excellent grades and credentials. Now, it has become more obvious that a whole host of factors go into college admissions, and sometimes good grades aren’t all a student needs to get into college.

Do grades still matter? What about extracurricular activities, community service efforts, and a stellar application? Are admissions fair? While the college admissions process isn’t as simple as it used to seem, a student’s application will always be integral to their admission decision.

Though, the college admissions process is ultimately out of the applicant’s control, there are plenty of ways to make sure you’re applying for college with a strong application, and most importantly, integrity.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND IN THIS ARTICLE

• The Pressing Question: Is College Admissions Fair?
• The Strategy of College Admissions
• How to Present Your Best Self to Colleges
• Admissions: Fair or Not?

The Pressing Question: Is College Admissions Fair?

Many parents and students argue that the college admissions process is no longer fair. Because a large amount of the process comes down to luck and timing, students can feel like everything is working against them, regardless of how hard they worked during high school.

So many parts of the college admissions process are out of the applicant’s control. While students have access to information like their college’s ideal student and the average accepted GPA and test scores, there are a whole host of other factors that go into accepting or rejecting prospective students. Add in recent revelations about students lying on their applications, and the whole process can seem hopeless.

However, despite these hidden variables and periodic scandals (which, in the coming years, will hopefully become less and less common), there are still ways to guarantee that you’re sending in an application that highlights your unique skills and increases your chances of acceptance. While you can’t predict every part of the college application process, you can go in prepared.

The Strategy Of College Admissions

Alongside unfortunate and unethical behavior by small groups of students and their families comes parts of the admissions process that are simply strategic. Every year, colleges are looking for certain students to fill specific roles within their campus culture. This information will never be released to the public, because colleges don’t want to give away too much, thus making it easier for applicants to fabricate their applications in order to appear like the college’s ideal student.

Colleges keep certain factors in mind like how many students applied, their national rankings, student organizations, sports teams, and how to replace students who will soon be graduating. Highly selective colleges tend to have a blurry admissions process because it’s about more than only admitting students who have great grades.

You may have done everything right in high school; you may have taken AP classes, achieved a perfect GPA, became President of a student organization, and captain of a sports team. As a result, you may feel that you’re a shoe-in for your dream school. However, if there’s a student applying who has a lower GPA but meets the college’s mission and vision better than you do, that student may receive your slot.

That isn’t necessarily wrong or unfair; it’s simply the reality of college admissions. The process will always be more complex than checking off a series of prerequisites.

Overall, you’ll never know exactly what a college is looking for in their incoming freshmen, but you can find out the kind of students they need. Many times, colleges will release general information regarding who their “ideal student” is, and this can include prerequisites like heavy involvement in community service, Advanced Placement classes, and leadership roles.

Whether or not you’re the ideal student, the last thing you want to do is embellish information on your application. College admission officers read thousands of applications every year; they know when a student isn’t being truthful because they have official academic records to back them up. The absolute best chance you have of getting into college is learning how to showcase your unique skills on your application in a totally honest and ethical manner, while speaking to your dream school’s values and desires for their students.

A HEALTHY BALANCE

College admission scandals involving students fabricating information on their applications, or even worse, their parents getting involved in dishonest activity, have changed the way people look at the college admissions process. Colleges are well-aware of this new challenge, and many admissions offices are actively working to create a more transparent process and regain the public’s trust.

At the end of the day, applying to college is an honor system.

When you send in your application, college admissions officers are trusting that you’re telling the truth about yourself, your abilities, and your experience in high school. However, trust alone puts officers in a tricky, vulnerable position; as we have seen, sometimes students lie.

This is why college admission officers combine both trust and fact-checking. They compare official academic records with a student’s self-reporting about their experience, like their essays or list of extracurricular activities. For example, if your admissions essay focuses on your passion for community service, but your letters of recommendation and listed activities don’t match that portrayal, the admission officer reading your application will likely notice that you’re lying.

When it comes to applying for college, honesty will always be the best policy for your applications. Being honest shows colleges that you have a strong moral character, and ultimately, that’s exactly the kind of student colleges are looking for. They want students who have integrity, and being honest on your application is the right place to start.

How To Present Your Best Self To Colleges

In a sea of applications, it’s important that you’re authentic in your application, and learn how to highlight the things that will help you stand out. While these ways are subtle, if you’re being honest about yourself and your experience in high school, they could help you gain admission to college even when you can’t predict exactly what admissions officers are looking for.

POLISH YOUR WRITING

The essay is one of the most important components of the college application. Through this section, you have the chance to talk in-depth about yourself, your experiences, and what you’re passionate about.

One of the first things you can try when polishing your essays is tapping into your creative, artistic side. Don’t be afraid to use poetic devices like imagery or metaphors to draw your reader into your writing. However, remember to keep your writing professional, and take the time to proofread your writing for clarity and spelling.

Think about how you would feel as an admissions officer reading your own essay. Is it compelling? Does it draw you in? By crafting an essay that tells a strong (and true) story, you can captivate the admissions officer who reads it!

TELL A STORY

Think about the basics of a story’s structure. A strong narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end. So, instead of simply listing your high school achievements, tell a clear story.

Let’s say, for example, you want to talk about a certain life-changing experience. Begin with who you were before that turning point. This way, you have the leverage to talk about how the experience changed you and made you who you are today. From there, explain what it was about the experience that affected you, and why. Use visual language, and be introspective. From there, you can close by showing who you are today, and how you’ve put those new lessons into practice.

Use strong, action-oriented verbs rather than passive, general words. For example, if you initiated and led a community service project, don’t write, “I was involved with...”. Be specific! Write, “I created, organized, and led...”. Be clear with what you’re trying to say.

UNDERSTAND THE SCHOOL

While you’re compiling your application, do some research and find out about parts of the college that you would want to be involved with if you became a student. Get to know the school’s mission so you can find connections between your goals and the school’s goals.

You can also utilize the information you find in your essay. Draw a connection from your personal goals to a research department or project currently being hosted by your prospective college. By relating yourself to active parts of the college’s mission, that will make your suitability for the college abundantly clear, and may even earn you a spot in the organization you’re talking about!

HIGHLIGHT A FEW SKILLS

When completing your application, you have a great opportunity to highlight a small range of skills and show colleges your versatility. Try to focus on two to three activities that are connected in some way.

For example, if you are actively involved with the arts program at your school, but you also love to play soccer, don’t feel like you have to choose one or the other. Include both, and explain why you enjoy participating in both activities. If you want to take it one step further, talk about how both involve leadership and encourage you to think outside the box.

By highlighting a small range of activities, you’ll present yourself as a well-rounded student and give admissions officers more reasons to admit you. Though your dream school may not be looking for more soccer players that year, they may need to expand their art program. By showing them that you have a few key passions and skills, you open yourself up as a great fit for a variety of needs prospective colleges may have.

Think about what you’re best at and what you’re most passionate about. Don’t worry about what seems the most impressive; simply focus on being honest about what you care about and how you plan on implementing that into your time at college.

BE HONEST

One of the biggest mistakes students make is either trying to be too modest with their list of achievements or trying to make their experiences sound more important than they actually were. Don’t be overly cautious, but don’t be extravagant. Find a healthy, honest balance right in the middle that objectively states your accomplishments.

This principle of being honest is so much easier said than done because it often involves accepting the possibility that you may not seem very impressive on paper. When you’re filling out your college application, you’re probably going to feel tempted to embellish just a little bit of information to make yourself sound more important or experienced.

Resist this urge.

College admission officers will always find out the truth because they will have your official high school records on file. If you say you were captain of the soccer team, but you really weren’t, they will find out eventually that you embellished your information just enough to make yourself sound important.

Don’t buy into the lie that just because you weren’t in a leadership position or initiated a massive service project that you’re not important. You’re important simply by being yourself; you don’t have to tweak the truth or embellish your application. While things like leadership positions certainly help some students, fabricating information won’t help you gain admission to college either.

Finish your application with integrity, and it will serve you well in the end.

Admissions: Fair Or Not?

The college admissions process can seem both fair and unfair. It’s fair for colleges, who have so many factors to consider when it comes to admitting new students. They have rankings, class sizes, and admission strategies to consider, alongside all of the many clubs, sports, and other initiatives they have to worry about.

However, to prospective students, the way admissions is done today can seem confusing and even unfair. Colleges are admitting students left and right who don’t have very good GPAs and test scores over students who did everything right for four years. While the college knows that they’re accepting those students for the right reasons, to us it may be harder to see that.

These decisions can be heartbreaking and confusing, but since the very beginning, admissions decisions have always been out of the student’s control. You can do so many things to ensure that you’re delivering your best self on your application, but ultimately, whether or not you get into your dream college isn’t up to you.

The best chance any student has when it comes to gaining confidence and combating their fears is being authentically themselves. You have many great qualities; the key is showcasing them in an honest way, and hoping they fit the vision of the school you’re aiming for.

Be Honest, Open, And Compelling, And You Can Get Into Your Dream School The Right Way!