College Admissions: The Inside Scoop

Spring for high school seniors is a tumultuous time. As colleges return their acceptance decisions, households can be a place of either utter joy or somber disappointment. Ivy League aspirations can be quickly deflated and always an underdog or two walks away with an acceptance letter and a smile. As admission rates take their yearly plunge and the competition grows fiercer, nothing is guaranteed.

The old metrics of predicting success—grades, number of AP classes taken, test scores—no longer cut it. When a “perfect” student fails to get into his or her dream school, some lob words like “arbitrary” and “unfair” at the process. In reality, they’re unwilling to see the bigger picture, which is that numbers mean very little these days. There are thousands of kids across the U.S. with identical test scores and grades as you. So what makes you unique?

That being said, I’ve spent months charting a method through the madness, checking my assumptions with friends and online sources. And I’ve started to develop a theory of how this whole thing works. I’ve provided some of my most useful tips below:

 

Show how you’re different.

You always hear about colleges looking for “leadership positions,” “outstanding GPAs,” “schedules that reflect academic rigor.” But what they are really looking for is unique individuals who can dynamically contribute to their campus. What makes you special? It could be the fact that you read outside of class, your involvement with your religion, or your travel experiences.  Write about subjects like these in your essays. The purpose of the essays is to allow the admissions committee to glimpse parts of you that can’t be expressed through a resume. Do that successfully, and your chances of getting in will improve exponentially.

Apply to a lot of schools.

You heard me. A lot. The more schools you apply to, the more likely you are to get an acceptance somewhere. Don’t just manufacture as many applications as you can, though. The trick is to not let quantity trump quality. If you’re going for highly selective places, I would suggest applying to 6-12 schools, with the real die-hard workers going for up to 16. If you’re set on certain state schools, apply to 4 or 5. Apply to your most important colleges first, when you are the “freshest.” 

Fortify your options.

Separate your list of prospective colleges into “safety,” “probable,” and “reach” schools. Try to incorporate a good mix of those when finalizing your list.  Also, fortify those safety schools by applying to scholarship programs within them. This could make all your options exciting come spring. I’ve witnessed students who were accepted into top 10 schools turn them down for full rides at a state school. Many schools have scholarships waiting for students like you—look into them!

 

My dream school all my life was Columbia University. There are those who told me I had no chance of getting in there because I didn’t take enough AP classes in high school or because my grades weren’t good enough. My desire to be accepted there drove me to study the school’s admissions process carefully. I consciously built an applicant “brand” and I demonstrated clear interest in the school. My eventual acceptance to Columbia University was, in a way, simply a validation of my method.

I am running a college consulting business this summer because I want to give students the same rewarding experience I had when I applied to colleges. I help with all aspects of the process, including resume creation, essay writing, and building a unified brand as an applicant. More information is provided below. Good luck to all high school seniors this fall as they pursue their dream schools!

 

Portions of this article were written with the help of Vibhuti Krishna. Vibhuti will be attending Vanderbilt University next year on a full ride. 

If you wish to contact the author for more information about his college consulting business, please e-mail zachmschwartz@gmail.com. The rate is $15 for a one-hour session. It is advised that you contact him soon; he will be leaving for college at the end of August.