More Than a Test Score

Last month we rubbed shoulders with hundreds of US colleges and universities at the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) National Conference. People from a few schools stood out to us. First let me shout out to Peaches (Bryn Mawr), Denny (Tufts), Ben (MIT) and Densil (Stanford). I will say this, ain’t no party like a West Coast Party…!

A few new faces that stand out include those from Carleton College, University of Rhode Island, Columbia, and George Mason. I caught up this morning with Andrew Flagel, Dean of Admissions and Associate Vice President at George Mason. If you remember, Mason made an incredible run to the 2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. It gives me the chills just reminiscing on their tournament run. Andrew rode the team’s excitement to share George Mason’s message with literally hundreds of thousands of high school students. He effectively reached out to the student audience using both an opportunity and medium that is a large part of the students’ lives.

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When I was in high school, many students and parents alike, shared their theories about maximizing strategies for getting into highly selective schools. One of these strategies that people seemed especially sure of was that we, as students from Connecticut, were at a categorical, geographic disadvantage. With so many students from our little state applying to top schools, surely we would suffer as a result. The only students that might be worse off were students from NYC private schools. These theories found comfort in imagining that at least someone was worse off.

And, like most grassroots theories about highly selective college admissions, they were totally wrong.

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The simple answer – it might. 

Many high school students speculate and worry about the impact that legacies have in the admissions process. For clarification, legacies are applicants who had a parent attend the college to which s/he is applying. So, if my father went to University X and my mother went to College Y I would be a legacy at both places. Chances are, I would have some advantage at those two schools.

How much of an advantage is impossible to tell. Every college and university has a way of evaluating legacies. Some schools consider legacy status as just another aspect of an applicant’s profile - can help, doesn't hurt, and may tip the scale in the event of indecision. Other schools give them a stronger preference. While some colleges don't give much of any weight to students whose parents attended the school. Whether one feels that this preferential system is fair is another issue entirely, but short of changing institutional policy via an equal protection argument, you're best bet is not to worry about it.

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Got straight As? This entry won’t be for you.

You may be panicked that you got one B in 10^th grade and you’re sure that will keep you out of Harvard. You may be worried that your freshman year grades don’t reflect your abilities. You may wonder how it’s going to look that your science grades are lower than your other grades. Or, you may wonder whether admissions officers really mean it when they say that it’s better to have a B in an AP or IB course than an A in a regular class. These are very common concerns.

Your guidance counselor will help you decide which schools are within reach, but if your dream school is a stretch and your counselor advises against applying, remember that you’re the one applying and potentially attending the school. Don’t be discouraged too easily from applying where you want – just keep the perspective of a counselor in your mind as you manage your expectations.

Read on to hear more about what admissions officers at selective schools sometimes think about when looking at an imperfect transcript.

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