How College Admissions Really Works

December 2023

Summary: Admissions to top universities is a two-step process: Your academic record gets you in the door, but your application essays seal the deal.

Welcome to the world of college admissions.

Each year, when colleges pore through tens of thousands of applications, the first thing they do is weed out everyone whose academic record isn’t up to par. They’re looking for a high GPA (3.7 or above), in the highest-level courses, supported by stellar teacher recommendations, and a rock solid SAT/ACT (unless test optional). This is all about making their job easier. They simply don’t have the time or the staff to sift through everyone’s application in full detail, searching for that one diamond in the rough who’s a genius but never went to class. If your academic record doesn’t meet a certain threshold — and you don’t have some extraordinarily reason why it doesn’t — then your application gets tossed into the “No” pile.

Lesson #1: Make grades your top priority

That’s why your top priority in high school should be getting the best GPA possible, taking as many advanced-level classes as your school has to offer, and enrolling in an SAT or ACT study program. Because this is first and foremost what top universities are looking for: academic scholars who will take full advantage of their course offerings, contribute meaningfully to class discussions, and explore advanced knowledge for its own sake. (Note: if your school doesn’t offer honors or AP classes, don’t worry. It won’t be used against you.)

The next step in the admissions process…

But even after junking all the applications that don’t meet their academic criteria, admissions committees are still staring at a huge pile of applications that is way too big for their incoming class. Let’s say they’re now looking at a pile of 10,000 highly qualified applicants, and all of those students have excellent grades and board scores, but they’ve only got 1,000 spots in the incoming class. How do they possibly decide which 10% get in and which 90% won’t?

But wait… it gets worse. Because probably 500 of those 1,000 spots have already been spoken for, one way or another. Different athletic coaches and department heads get to hand-pick students who they think will add exceptional value to their programs, which will help those faculty look good and help them keep their jobs (the universal motivator). So you’ve got a bunch of All American athletes taking those spots, and a star drummer who’s going to play in the chamber orchestra, and a nationally-recognized painter whose work was featured in the Guggenheim, and a kid from Hollywood whose parents just donated a $10,000,000 film center to the college, and a few children of faculty, etc.

So after all that, now there’s only maybe 500 spots left in the freshman class. You’ve got 10,000 highly-qualified applicants to fill just 500 spots. That means that if you’re lucky enough to be in that pile, you’ve only got a 5% chance of getting in. That does not sound very promising, does it? (Note: This hypothetical 5% acceptance rate is actually very similar to the actual acceptance rate of the Ivy Leagues and other top universities.)

Lesson #2: Your essays are the difference-maker

The admission statistics may be daunting, but this is where your personal statement (main essay) and supplemental essays come in. Assuming you’ve made it this far in the process, your essays are what’s going to set your apart from all the other candidates, and convince the admissions committee that “we need this kid!” Your essays are your best chance to show the committee the person behind the numbers. Colleges desperately want to find students who have demonstrated that they have a passion and a purpose in life, and that they devoted themselves to some endeavor outside of the classroom, and that they excelled.

The silver lining about your personal story…

The good news is that it really doesn’t matter all that much what your passion is, as long as you’ve devoted extensive time and energy to it, and that you’ve achieved outstanding results. Maybe you’re the #1-ranked ping pong player in the nation in your age group. Or maybe you founded a humanitarian organization that now boasts 250 part-time volunteers across three states. Or maybe you escaped war-torn Syria, leaving many close friends and family behind, and immigrated to America where you learned a new language and became valedictorian. Or maybe you were one of only three students nationwide to secure a summer internship at Tesla’s design headquarters, and that plays right into your plans to do a double-major in Engineering and Environmental Studies. Or maybe you spent three years tirelessly campaigning for education equity in your state, and you spoke before the State Senate and got a bill passed that funds early education in underserved communities.

Colleges are champing at the bit to scoop up these kinds of students. They are passionate, capable, and resourceful — the kind of people who can overcome enormous obstacles and who will have an immediate impact on the campus, and then go on to accomplish great things in life (and make the college look good). Remember, colleges are a lot like parents; they want to be proud of your lifetime achievements. Because every time an alumni achieves something meaningful, it improves the prestige of the college. And nothing matters more to a college than its reputation.

Think of it this way: your academic record helps you make the first cut, but your essay seals the deal.

Who are all these kids with these remarkable stories?!

What if my kid’s personal story doesn’t sound heroic at all? What if he or she is not a nationally-ranked anything, just a smart kid with good grades and lots of different interests and activities plus a kind heart? Well, honestly, that’s most students. So you need to shape your Personal Essay to highlight their best achievement, and really try to sell it as best you can. If your kid is strongest in math, and competed in some high-level math competitions, then that’s what you’re going to play up: she’s a math whiz who’s already had success at state-level competitions, and now she wants to major in applied mathematics.

You need to “brand yourself” as best you can. Rather than coming across as a “dabbler” who does many unrelated things, you want to sell yourself as a “specialist” who’s particularly accomplished at one thing. Being a dabbler may make you a well-rounded, balanced person. But top colleges are looking for standout candidates, and you typically don’t excel at something unless you really focus on it.

The classic way of phrasing it is to say that colleges aren’t looking for well-rounded students; they’re looking for a well-rounded class, which means a bunch of all-stars who each excel at something different. When you put them all together — the gifted athlete, the music prodigy, the chess champ, the budding entrepreneur, the social advocate — then you’ve got a well-balanced student body.