2. Michele Brown, Senior Assistant Director
◦ The Ohio State University
Rae Ann DiBaggio, Senior Associate Director
◦ Case Western Reserve University
3. What’s the hype with the
college admission process?
◦ 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!
4. 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 10-15 apps per slot
◦ Tough review process for admission
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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?
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. Extra-Curricular Activities
Leadership
Work
Race/Ethnicity
First Generation Status
Socio-Economic Status
Geographic Diversity
Special talents
13. 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
14. Students can control
◦ Academic Performance
◦ Essay
◦ How application is put together
Counselors can control
◦ Profile, letters of recommendation
College can control
◦ Institutional goals
No One Controls the applicant pool
15.
16. Excellence College
◦ Selective, Private, Liberal Arts College
◦ Admission Rate: 50%
Average GPA of admitted students = 3.9/4.0
ACT middle 50% = 27 – 32
◦ Student Population: 2,500 undergraduates
◦ Available Majors: Traditional Liberal Arts
Select 1 student to admit, 1 to deny
17. Great State University
◦ Public, Selective, Research University
◦ Admissions Rate: 65%
Average GPA: 3.7/4.0
ACT Middle 50%: 25 – 30
◦ Student Population: 25,000 undergraduates, 8,000
professional and graduate students
◦ Available Majors: Arts and Sciences, Business,
Engineering, Education, Health Sciences
Select 1 student to admit, 1 to deny
18.
19. Michelle Gregory, Williamsburg, VA, UND
◦ GPA: 3.74, Class Rank: DNR/153; SAT 1300
Stephen Markowitz, Cincinnati, OH, UND
◦ GPA: 3.56; Class Rank DNR/480; ACT 29: SAT 1310
