Admission Results
A number of my students are aiming for highly selective colleges and universities, such as Ivy League schools or universities with similarly low admissions rates.
Here are a few things you should know, if you/your student is thinking of working with me on admission to top schools:
1. I insist on a balanced college list. This is a standard best practice in the admissions counseling industry. A balanced list includes a mixture of Likely schools, Target schools, and Reach schools.
-Likely schools: The student’s grades and test scores are above average for the pool, and the admit rate is high enough that most qualified applicants with similar credentials to the student are admitted.
-Target schools: The student’s grades/test scores are average for admitted students, and most qualified applicants with similar credentials to the student are admitted.
-Reach schools: Either the student’s grades/test scores are below average for admitted students, or a school most qualified applicants with similar credentials to the student are turned away, and/or the admit rate is under 15%, regardless of the student’s credentials.
If a student were applying to 10 schools, for example, I would recommend 3 Likely schools, 3-4 Target schools, and 3-4 Reach schools.
2. My only exception to #1 is for international students who are applying to Likely and Target schools in their home country, but would only attend college in the US if accepted to a reach school.
3. Your “Likely” schools need to be real likely schools — schools you’d actually be excited about attending, not “I guess I’ll apply to School X just because I have to, but I would never, in a million years, actually go there.”
Your backup schools should not feel like a punishment, or a last resort. Schools with lower admission rates are not inherently better than schools with higher admission rates. There are many hidden gems out there, and I have a lot of experience guiding students towards schools that they may not know yet, but which may be an excellent fit for them!
4. It is important for students and parents to keep realistic expectations. The vast majority of students applying to these top universities are high-achievers: they are at the top of their class, with perfect or near-perfect grades,1600 on their SAT or 36 on their ACT, and outstanding activities and leadership roles. Even so, most of their applications are denied.
When I was working at Stanford, I was sometimes shocked to see so many excellent students not be offered admission. This is the unfortunate reality of highly selective admissions. No applicant is guaranteed a spot, and I believe it’s important to manage our expectations.
5. The student needs to be willing to put in the work. The applications for highly selective schools take significantly more time than other college applications — and in order to be competitive in that admissions pool, you need to be prepared to put in a lot of work. For students who are willing to do this, I am happy to guide and support you through the process. But be prepared that this will be a lot of work.
Admission isn’t random – the people that get into the top schools work extremely hard on their applications. I can’t do it for you, and I can’t do my job unless you’re willing to do yours.
6. Related to #5, the more applications you do, the less time you will have to do a good job on any one of them. Most high school seniors who are competitive applicants to top schools have a lot on their plate: a full schedule of rigorous Advanced/AP/IB classes, and extensive leadership responsibilities in their extracurriculars.
My past students have said that the work load of applying to top colleges is equivalent to having 2 extra AP/IB classes on their schedule for the fall of their senior year! Therefore, I strongly recommend choosing only the top schools that you like most, and just applying to those.
I’ve found that students who strategically apply to their top few favorite schools have much better outcomes than those who employ the “spray and pray” approach, sending as many applications as they can.
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Please note that while I am glad to answer general questions about the college application process and my professional background, I cannot give out specific advice to families until they become my clients. Thank you!