the college search process. relax…you are going to love college
TRANSCRIPT
Admissions Presentation to High Schools on Selective Colleges
Perspective: Applying to Selective Universities
Goals of University in admissions
How universities review applications:
Early Action-Decision, Regular Decision
Reach schools and match schools
Need-based aid and merit aid
Parent and Student relationship
California is Prominent
California ranks #2-5 at the top 15
…at ND--#2 after Chicago region-IL…….180 first-year, 760 undergrads
Top State Schools-Michigan, UVA, UNC, ….and others are recruiting CA
Top 30 to 100 Privates are recruiting hard and giving large merit awards
Applying to the Most Selective Universities & Colleges
3.2 million H.S. seniors= 50,000 Top 1%
class performance and/or SAT/ACT
100,000 more are Top 2-3%
60% of Top students apply to top ranked universities—40% stay more local/regional
Top 15 Universities enroll about 22,000 freshmen
Less than 50% in Top 1% who apply are admitted
Applying to the Most Selective Universities & Colleges
Top 16-30 enroll about 38,000 freshmen
Most admits Top 1-3%
Top 31-50 enroll about 50,000 freshmen
Most admits Top 1-10% + Merit Awards
Top 50 to 100…out of 2,000 4-Year Colleges/Univ.
Most admits Top 1-15% + Merit Awards
Goals of University in admissions
Students can master the rigor presented by the faculty who are teaching them—Top faculty want better students…universities want the best faculty to create and advance knowledge
Faculty teach at a pace and depth that fits the middle 50% to maximize learning for all: Reality 101…The academics come before the social experience and prestige…it is not just focused on you…faculty are scholars—creating knowledge
Students in Top 25% should seek additional contact with faculty to enhance the course work…or use their extra time to develop more skills in other areas/activities
Students in Bottom 25% need to work harder—seek tutoring
and faculty support after class
Students fit the personal attributes sought—special talents, attitude towards academic work, service and leadership, special talents, creativity, energy level, focus, desire to attend that college
Elevate status of the University—everyone wants to gain ground—stationary is not sustainable
Context for Numbers and Percentiles
SAT/ACT Top 1% 1500-1600 33-36
(CR+Math) 2% 1460 32
3% 1430 31
5% 1380 29-30
10% 1300 27-28
15% 1250 26
20% 1210 25
25% 1180 24
Top 1-15 Universities: Median SAT 1460 1-2%
Top 16-30 1400 1-5%
Top 31-50 1340 1-10%
Top 51-100 1250 1-20%
How a selective university reviews applications
Reader expert on your high school and area--committee Look for special talents or attributes if academic profile is lower than
admit norm Rigor of courses and H.S. Class Performance, letter of recommendation statement on attitude
towards learning and responsible learning behavior Committee discusses close calls in full review Colleges understand first-generation college students and students from
lower high schools may have deflated SAT scores ..which do less to predict academic success at college—research of college GPA
High school performance is about 2-3 times more predictive than test scores but many high schools now hide actual performance record therefore SAT scores are more reliable
High School Talent Levels in ND admit pool
High School Ratings: % Nat.Merit SF ND
1 SAT 1300 for seniors 8%+ x5 14%
2 1200-1290 5% x3 21%
3 1100-1190 3% x2 33%
4 1050-1090 1.5% x1 27%
5-6 Below 1050 < 1% x.7 5%
A “1” school likely has 8 times as many national merit semi-finalists than the national average (1.5% of all students are NMSF…it is 8% or higher at a #1 school.)
Competition ...Not Just—Can you do the work
Example: Estimated Top 15 Selective University
SAT or ACT High School Rank 1500+ 33-36 25-60% Top 1% 20-45%
1450 32 15-30% 2-3% 15-30%
1400 31 10-25% 4-5% 10-20%
1300 29-30 10-15% 6-15% 5-15%
Under 1300 < 5% Below 15% < 5%
Courses taken, quality of competition at the H.S.
Special talents and special circumstances such a lower income or first-generation college, international, English as a second language are considered—Holistic
GREEN=Admit Rate
Class performance, SAT/ACT impact on decisions
The academic profile balances performance with test results—
High test scores with lower performance are negative indicators on the student’s “learning character”…work ethic is very important and so is motivation to learn not just achieve…turbo neurotic grade achievers
High grades with lower test scores respected but tough to overcome applicants who are high on both
Essays, Activities, Recommendations, Special Talents
Essay: conveys depth of thought, ability to write, reflective mind, motivations,
personality and goals—tell us why and what you
learned (Montana-McDonalds/Newspaper)
Activities: commitment, talent, leadership, serving
others
Recommendations: what others see in you and special
circumstances of challenge
Talents: judged by university experts—will you make a unique contribution due to this talent?
How many colleges?... stretch and match schools
Many students now apply to about 8-15 schools
4 reach schools and 2-3 match schools
Reach schools: your academics place you above the bottom 25% of the academic profile of the college—but not in the top 25% of the profile
Match Schools: your academic credentials place you in the top 50%, and often in or above the top 25% of the college profile
Early Action-Early Decision-Regular Decision
Early Action: no impact on chances for admission—typically your academics should be in the top 50% of the class profile
Early Decision: may be designed slightly to improve your chances for selection to keep you from applying to competitors
Early Notifications: DecemberRegular Decision: April 1st
Confirm by: May 1st
Merit Awards and Value of a University not just Cost
Schools Offer Merit to attract students they normally do not enroll
Most colleges have excess capacity so the marginal cost is not very high to award merit
Merit may make a college a better value
However, the Top 15 universities use little merit and spend on value added facilities, research, faculty, and need-based aid
View College as an investment
Notre Dame alumni whose children applied to Notre Dame had an estimated median income about $80,000 higher than other applicant’s whose parents were college graduates (likely about $2 million more in career earnings)
Parent -Student relationship in the search and application process
Students decide but need an “executive assistant “ to manage H.S + College
Identify factors you want in your college—academic match, personal match, regional/national, social, special programs, campus personality, faculty approach to students
Exec Assistant will screen to save you time
Keep you on schedule—reducing anxiety
College visit—parents let your student talk, do not tell them your opinion until they ask—hard to do
Do not fill out their application!!!
Essay—is it you? Let parent respond but not write
Wisdom versus Alienating Achievement
Do not judge yourself by how you compare with others
Prestige is over-rated---success is based on how much you grow…not who you know
Care about the match…be comfortable---authentic self not some projection of excellence that you do not believe you are but feel you have to be
College search should be fun and fulfilling---YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE YOUR COLLEGE
College is serious work but also lots of fun…and adventure