Getting into College: The Real Story Behind the 2017 Headlines

Getting into College: The Real Story Behind the 2017 Headlines

If you search Amazon.com for “apply to college”, you’ll find more than 4,500 results. Try “college applications” and you’ll get more than 22,000. Enter “college” in the search field and you’ll have more than 1.2 million hits to choose from!

Do these statistics surprise you? Maybe not, particularly when you consider that the angst and anxiety over getting into college has soared to new levels recently. “The college admissions frenzy”, as it’s called, garners a lot of media coverage. But, after you get the whole story, you’ll know how to read between the headlines.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read
Recently-released admissions decisions for the high school class of 2017 show that acceptance rates dropped to an all-time low at many selective colleges. This includes the eight Ivy Leagues, which received about 271,050 applications for 22,805 spots!

Statistics like these grab media attention and feed the frenzy. But, when you read the fine print in this story, you’ll see that these record-low acceptance rates occurred in the selective colleges. The truth is that these universities are “reach” schools for everyone. There are no guarantees of getting in – even for applicants with stellar academic records; perfect test scores; and outstanding awards, accomplishments and extracurricular activities.

While admissions data can be intimidating, there’s no need to panic, especially when you consider that:

Contrary to the commonly-held perception that it’s harder now than ever before to get into college, that’s simply not true. Overall admissions numbers show that it’s no more difficult than it was a decade ago.
Most colleges accept the majority of their applicants. In fact, over 80% of the 3,700+ colleges in the U.S. accepted nearly 70% of their incoming freshman-class applicants this year.

The Scoop on Getting Into College
Considering the above facts, there’s a lot of good news when it comes to getting into college. So, rather than listening to all the buzz in the media, turn your attention to the college search process instead. Rest assured that there will be many good colleges that want you if you put in the time, energy, focus and effort required to find them.

Use College Planning Resources
The National Association of College Admission Counseling publishes an annual Guide to the College Admission Process. This is a great resource for college planning. It provides a comprehensive overview – everything from college search to the application process to applying for financial aid. The guide also includes a college planning calendar to keep you on track and an application checklist to keep you organized.

Do Your Research
Your goal in college search is to find schools that are a good fit for you – academically, socially and emotionally – while preparing you for a successful transition into the world of work. To achieve your objective, you’ll need to become your own investigative reporter of sorts. Start by learning more about who you are. Explore your interests, values, personality, and, most of all, your aptitudes, or natural talents. Next, determine what you’re looking for in a good-fit college (e.g., size and type of school, academic environment, majors offered, admissions requirements, cost, availability of financial aid, location, student body characteristics, student life, fit with your learning style, etc.). The Qualities which Make A College Right for You (Dr. Antonoff) worksheet can help you identify what’s most important to you in choosing a college that’s a good fit. Be sure to talk with your parents so that you are all on the same page when establishing the criteria you’ll use to search for schools.

In addition, ask your guidance counselor about tools and resources to find schools that meet your selection criteria (such as Career Cruising, Naviance, College Board, college guides, etc.). Search for colleges that fit with who you are, meet your selection criteria and offer programs / majors in your field of study. Also go to the websites for your schools of interest to learn more about each college.

Next, arrange campus visits with your top picks. Besides the traditional campus tour, set up visits with the department(s) for your intended major(s). A department visit is a great way to get answers to your specific questions, many of which are beyond the scope of a typical campus visit. Find out about program / major requirements, classes and instructors. Ask about support services, such as internship placement and job search assistance. Sit in on a class related to the field of study (rather than a general education class).

Now, use what you’ve learned through your research to determine which colleges you’ll apply to.
Write Your Story
The college application is your chance to tell admissions staff who you are, why you want to attend their school, and how you will thrive in and enrich the academic environment. Just like any good reporter, you need to communicate your story in a way that fully conveys your message while captivating your reader. Be sure your application package is well-written, complete and gives admissions staff a true sense of your authentic self. You will have limited space to tell your story on the college application. So, in that same way feature articles are edited to fit the available column space in a news publication, be sure to use each section of the application wisely. Don’t rehash the same information in several places; each part of your application should provide the reader with new and essential information.
Capture the Reader’s Attention
Are you wondering what admissions staff look for when evaluating an application? They consider multiple factors, such as grades, test scores and extracurricular participation in relation to the opportunities available to you in your high school environment. So, for example, if your high school offers a relatively high number of honors and advanced placement classes in comparison to most secondary institutions, admission staff expect to see more of these types of classes on your transcript. Admissions reps may look for positive trends in grades throughout your high school years. For instance, if you faced some academic struggles as a high school freshman, but showed improvement in your sophomore year, then continued this upward trend as a junior, your improvement demonstrates your willingness to do what it takes to achieve academic success. And that’s pretty impressive!In addition, admission staff report that they look for “quality over quantity” when it comes to extracurricular and volunteer activities. In other words, participation in one school club or community organization throughout four years in high school is viewed more favorably than membership in four different clubs, with only one year in each. Along similar lines, if you weren’t able to participate in multiple sports or clubs because you worked 10 hours a week while maintaining solid grades, that’s important information for admissions reps to know about you.

Extra! Extra!
There’s no doubt that searching for and applying to colleges that are a good fit for you takes time and commitment. But it will all be worth it when you read the headline on your acceptance letter – “Congratulations! You’ve Been Accepted!”