College Admissions - The Inside View

8/9/2019 College Admissions - The Inside View

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Inside the Admission Office

. . . What Every Family Needs to Know inan increasingly Competitive College

Environment

Don Betterton

Betterton College [email protected]


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Types of Colleges ~(4200 total)

In the U.S. there is a higher education opportunity for every

level of student interest and ability. My categories:

Category # Description

Register &attend

1900

Routine enrollmentprocess

Specialty

schools

300

Admit on interest and

talent

Meet Basic

Std.

165

0

Admit > 75% of

applicants

Competitive

250

Admit 40% - 75% of

applicants


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250

B +/A- Avg

Top 15-20%

SAT 600-700

Some Honors, AP

Good

Activities/Talent,Personal

Meet Basic Standards

(7s and below)

Competitive(7s, 8s, 9s,10s)

Selective

(10s, 11s, 12s)

Most

Selective(13s, 14s)

1650

C+/B Avg

Top 1/2 to 1/3

SAT 450-600

Pre-College Courses

Some participation

Good HS Citizen

2000 4-yr

25

A/A+ Avg Top ofClass

SAT Mid /High 700s

All Hard Courses

Unusually StrongActivities, Talent,

Personal in

combinationNo Negatives

75

A Avg

Top 5-10%

SAT 700s

Almost all Honors/AP

StrongActivities/Talent,

Personal

Betterton College Planning, LLC


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Competitive and Selective

Although these colleges make up onlyabout 20% of the 4-yr schools, more than of undergrads attend one of them.

They are the types of colleges where goodadmission planning is needed.

They tend to be more expensive andinformation about how to pay, with orwithout aid, is important.


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Admission Recruiting Methods CreateUnrealistic Expectations

It is hard to judge where a student standsbecause colleges send We Want You

messages knowing they will only admit someof the students they encourage to apply.

Beware ofcheerful assurances by admissionreps


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Why is it Harder Than When Your ParentsWent to College?

In Econ 101 language, its because of therelationship between supply and demand.


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Supply and Demand

Supply is steady. While there are many more students seeking to attend

college, the number of openings has remained about thesame.

Demand is growing overall. The number of high school grads has never been higher.

Now about 3.3M

The percent going to college is increasing.

From 45% to nearly 2/3 since 1980s

More international students want to study in U.S.

Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2008


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What to Do

When you are among a great many who want to attenda competitive college, it pays to know the selectionstandards.

This knowledge can help in 2 ways:

It can help you prepare, both inside and outside theclassroom, to meet those standards

Courses, grades, standard tests

Achievement, activities

It can help you make a realistic college list


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Life Isnt Easy in Admissions

While admission offices strive togenerate more applications, it doescreate a problem.

There are more and more students toevaluate, and it is increasingly hard

to choose among them.


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Consider:

There is academic Bunching

Increased enrollment in hard courses Honors, AP, International Baccalaureate

College courses in high school, summerenrichment

Distinctions are blurred Grade inflation

Multiple valedictorians SAT re-centering, take the highest score,

subject tests, ACT strategy Test prep courses (ePrep recommended)


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And

There is personal Polishing

Students are more savvy about building a resumewith activities and accomplishments, strategizing

the essay, using summer for extra college prep

High schools feel the pressure -- reluctant to lessenstudent chances inflation in teacher and

counselor recs


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To Complicate Matters Further ..

College admission offices have a split personality They are a meritocracy

Admit the best

They also practice institutional engineering

Admit to meet other objectives

The result is not one, but two admissions processes

One for Untagged applicants

One for Tagged applicants

This is where confusion increases and predictability decreases.


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What To Do The most common reason a good student does not get

admitted to a competitive college is that he is in theUntaggedcategory and doesnt realize the admissionstandards for him are well above the published averages.

In fact, there may not be that many average admits. A public university publishes: 1300 SAT, 3.6 GPA

(1400, 3.9 out-of-state; 1000, 3.2 in-state)

In making college list and estimating chances, important toknow if you are Untaggedor Tagged.


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Special Categories

The 4 most common Tagged categories are:

Recruited athlete (+25-30%)

Underrepresented minority (+25-30%)

Legacy (+10-15%) Early Decision (+10%)

One that is growing in popularity:

Disadvantaged, low income, first generationcollege, overcoming obstacles

College Board Survey ofColleges 2007


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Other Tagged Categories

These tend to vary a great deal byinstitution.

State residents

Institutional need: arts talent, specialacademic ability

Connections

Demonstrated interest Misc: geographic, gender, full pay


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Level 1 Div I, II schp athlete

Level II

Non-schp athlete Affirmative actionminority

Level IIA

Low incm, disadv,obstacles Inst. Need arts,

academic

Level III Legacy Early Decision Connections State resident for some

publics

Level IV

Geography Demonstrated interest Misc: gender, full pay


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Lets Do Some TaggedMath

Mid-size private, freshman class of 1200.Spots an Untagged app may not be

competing for:

Minority -- 170

Athlete -- 180

Legacy -- 140

Internatl -- 60Misc -- 50

600


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Tagged Strategies

Minority -- Find out if they give a preference

Legacy -- Apply to college parents attended (check gradschool, grandparents, sibs)

Athlete Apply to colleges where you will be a recruit

Apply early Early Decision (Early Action) LI/Disadv/Obstacles Ask admission rep

Instit. need Complete Arts Supplement or make contact,demonstrate ability, request support


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College List Making Advice

Untagged compare yourself to the 75thpercentile of the academic profile

Tagged-

Minority: 25th- 50th percentile

Recruited athlete: The coach will tell you

what your chances are.

Legacy and E.D.: 40th- 60th percentile


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An Admission Exercise

Colleges rate applicants on academic and personalscales.

Because colleges have to sort through so manyapps, they use a number system.

This system is 1 (low) to 8 (high) on both academicand personal.

Academics are weighted more heavily thenpersonal


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ACADEMIC RATING TABLE

AverageGPA (UW)

Rank Courses(5 solids)

SAT(M+CR/2)

ACT(Comp)

SATSubject

AcadAwards

8 A+

4.097-100

1-2% Most

Demanding**

750-800 35-36

780-800

Intern/

National

7 A3.994-96

3-5% MostDemanding

710-740 33-34760-770

Region/State

6 A-3.7-3.890-93

6-14% VeryDemanding

680-700 32730-750 County

5 B+3.3-3.687-89

15-20% Demanding 650-670 29-31680-720

School

4 B/B-2.7-3.280-86

25% Demanding 600-640 26-28630-670

None

3 C

2.3-2.677-79

33% Average 550-590 23-25

590-620

None

2 C2.0-2.274-76

50% BelowAverage

470-540 19-22500-580

None

1 C-Below 2.0Below 74

Below50%

BelowAverage

Below 470 Below 19 Below500

None



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Personal Ratings The personal rating is based

on a combination of attributes

in different areas. Theytypically include:

Achievement

Talent

Leadership/positions of

responsibility

How you are revealed in the

application, interview, essay

Service to others

Overcoming obstacles

Personal attributes

Personal attributes primarily comefrom school and teacher reportsand required interviews. Thecategories are:

Respect accorded by faculty

Class participation

Academic achievement

Intellectual promise

Writing quality Creativity

Work habits

Maturity

Motivation

Leadership

Integrity

Reaction to setbacks

Concern for others

Self-confidence

Initiative

Independence

PERSONAL RATING TABLE Betterton College Planning LLC


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Non-Academic

Achievement

Talent OtherAchievemen

t

Service toOthers

Leadership PersonalCharacteris

tics

8 International/

National

Rare in Major Rare for

High SchoolStudent

Extraordinary

Contribution

Quite

Extraordinary

7 Regional/State

Unusual inMajor

UnusuallyStrong

Significant Rolein Important

Service

ExtremelyStrong

One of Top Fewin My Career

6 County League Quite Strong inImportant

Important Well BeyondTypical Service

WidelyRespected

OutstandingTop 1-4%

5 Major School Very Good Above Average Well MeaningService

Very Good ExcellentTop 5-10%

4 Minor SchoolGood Class

Good Typical TypicalContribution

Good Very Good

3 Class Average Minimal Only What isRequired

AverageGood/Average

2 Very little/None

Minimal/None VeryLittle/None

Very little/None None to Speakof

Below Average

Non-AcademicAchievement:

School related group activities such as government, newspaper, debate, theater,music, athletics

Talent: Individual achievement in areas such as music, art, theater, dance, creative writing,athletics

Other Achievement: Outside of school) such as scouting, religious, club sports, employment

Services to Others: Volunteer work to disadvantaged, elderly, hospital, etc.

Leadership: Positions of responsibility such as elected or appointed positions

PERSONAL RATING TABLE Betterton College Planning, LLC


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8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

COMBINED ACADEMIC/PERSONALRATING TABLES

Academic

Personal



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14 Super Selective Princeton, Yale

13 Most Selective Swarthmore, Penn

12 Most Selective/Selective Lehigh, BC

11 Selective NYU, Carnegie Mellon

10 Competitive TCNJ, Holy Cross

9 Competitive BU, Dickinson

8 Lightly Competitive Rutgers, Delaware

7 Lightly Comp/Meet Basic Standards Quinnipiac, VA Tech

6 Meet Basic Standards Ramapo, Drew

STUDENT RATINGS COMPARED TO COLLEGE RATINGS



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VeryDifficult

(10-30%)

Difficult

(20-40%)

SomewhatDifficult

(30-50%)

GoodChoice

(40-60%)

SolidChance

(50-70%)

StrongChance

(60-80%)

V.G. toExcellentChance

(70-90%)

BC (12) NYU (11) TCNJ (10) BU (9) Rutgers(8)

VA Tech(7)

Ramapo(6)

Notes:

Betterton College Planning EVALUATOR

Name John Rating 5/4 DateHere are your admission prospects comparing your credentials with those of

each colleges most recent freshman man class. Green shading indicates

Core colleges.



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Tags

Strong Tags, e.g., Minorities and Athletes,might add 2 points to rating

Legacy might add 1 point

For example, a minority or athlete 5/4 (total of 9)

would have the same admission chance as anUntagged 11.


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VeryDifficult

(10-30%)

Difficult

(20-40%)

SomewhatDifficult

(30-50%)

GoodChoice

(40-60%)

SolidChance

(50-70%)

StrongChance

(60-80%)

V.G. toExcellentChance

(70-90%)

Prin (14) Penn (13) BC (12) NYU (11) TCNJ (10) BU (9) Rutgers(8)

VA Tech(7)

Ramapo(6)

Notes:

Betterton College Planning EVALUATOR w/ TAG

Name John Rating 5/4 ATH 11 DateHere are your admission prospects comparing your credentials with those of

each colleges most recent freshman man class. Green shading indicates

Core colleges.


Factors That Limit the College


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Factors That Limit the CollegeEvaluator

Data for freshman class two years ago

Some missing factors like essay, interview

Publics can have different resident, non-residentselection standards

Within a college, some schools/majors can bemore competitive

Admission ratings are objective for sorting groupsof students, become more subjective in individualdecisions*

Nevertheless, the Evaluator is a good system formaking a realistic list and showing whereimprovement is needed


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Do the Student Ratings andCollege Matching Make Sense?

Kerry 6+/6- 3.9 top 7% 670 SAT 3AP, 2HDance, obstacles: 4 high schools, type 1 diabetes

UCLA (12), W/L Princeton (14), legacy

Alex 3/3+ 2.7 top 30% 510 SAT regular coursesSwimmer, but not recruited

UNH (6), reject Chapman (9)

Krystle 6+/4 3.9 top 10% 520 SAT 4AP, 1HRoutine personal

U MD (10), reject NYU (11)

Addie 7+/6 4.0 top 3% 760 SAT 3AP, 2H

School activities and leadership, ntl level speakerPrinceton (14) ED, legacy

Emily 7/5+ 3.8 top 3% 750 SAT IB programSchool activities and leadership, circus performer

Princeton (14) ED, legacy


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More ExamplesEric 6/5 3.7 32 ACT (1420) AP/IB 5s on 3 APs

State ranked fencer, music, lots of service Kids Rock, EmorySchp

Emory (12) ED

Kevin 4+/4+ 89 630 SAT Regular coursesLeader national caliber robotics team, service to aunt with MSsupport from Penn and Lehigh faculty

Lehigh (11) ED

Jason 5/4 3.3 670 SAT 2AP 1H

Some tennis and soccer, sports editor of newspaper,v.g. essay, demonstrated interest, visit, 2 interviews Syracuse Newhouse (10) ED

Katie 6+/5+ 4.0 top 5% 680 SAT 1AP 3HSome school activities, state/national competitive dancer

Richmond (10) ED $10,000 Richmond Scholar

Cassidy 7/4 3.6 top 20% 750 SAT 800s SAT Subj 4APNational Chem, Math, Physics awards routine activitiesRPI (10) $8000 schp. Full schp Rutgers (8), Stevens (9)

No: MIT, Harv, Stan, Cal Tech, Col, Rice, Cornell, PrinWait List: Wash U, Carnegie Mellon


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The Essay

First rule Do No Harm10% to15% Pulls you down

poorly written, too long, doesnt answer question

15% to 70% Neutral

15% Positive impression5% Big help

Write with a conversational tone, avoid grand topics like hunger, peace, andglobal warming

Answer the question, make it about you and something you care about. Showattractive quality, endearing flaw better than bragging


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Try to Avoid Speculation

My daughter wont be admittedbecause: Too many students from her high school are applying

No one from her high school has ever applied She didnt apply E.D.

Only athletes and minorities get admitted there

We applied for aid

She didnt take all AP courses

She got a B

She worked in the summer rather than take a languageimmersion course in Spain


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How To Improve Your Chances

Make a realistic list:

Concentrate on CORE, other colleges on either side

Be enthusiastic about Good Choice, Solid Chance schools

Take good courses. Plan test taking strategy

Add colleges where you might be Tagged

Look at personal side. Avoid resume fillers, try todistinguish yourself.

The 2 strong profile is appealing

Pay attention to teacher recs, essay, evaluative interview

Below top-level demonstrated interest can be important


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Conclusion

Plan ahead to present the best version ofwho you are, not a makeover. Look forpolish, not plastic surgery.

Finding a college that fulfills youracademic potential and is a good fit

personally is more important thanattending the better school.

College Admissions - The Inside View

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