There’s a lot of uncertainty around the college admission process, and much of it comes from a few myths that won’t go away. Understanding that these really are myths will hopefully help you go into the admission process with confidence and hope.
Myth #1: You have no control in the college admission process.
The college admission process can seem like a mystery to students and their families. When you think about it, it’s a strange situation. Just as you’re starting to figure out who you are as a person and soon-to-be adult, you’re asked to make what can feel like the most important decision of your life. Add to that what seems like endless online forms required by admission offices and then there are the financial aid documents you have to submit. You’re asked to share information people don’t usually talk about like family income and personal circumstances and to write about yourself in a way that most students haven’t done before. Then you turn it over to strangers who decide if you will be offered admission and financial aid. It can feel like a process over which you have little to no control. Let me reassure you – you are in charge, and you’ve got this.
There are 3 main decisions in the admission process, and students make two of them – where to apply and where to enroll. Even more importantly, students decide how they want to tell their stories in their application – what they’ll write about in their essay, which clubs or activities they want to share, and who will be writing their recommendations.
You’ll feel even more in control if you own other parts of the process. Take the initiative to be the one to add yourself to college’s contact lists (find about fly-in and scholarship opportunities!) or to email colleges with questions. Rest assured there is no such thing as a stupid question, and we love answering questions. In short, think of all of the parts of the admission process you control and focus on those. Don’t worry about the pieces you don’t control.
Myth #2: There is one “right” school for every student
Some students approach this process like a treasure hunt and believe that it’s their job to find the perfect school for them, but this approach is more likely to end in disappointment than if you work to create a list of colleges, any of which you’d be happy to attend. The best news I have for you is that right now – without you doing anything else – there are hundreds of colleges that would love to enroll you.
Your job, along with those who are supporting you, is to find which of these many colleges will be the best academic, social and financial fit for you. You have made so many decisions throughout your life up to this point about what classes to take, what activities to do, and which relationships to nurture. Find colleges that think you made the right ones.
You may have heard some of your friends who have visited colleges say that they knew the minute they stepped onto a college campus that this was the place for them. We call this the “aha moment,” and many students seem to expect this will happen to them, but it actually doesn’t for most. Like any other big decision or purchase, it usually takes time for students to decide if a school is right for them and to weigh the pros and cons. Allow yourself the time you need to feel good about your college decision.
Myth #3: The college admission process is unfair OR the college admission process is fair.
At times the admission process can feel like it’s unfair. Some students appear to have a big leg up because they have access to private tutors, well-resourced schools, SAT prep classes or fancy research opportunities. While it’s hard to deny this advantage, admission counselors are trained to evaluate applications based on the resources available to them. We can’t hold it against a student that they didn’t take any AP courses if they’re not offered. Some students can’t do the same amount or type of extracurricular activities as others due to limited resources or the need for them to support their families by working or providing child or family care. Admission officers know this, and recently, the Common Application has made it much easier for students to report their additional family responsibilities.
Another way in which the admission process can seem unfair is that admission decisions can seem like they make no sense when a student with a lower GPA or test scores is admitted instead of a student with higher scores or GPA or more involvement. In fact, this is often an indication that the admission process is more fair than students believe. Most colleges practice holistic admission which means that we consider all aspects of a student’s application in the context of their individual experiences and resources. However, admission decisions are also the result of many other factors, known as institutional priorities, which students don’t always know about. These could include anything from limited space in popular majors, a desire for geographic diversity, or the need to find students for new programs or majors. Since students aren’t always aware of these, you should just focus on presenting an authentic reflection of yourself in your application and trust the college to determine if you’d be a good fit.
In other words:
The process is imperfect, not rigged.
It’s holistic, not random.
It’s contextual, not standardized.
Trust in the process, your decisions, your story, and, most importantly, yourself, and you will be fine. This works out.