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Secrets of Highly Selective Colleges and UniversitiesBarbara HancockAssociate Director of College CounselingThe Potomac School
Calvin WiseDirector of RecruitmentJohns Hopkins University
Agenda
• Define Selective Admissions
• Competitive vs. Compelling Applicants
• Examine Myths and Misconceptions
• What is your role?
Defining Selective Admissions
• Admitting fewer than 50% of their applicants• Admitting “none” of their applicants
• Frank Bruni’s New York Times article, “College Admissions Shocker”
• # of U.S. colleges w/ admit rates below 12% ≈ 20• Holistic Review
Competitive vs. Compelling: Academic Character
• Transcript (course depth and rigor, grades, patterns over time, context of high school)
• Love of learning• Intellectual curiosity• Spirit of generosity and collaboration• Evidence in the application?
Competitive vs. Compelling: Impact and Initiative
• Extracurricular Strengths• Quality vs. Quantity• Depth of involvement, time commitment, leadership
roles• Unusual interest or talent• Level of recognition
• Character Traits• Performance characteristics • Ethical-based character
• “Turning the Tide” (Making Caring Common project)• Evidence in the application?
Competitive vs. Compelling: Matching the Match (Fit)
• A two-way street• Intended major/program of study
• Relevant coursework and/or experiences• Institutional priorities
• What is the college highlighting? New programs?
• Institutional values• E.g., Georgia Tech, MIT, Santa Clara• Supplemental essays
Myths and Misconceptions
• “If the admit rate for Early Decision is higher than that for Regular Decision, then my chances must be better in ED.”
• “The more highly selective colleges I apply to, the more likely I am to get into one of them.”
• “My grades aren’t the best, but my strong extracurriculars will balance that out.”
• “I have a 4.0 and a 1600, so my college list should consist of all the top-ranked schools.”
Subtitle Style
Myths and Misconceptions:Dispelled
• Many superb students will not get into highly selective colleges.• “Olympic Gymnastics and College Admissions –
Not Fair!!!” (Georgia Tech Admissions Blog, August 2016)
• One year in admissions is not going to be the same as the next.
• Selectivity ≠ Quality• Fallacy of U.S. News Rankings methodology• Malcolm Gladwell article, selectivity vs. efficacy
What is your role?
• Educate• Help students be informed applicants.• Emphasize student self-advocacy and self-
reflection.• Educate parents, too (Lythcott-Haims’s How
to Raise an Adult).• Broaden the conversation about colleges.
• Individualize• No “one size fits all.”• Relative deprivation theory (Gladwell’s
David and Goliath)
What is your role?• Support and Listen
• Help students tell their stories.• We don’t get to decide who gets in!
• Advocate• Put the “evidence” in our rec letters and
encourage faculty colleagues to do the same.• Build Relationships with Admissions
• High school visits• Counselor visit days, breakfast/lunch
presentations, other professional development• Admission officers can be resources for
presentations at your school
ResourcesBruni, F. (2016, March 30). College Admissions Shocker! The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Clark, R. (2016, August 15). Olympic Gymnastics and College Admissions—Not Fair!!! [Blog post]. Retrieved fromhttps://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2016/08/15/olympic-gymnastics-and-college-admissions-not-fair/
Gladwell, M. (2011, February). The Order of Things: What College Rankings Really Tell Us. The New Yorker, 68-75.
Griswold, A. (2013, October 15). Malcolm Gladwell’s Fascinating Theory on Why You Should Be a Big Fish in a Little Pond. Business Insider, Retrieved from www.businessinsider.com
Jackson, S. (n.d.). Holistic Admissions Review: Crafting a Diverse Community That Enhances Education. Retrieved from www.insightintodiversity.com
Lythcott-Haims, J. (2015) How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2016). Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions. Retrieved from http://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-mcc/files/20160120_mcc_ttt_execsummary_interactive.pdf
