Tips for Getting Into College

What College Admissions Officers are Really Looking For

Admissions officers look at some specific information when they decide who wins and loses in the admissions game. According to Eric Pimberton, a former admissions officer at Boston College, there are several big factors that make or break an admissions decision. Here is a brief summary of each:

1. Making the Grade. The college admissions process is intended to predict who will be successful at a particular college. Because academic success is the biggest and generally greatestconcern, admissions officers first take a look at a student's high school courses and grades. In particular, they're looking for good grades in challenging courses. The logic is simple: Good grades in high school mean that a student probably will earn good grades in college. And students who succeed in challenging high school courses probably will be able to handle college-level classes.

2. The Same Yardstick for Everyone. Not all high schools are created equal. Sometimes an A at one high school is the equivalent of a B at another. An honors course at one school is barely in the same league as a regular course in another. Therefore, admissions officers look for measurement tools that are the same for all students. Those tools are called college entrance exams. Two of the most widely known are the ACT (American College Test) and the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). In both cases, the exam is given on the same date, according to the same testing rules, from coast to coast and internationally. That means that a student in Massachusetts is tested in exactly the same way as a student in California. Many people criticize colleges for placing too much emphasis on SAT or ACT results. But they are a way to compare students from different high schools.