Want to find information about your target college that you can’t locate anywhere else? The Common Data Set could be your key to knowledge. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/5-admissions-facts-you-can-find-in-a-colleges-common-data-set/
This may seem like a stupid question, but are there schools that don’t participate because they don’t want people to see how different their stats are for their various admissions policies? I am having a hard time finding CDS info on some schools, one of which has recently added a bunch of new application options like ED I, ED II, has gone test optional, etc. I don’t want to say which schools because I don’t want to falsely accuse anyone of anything, but I’m wondering why I cannot find some data. For example, I am trying to see how much more lenient some colleges are that now have ED and EA as it relates to scores. But I’m not able to find this data on the schools I am interested in. On the other hand, the schools that have EA or just RD, I am having no difficulty finding the data on scores (like the 25%-75% or averages).
^^ There are a couple schools that haven’t updated their CDS profiles, and it’s frustrating. I don’t think they are “hiding” anything but guess that for ones where there have been changes in administration or policies, creating comparables is a challenge. For most of these, you can usually find most of what you want by mining their news, but it’s a slog.
Please understand that there is no set standard, when it comes to the importance of factors. You can’t just look at the Mich example, where test scores and essay show as only “Important,” while rigor and GPA are “Very Important,” and assume anything. At a top holistic college, every bit is critical. Any of it can hold you back. GPA won’t make up for lower scores or a poor essay.