3 Factors That Matter Most in College Admissions
What are the most important factors in college admissions? According to a recently released 2013 State of College Admissions report from National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the top three college admission factors are:
grades
in college prep courses,
strength of high school curriculum
and college entrance
test scores
According to the report, more highly selective colleges tend to emphasize strength of curriculum as a “most important” factor, and private colleges tend to consider a broader range of factors than public universities. That broader range may include factors such as application essay, student interview, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, a student’s portfolio and demonstrated interest.
you? It means you need to:
Study hard.
Working hard to get good grades should be a top priority for high school students. In addition, if you’re participating in so many extracurricular activities that your grades are starting to suffer from lack of study time, consider narrowing down your list of activities to those that are most important to you, most relevant to your career interests or ones that provide opportunities for you to take on a leadership role.
Select high school courses wisely.
As early as your freshman or sophomore years, talk with your high school guidance counselor and teachers to make sure you’re taking the right courses. You need to take a college preparatory curriculum (which means you need to take a certain number of courses in English, science, math, history/social sciences and even foreign languages). Additionally, if certain subject areas come easy to you, try challenging yourself by taking an honors or AP course.
Prepare for the SAT or ACT.
Because test scores are such an important factor at most colleges (particularly at large public universities, according to the NACAC report), it’s essential not to overlook the importance of these tests. There are lots of test prep courses, ACT and SAT smartphone and tablet apps and online resources you can use to prepare, so don’t forget to spend time studying for these tests.
Above all, remember that if you try hard and do well in school, you’re likely to get into a college of your choice. In fact, the NACAC report found that four-year colleges and universities accept about two-thirds of all applicants, so the odds of acceptance at most colleges are in your favor!
Courtesy of Victor Habbick/FreeDigitalPhotos.net; Design updates by Dana McCullough
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