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Understanding College Admissions
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Admission Director's Perspective |
Each year millions of high school seniors and their parents spend a year of their lives worried about getting into college. There is this common misconception that the competition is solely on the shoulders of applicants. While applicants may believe their entire future is on the line, this often pales in comparison to what is happening on the other side of the fence in this high stakes process.
To really maximize your chances for admission, you need to think about the application process from the viewpoint of an admissions director. So, first you should ask yourself, what their job is. Most think it's to keep students out. However that couldn't be further from the truth. Every admissions director has one job: fill every seat of the next class with the best students they possibly can. This is where a mixture of institutional strategy and the mechanics of the admissions process come in to play.
Before we continue, it is important to remember the stakes of the game for the college. They need to fill all the seats in their entering class. Think of this like selling seats to a concert. If you don't sell enough seats, you miss your budget projections and have a financial mess. However, if you sell too many (i.e.: too many people show up), you don't have enough places for people to sit (and it takes years to realistically add seats). So in the end, admissions directors have to be dead on in with what they are doing. Or very close to it.
Also, a quick diversion on what it means to fill the colleges with the best students they can. Often we get the question of who is the best. That is where colleges routinely show their autonomy and individuality. For some it may mean the highest test scores or class ranks. For others it may mean the most diversity, and that doesn't mean ethnically, but diversity in past experience, interests, ideas or beliefs or simply geographic origin. Usually it's a little from each.
With that out of the way, let's return back to filling up the entering class. What does this mean? It means you need to get enough applications from people who will show up if admitted. This may sound simple, but it almost never is. Remember, you will probably apply to more than one college. Let's try an example with simple math. Let's say that every applicant applies to ten colleges. 10,000 of them apply to College A. And then let's say that College A admits half of them. Theoretically, how many students can College A depend on showing up?
If you said 5,000, you missed an important point. Remember, admission doesn't equal filling a seat. Each student applied to ten colleges. So in theory, they could have between zero and nine other acceptances to decide between. And College A has no idea how many other colleges will accept that applicant and whether she will go to any of them over theirs. So, the confusion begins.
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| How
Colleges Have Handled This |
With that background we can
all understand that colleges have an interest in
accepting students who are likely to show up.
This need is so strong that they invented a
system to help them do so; it's called Early
Decision. You probably already know exactly how
it works, but let's take a look at it from the
college's point of view. Sally applies to
College A early decision. College A accepts
her. What happens now? You got it -- there is
a 100% chance that Sally will fill their seat
next fall and so College A has effectively
reduced its risk that the seat will go unfilled
(or overfilled).
Some colleges have even taken this further.
They invented Early Decision II. What is it?
Simple, it's just like Round 2 of the MLB
draft. Those who didn't get picked from their
first Early Decision college have another shot.
Or shall we say the college has another shot to
fill the seat. Example: John applies to College
A Early Decision. Thinking that his test scores
are a little low and that they will likely have
better prospects in the pool, they "defer" him.
In essence, they are taking a pass on his |
Applicant's Interest a Factor at Top Colleges
Source: 2008 Common Data Set, Filtered by Most Selective and More Selective Colleges as Categorized by US News and World
Report. 104 Colleges Reporting.
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application, but are willing to come back if they don't
find anything better later on. So, a wise John decided
that College B is pretty good too. He applies to
College B in Early Decision Round 2. College B thinks
he is at least as good as their average applicant so
they take him. What else do they get? You've probably
guessed it: 100% chance that he'll fill a seat for
them. A guaranteed lottery!
If you have any doubt in this philosophy, just
look at the statistics. In an analysis of the most
selective colleges for which we had enough data (115 of
them), the colleges admitted applicants for early
decision an average of 41% more frequently than they did
for their regular applicant pool.
You can check this out for
yourself.
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| What
About Everyone Else |
In reality, only a small number of spots are filled
through Early Decision programs. What does that mean?
Does it mean that colleges don't care about filling
seats after Early Decision? Of course not. It means
that its time for a little statistics and voodoo magic
for the admissions director.
The regular decision acceptances must now be made in
such a way to arrive at the number of students they want
to have. It is done by trying to ascertain which
applicants, if admitted, are likely to show up. Here is
how one admissions director recently explained it:
"Colleges tackle mind-numbing numbers of analyses trying
to figure out who is more likely to accept based on a
variety of characteristics, including region of origin,
academic ability, sex and ethnic background. For
example, a student with an SAT score just under perfect
who is also a valedictorian is viewed differently than a
student with a score several hundred points lower who is
in the top 8 percent of his or her class "
The Washington
Post, April 20, 2008
To do this they look at past practices of students with
similar profiles. They ask themselves; at what rate do
we think they might fill a seat for us? So what is in
that profile? It may consist of academic achievement,
interests, and even geographics. But an
important factor is interest. Why is this?
Because those who are interested are more likely to show
up. And the more interested they are, the more likely
they are to show up.
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| How Do
I Show I am Interested |
The voodoo begins. First, the obvious commitment --
apply Early Decision. You make the ultimate sacrifice
and virtually propose to your future college: you're my
first choice, if you take me, I'm yours. Or even
better, you can pass on me now, but if you take me
later, I'm still probably yours.
Beyond that, however, they look at a number of
ridiculous factors. For example, did you come to
campus. Why? Since most colleges aren't nearby, it
really takes effort to actually show up and visit.
True, but this is also somewhat flawed. For instance,
if you visited a college in Boston, it would be prudent
and efficient to visit a bunch of schools during that
trip. In that case, how does Boston University know you
are more interested in them than in Boston College (or
even that you visited them). Simply put, they don't.
And that's where the voodoo magic combined with past
statistics comes in.
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| How
CAPS' CPS Gives You the Edge |
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Now that we've established the importance of
demonstrating interest. you will be pleased to learn
that CAPS has invented and patented our exclusive
College Preference System, (CPS). CPS not only aids
colleges, but increases your chances of admission to the
colleges of your choice. While it won't increase your
chances beyond Early Decision, to those who are really
interested, it will help separate your application from
those who may be less so. It also levels the playing
field as your won't be forced to spend large amounts of
money visiting colleges that you might not even get in
to. That's a win-win.
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