Being based in Irvine, CA and working with many high achieving students each year, I’m accustomed to having students (and often parents) pushing for highly selective colleges. After all, these students have earned all As in rigorous Honors and AP courses, 4's and 5's on AP tests, and near perfect ACT or SAT scores. One would think these students would be a shoe in for any school they apply to.
But the reality is that there are often close to 100 students like that for every spot at the most selective schools. 

In fact, with test optional policies due to Covid this year, applications skyrocketed at Ivy League colleges:

Harvard up 42%
Columbia up 51%
Dartmouth up 33%
Yale and Penn up 33%
​Brown up 27%
Princeton up 15%

And these increases were not just limited to the Ivys. Other selective colleges saw similar upticks:

Duke up 24%
Rice up 26%
Amherst up 43%
Emory up 19%
Colby up 13%
Tufts up 35%

And so on . . . 

Since the majority of students who apply have GPAs well over 4.0, are involved in extracurricular activities, have shown leadership, are engaged in meaningful community service, etc., the question becomes:

WHO GETS IN?

The ANSWER is that students who are competitive for these schools typically have all that is listed above AND have some HOOK that makes them stand out. It could be any of the following:

*Recruited athlete

*Talent (music, performing arts, visual arts, etc.) Selective schools often accept an optional arts supplement for students to showcase a talent. These supplements are typically sent to the faculty of that arts department for review, and colleges caution that students must be exceptional for this supplement to have an impact.

*National/International Award Winner (Robotics, Debate, Poetry, Foreign Language, Math, etc.)

*Entrepreneurial Accomplishment
Created something that has produced results and elevated the community or a particular group within the community. The student has started a foundation or company, created a product, jump started a social justice movement, etc. 

*Exceptional Intellect
Student has filed and received a patent, created an original code, designed a successful app, written an and published an award-winning book, etc.

*Endured Tremendous Hardship & Persevered
Student experienced homelessness, suffered the loss of parents, faced an extraordinary medical challenge, came from a war-torn country, etc. Most important for this to have an impact is that the student experienced this hardship and overcame it with success.
​
*First Generation Student:
Student is the first in their family to go to college

*Connections
Legacy, Large Donor, Child of Politician/Celebrity, etc.

WITHOUT one or more of these hooks, the chances are slim to none. That is just the reality, and I seek to be transparent with my clients. 

I have these conversations every year, and I spend a great deal of time encouraging students/parents to be open to and excited about the favorable and target schools on their list. After all, those are the colleges they are most likely to get into. Applying to more reach schools doesn't make their chances better.

Since most of my students intend to pursue graduate school, I believe that finding the school where they can be a big fish will ultimately make them most competitive for those grad schools. Grad schools look for students who engage in undergraduate research, pursue internships, create meaningful relationships with professors. Highly motivated students can seek and capitalize on those opportunities in a less competitive environment.

Malcolm Gladwell addresses this very point in a Google talk he gave back in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UEwbRWFZVc

I know how disheartening this reality can be. After all, these students applying to selective schools have done everything right. They have earned excellent grades, taken rigorous classes, got involved in meaningful activities, shown leadership, and on and on. 

I also know from experience that regardless of the odds, students will still pursue these selective schools and will most likely receive much rejection. And for many, this will be the first time they have experienced rejection. 

Given that, it's important to note that how students and parents react to this rejection can ultimately shape how successful that student's college experience will be. 

Lori Gottleib’s 2019 article in The Atlantic offers some excellent insight and suggestions as to how parents should react when their child doesn’t get into their dream school. 
​https://bit.ly/39UIg3U

It is well worth the read, as she offers guidance for parents to give their kids key messages that have "the potential to either prepare them for adulthood or hold them back.”

Each UC campus provides an array of opportunities and methods for students and counselors to engage with admissions staff and with the campus. Below are links to each campus webpage providing information on virtual events and programs. 

UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz ​

Jeffrey Selingo’s newly released college admission book Who Gets in and Why is a must read for anyone wanting the inside scoop on SELECTIVE college admissions. Selective colleges are the ones that many students and parents, especially in higher income areas, tend to focus on. While these selective colleges often get the majority of attention, they actually make up less than 10% of all universities. That means that about 90% of colleges are relatively accessible, especially for a high achieving student. 


​Selingo puts colleges into two categories, which he calls Buyers and Sellers. Sellers are the selective schools.  They are the “name brand” schools. Students come to them. They don’t have to advertise or offer scholarships/discounts to entice students. They are the schools with the single and teen digit admissions rates, the ones many parents are willing to borrow loads of money to pay for, and the ones that leave many high achieving students heartbroken every year.

Buyers, on the other hand, often offer incentives for students to apply including tuition discounts, special programs, unique mentorship and research opportunities, free application fees and more. Students should always have some buyers on their list to increase their options. And if students are planning to only apply to buyers, they don’t need to read Selingo’s book. 

But for strong students--those who have taken rigorous courses, have a GPA over a 4.0, earned strong test scores, and have engaged in exceptional extracurricular activities that show leadership, innovation and/or a talent, then Selingo’s book gives them (and their parents) unique insight into a world that is often so secretive: the inside of an admissions office during application season. 


Some Key Takeaways:

• While each admissions office has its own formula for evaluating applications, it often ranks/scores different categories about each student such as 1) academics, 2) extracurricular activities, 3) recommendations, and 4) intellectual curiosity.
• Selective schools usually want to see sustained devotion to activities, as this commitment often gives students an opportunity to become leaders and make a genuine impact. 
• Letters of recommendation can be huge. Colleges want to see letters that have energy and show unique insight about the applicant. They do not want to read a rehash of the student's brag sheet. This is where a student at a private school has an advantage over one at a larger public school. Students at larger public high schools must work harder to establish relationships with teachers and should ask early for their letter of rec. I recommend asking in the spring of their junior year. 
• Demonstrated interest (or what colleges often refer to in house as Likely to Enroll) cannot be underestimated for those colleges that consider it during the admissions process. Many colleges give demonstrated interest the same weight as essays and counselor letters of rec. 
• Early Decision (ED) is key to increasing chances at most selective schools that offer it, and Selingo gives key tips on making the best move in this ED game colleges play to increase their yield and game the rankings.
• Having a hook or edge is crucial in selective admissions, and this can range from being a recruited athlete, a musical talent, a legacy, a student who has overcome and persevered after tremendous adversity, someone who has demonstrated tremendous entrepreneurship or devotion to social justice and more. But athletes have the biggest advantage!
• Which high school the student attends comes into play probably more than you realize. 
• Admissions officers are human. They read “through the prism of their own lives.” (189). While colleges create systems meant to root out bias, everyone has a soft spot for something. 

Overall Thoughts
My takeaways are just a sliver of the insights and tips Selingo offers. And while he gives readers a good sense of what it takes for students to be successful when applying selective schools, he also emphasizes the unpredictability of college admissions. While a student can check off every box he emphasizes, there are ultimately no guarantees. It’s another reminder for students to have a balanced list of colleges, or as Selingo would say, to include some buyers and not all sellers.

The University of California just announced several changes to admissions requirements due to these extraordinary circumstances. Most notably are that ACT/SAT tests will not be required for the class of 2021 and that grades are not required for this semester (spring semester 2020) to meet A-G requirements. See the full update below.

What's not clear is how they will now evaluate/compare applicants and how students who submit tests will be compared with those who don't. Remember, the selective UC campuses get well over 100k applicants for just 10k or so spots. What's clear to me is for this year's junior class, those AP/rigorous classes and GPA become even more important, and last semester's grades will hold much weight. I don't recommend students take this as an invitation to slack off during online schooling. While students will not be held accountable if their high schools move to pass/fail grading for classes this semester or if their grades slip, students who thrive during this pandemic can only have an advantage in the admissions process. It will showcase their grit and perseverance. Also, the UCs require 4 essays, so those extracurricular activities, leadership, community service, talent, etc. are going to hold more weight now than ever. 


Click here to read the official UC Press Release.

Click here to access the UC's FAQ


Official Counselor Update

As measures to combat COVID-19 have closed schools, cancelled standardized tests and upended nearly every aspect of students’ education, students and their families are understandably worried about whether those changes will hurt their college prospects.

The University of California has taken steps to ensure that students can strive for and attain a world-class UC education, despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, March 31, the university announced that it has temporarily relaxed its admissions standards for both newly admitted students and prospective high school and community college students to account for changes in instruction methods, grading and administration of standardized tests.

UC campuses will provide maximum flexibility to students who need more time to meet registration, deposit and transcript deadlines. The university also expects to work with students to adjust financial aid packages if family financial circumstances have suddenly changed.

To serve students and their families during this crisis, UC has enacted the following temporary measures, which are explained in detail in an online FAQ. 
 

• UC has temporarily suspended the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in spring 2020 for both prospective and admitted students. For transfer students, the university has relaxed the cap on Pass/No Pass courses eligible for transfer to enter UC as a junior.  

 

• UC will suspend the standardized test requirement (SAT and ACT) for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission. This modification is not intended as an admissions policy shift but is rather a temporary accommodation driven by the current extraordinary circumstances. 

 

• The deadline for students to accept their admissions offers remains May 1 for freshmen and June 1 for transfer students. However, the university has asked campuses to provide maximum flexibility for students who request extensions. Students should contact campus admissions offices directly with these requests.  

 

• UC will also provide flexibility to students and schools who are unable to submit transcripts by July 1. No student’s admission offer will be rescinded for missing the deadline.  

 

• Despite changes to the format and content of AP exams this term, the university will continue to award credit for exams with scores of 3, 4 or 5.  

For more information, please see the press release and the Undergraduate Admissions COVID-19 page. 

​New on the Application: Students now have 500 characters to describe activities. That doesn’t mean students have to use every character, but it is a nice change. And activities/awards/work experience are no longer broken up into categories. Students can list up to 20, and the order does not matter. 

Personal Insight Questions: A reminder that these are questions and NOT essays. More information is better. Unlike the personal statement on the Common App, it’s less about show and not creative writing.

SAT/ACT Essay: The UCs are one of institutions still requiring the writing portion of the ACT/SAT, although most campuses said that score does not have much weight in the admissions process. The University of CA is currently reviewing that policy. Look for a recommendation to come out at the end of the year.

Verification Process: Just a friendly reminder that each year the UCs take a random sample of applications to confirm accuracy. Students should double check everything this is self reported. Things that could be verified: household income, academic records, roles in extracurricular activities and time spent, awards earned, etc.

Gap Years: The UCs do not approve gap years for exploration. Gap Years are only approved for extenuating circumstances, and it’s usually a semester. 

Majors: All campuses allow students to choose an alternate major except Berkeley and UCLA. For those campuses, students should choose a major in a different college to give them the best chance of admission. 

General Reminders: Students should NOT send transcripts and ONLY have to send their ACT or SAT score to one campus, and that campus with share with all.