What Holistic Admissions Means at Selective Colleges

What Holistic Admissions Means at Selective Colleges

Highly selective colleges use a holistic approach to evaluate applicants, which allows them to consider every aspect of the application. This approach helps colleges to view applicants as people, rather than being reduced to your GPA. Admissions officers at these colleges look for five key areas in their holistic review.

Firstly, strong academics are crucial, with grades and the strength of the curriculum carrying the most weight. Secondly, while test scores remain a factor, highly selective colleges are moving towards test-optional admissions. With that said, beyond SAT/ACT, highly selective colleges will also account for AP courses and exams and any other ‘beyond school’ scores or competitions. Without standardized test scores, colleges rely more heavily on an applicant's academic accomplishments, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to social good.

Restrictive Early Action: What You Need to Know

Have you heard about early decision and early action for college applicants eager to show commitment to a school? If you’re applying to highly selective schools, another one to add to your lexicon is “restrictive early action.” What is it, and how does it differ from other options? We provide a detailed explanation of REA, highlight which colleges utilize it, and weigh the pros and cons compared to traditional early decision.

Defining Restrictive Early Action

Before delving into REA, let's review Early Decision and Early Action. Early decision is a binding admissions process where students apply to college before the regular deadline, usually in November of their senior year. Admissions notifications are sent out in December, and if accepted, the student must commit. Early action, on the other hand, is nonbinding and allows students to apply to college before the regular deadline, with notifications sent out in December. However, if accepted, they are not required to commit.

Restrictive early action is a middle ground between early action and early decision. Students may only apply to their first-choice early action institution, with some exceptions. They cannot apply to any early decision schools, but can apply to other early action schools. Some colleges call this "single-choice early action," and it is a nonbinding process for students to apply to their top choice. Students are not permitted to apply to other schools, whether early action or early decision.

Colleges That Use Restrictive Early Action and Their Policies

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The Era of Grade Inflation: What It Means for College Admissions

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The Era of Grade Inflation: What It Means for College Admissions

Have you ever heard that a “C” is an average grade? That may have been true in the past, but not anymore. In fact, by 2020, 90% of grades were either A’s or B’s, according to a report from The College Board. The College Board found that between 1998 and 2016, high school GPA overall rose by .11 of a GPA point. So, why are today’s students earning higher grades? Are they smarter or are schools getting easier?

Welcome to the era of grade inflation. This trend has been on the rise since the late 19th century, but it really took off in the 1960s when above-average grades in college coursework could exempt young men from being drafted for the Vietnam war. In addition to this, many other factors contribute to grade inflation, such as the desire to support students, pressure to cede to parents’ complaints, or district policies that pressure teachers to compare favorably against other schools.

How does this translate for college admissions? With so many students earning high grades, it’s harder for admissions teams to distinguish between applicants.

What To Major In If You Want To Attend Med School

What To Major In If You Want To Attend Med School

If you're interested in applying to medical school, the good news is that you don't have to major in biology or a science-related field to get in. It may surprise you that medical schools don't actually care about your major. In fact, an unusual major may actually make you stand out. Medical schools primarily focus on your GPA and your scores on the MCAT, which you should aim to take by the end of your junior year.

However, there are certain prerequisites that you should take to be ready for the MCAT, including biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, ethics, calculus, and possibly microbiology, biochemistry, or genetics. It's also important to engage in both clinically-related and non-clinically-related volunteer work, such as community service and research, and have meaningful activities to which you have devoted substantial time.