Behind the Curtain: How Admissions Decisions Are Made

Myth vs. Reality

Myth #1: Admissions is purely numbers-driven.

Reality: Numbers DO matter; they open the door. But once the door opens, colleges look for signs of your potential. Admissions will assess leadership, community impact, your resilience, and academic and personal curiosity through your activities, essays, and recommendations.

Myth #2: Rigid formulas decide who gets in.

Reality: While large schools enter your stats into a database to sort potential candidates, your application ultimately lands on a human desk. Committees debate, advocate, and argue for particular candidates. This is why it is so important that you visit your colleges, meet admission officers, open all emails, and have positive interactions.

Myth #3: Early applicants have a huge advantage.

Reality: Applying early can help if you are truly ready and have an absolute number one college choice. Your application needs to be polished, thoughtful, and complete. But if you are uncertain and do not have a clear favorite or would rather weigh merit/financial aid offers, Early Decision is not for you.

Myth #4: You must check all the “right” boxes to get in.

Reality: There is no one-size-fits-all recipe. Yes, great schools want driven, academically successful students. Still, those students come in many varieties, and only admissions will know exactly what type of student they are looking for in that particular class. So be authentic and tell your story.

What Is Holistic Review?

Let’s stop sugar-coating: holistic means real. Admissions are not based on metrics alone; they are based on you and your accomplishments.

• Academic Performance: Grades, course difficulty, and your academic trends. A downward trend? Explain it.

• Test Scores (if required): Scores confirm you are ready for college-level work.

• Personal Essays: This is your voice and your story, so do not waste it. Use it to discuss who you are, not just what you have done. Be authentic and do your own writing!

• Letters of Recommendation: A thoughtful recommender can elevate your narrative. Choose people who know you well and will provide specific examples.

• Extracurricular Depth (not just breadth): Being the student council president is nice. However, valuable activities are not limited to the typical. You could start a podcast with great STEM content, create a non-profit to support debate teams in underserved school districts, build an app to help your community, or work weekend shifts at your mom’s shop to pitch in.

• Character & Resilience: Have you survived a family crisis? Have you stayed positive through health struggles? Reflecting on these challenging times can provide admission’s insight into your character and maturity and give context to your journey.

  
  

Behind the Scenes: The Process in Action

1. Initial Screen: Your grades, scores, and rigor are the foundation of your application. Admissions usually set a baseline GPA/test score to manage volume. But meeting that bar only means you are in the pool, which is not accepted yet.

2. Committee Review: Real people dive in. They read essays, note unique contexts, and mark the glowing recommendation. They discuss.

3. Holistic Clusters: Admission has an idea based on prior years of the type of class they want to assemble. So, you may get in based on factors you can control and some that you cannot, such as regional perspective, a particular talent, research potential, or a leadership presence in your hometown.

4. Admit, Waitlist, Denied: Every call made after reading is a carefully weighed judgment. Even a "yes" can be strategic: filling a small-town slot, boosting STEM numbers, or rounding out class diversity.

   
   

No Sugar, Just Support

·        Be Authentic: Pretending to be something you are not sets you up for misfit college choices.

·         Tell your Story: Good essays do not just show accomplishments; they show how you have become who you are and the growth and maturity you have gained.

·         Demonstrate growth: Admissions want students who will thrive, not just survive. Show your capacity to push forward.

• Use context: If your resources were limited, let them know. Context does not excuse; it explains your circumstances.

• Stay resilient: If a rejection hits you hard, that is okay. As long as you have a well-balanced college list based on your statistics and priorities, you are still on track.

Final Thoughts: College admissions are messy, human, and surprising. They are part art, part science, and not always fair. But if you bring honesty, character, and self-awareness, you will find a place where you belong and can flourish.