<p>Well, it depends on the college. Many colleges guarantee two reads of each application, or three reads etc. And yes, each rep usually has a specific geographic region assigned to them. They don't necessarily have "the midwest," but maybe have southern california, oklahoma, texas, and new jersey or something. The process is individualized based on the school's preferences.</p>
<p>Territories are pretty common, though some schools (my current one is an example) don't use them at all.</p>
<p>Some schools have complex systems of markets that break popular states into little parcels. One school might break NJ into 15 groups while another breaks it into two or lumps it in with another state.</p>
<p>Thanks for the thorough response, AdOfficer.</p>
<p>To further tanyanubin's question, I would like to know if the major an applicant chooses affects their decision. Aside from obvious majors like engineering, which requires a solid math/science background and is more competitive, do admissions officers look differently at, for example, English majors and psychology majors? If so, does applying for a more obscure major help or hinder the applicant's chances?</p>
<p>this is really neat... thanks to Adofficer for posting</p>
<p>on the topic of becoming an admissions officer (I know this is a regression on the conversation, and a little off topic) but more recently I was thinking of trying to get a temp job editing college essays over the next few winter breaks. It would be a fun thing to do, and then I could actually earn some money to pay off college loans. So, I figured if anyone would know how to get that job, it would be someone on CC. Any information out there?</p>
<p>(note: I'm not claiming that my college essays were brilliant, but I helped some friends write/edit, and I think that I was helpful. Besides, I like editing essays ...sorta)</p>
<p>To Ice-9, your choice of major can be a factor in the admissions process. I remember USNews quoting a college (anonymously) as saying "god help the female English majors who apply here." Schools don't want to fil their student bodies with one type of student, so if they need students interested in the sciences or in the humanities and you fit the bill it can be a slight bump.</p>
<p>Aside from each applicant's regional rep, which (and how many) admissions officers reads each applicant's file ?</p>
<p>I * think * those should be helfpul. Not entirely sure though.</p>
<p>AdOfficer, I just read some of your posts for the first time and I have to say that it is a relief to sit back and read your responses to so many students' questions. You have inadvertently answered some of my most burning questions about the admissions process lol... it's really nice to read your firsthand info as I await my decision from UNC (next week probably).</p>
<p>Thanx again =]</p>
<p>Try not to stress out too much as you read about several quality candidates for your school</p>
<p>p.s. ALSO, I was wondering if your school distinguishes deferred applicants who have increased dramatically from their original application (my SAT went up 200 points, put in a lot more solid community service hours, my AP Literature teacher sent in a recommendation describing my growth in literary analysis, and I had excellent midyear grades) I don’t know how the deferred process works at your school but I would assume if the admissions board did not find your application “worthy” (for lack of better words) on the first go-around, then an applicant would REALLY need to distinguish himself or herself for their second review. they must really take into consideration extreme growth? Does your school have a special pile for applicants with growth?</p>
<p>Any feedback??? (really long post script; I know, I know…)</p>
<p>You know AdOfficer, we used to spend a lot of money at places like Caribou Coffee (I don't know if there are Caribou's on the east coast) and Starbucks, but then we found this place called Whole Latte Love (an espresso machine dealer) and bought ourselves an espresso machine. Though we certainly wouldn't be consuming as much coffee if we didn't have the machine, we have 'saved' so much money with the machine. Just a thought.</p>
<p>^^^^^ I have an coffee/espresso machine in my office...</p>
<p>tanya...we do listen to what various departments and organizations on campus "need" in any given year, but I can't say that if, for example, the orchestra was desperate for a bassoonist that a bassoon-playing applicant would necessarily get in. If they were already quite competitive for admission, this could bump them in, but it's not going to erase lousy grades or a bad essay or teacher recs. </p>
<p>one_voice...territories are common, like Dean J pointed out, but it depends on the school really. it is a safe bet to assume that if you meet an admissions officer at a school visit or college fair in your area, they are going to be reading your application, although with the volume of applications highly selective schools receive, it might not necessarily work out that way. also, some schools do not organize their reading in this way, so it really does depend on the institution. just ask the person you meet how they do it! i tell students I meet on the road that I will be the first person to read their application...I give their counselors my email address so if they have any questions along the way they can get in touch with me...not a lot of officers I know do this and, to be honest, sometimes it gets to be rather annoying (not in the most perjorative sense) in that there are days when I sometimes feel like all I am doing is responding to emails. but i really want applicants to understand what happens to their application at my institution...at my school, many (though not all) applications get second reads, and several will get third reads if there is a reason for it or if time allows (this year, no way). </p>
<p>Ice...well, a student's intended major can sometimes come into play...like if they indicate they are interested in majoring in engineering and the school doesn't have an engineering program, for example, we have to wonder if there is really an academic fit there...but we know that most students will change their major probably - and many students simply are undecided - so it often will not play a big part in our decisions. if, however, there is a student who has in their application articulated a well-defined interest in a major that, perhaps, is under-enrolled at our schools, we may give a bump to that kid. this doesn't happen very often, though...</p>
<p>pride...deferred applicants are treated differently at different schools <em>i think</em>...some institutions do not defer a lot of kids in their early process while others defer the bulk of their early applicants. if a deferred applicant continues to distinguish themselves in their communities, posts strong academic progress, and somewhere along the way is able to stand out moreso than they did in the early round(s), this may weigh heavily in our decision-making. at my school, being deferred is actually a sign that we are very interested in the applicant but want more information...we will take phone calls from deferred students and speak to them about improving their candidacy. i don't know if this is common, though, as this institution is the first one i've worked at that does this.</p>
<p>A couple of questions: Are you seeing an abnormally high number of female applicants? If so, are you accepting just the creme of the crop?
And, students from large public hs that have not sent applicants to your school in the past, are they seen as more or less likely to be accepted because of it? Thank you for your insight-a mom</p>
<p>APOL...
well, most institutions seem to be experiencing more female students applying than male students...part of this is demographics, but i don't want to speak for institutions as i'm not privy to their applicant pools...nevertheless, many peers of mine at other schools have mentioned more females than males applying. i don't know the breakdown at my place...we are sensitive to the demographics/make up of the class, but right now we are going through committee...but we're looking at the creme of every crop. in terms of school history, that doesn't necessarily have a lot to do with our decisions...if your kid rocks and we want them on our campus, they'll get in, even if we don't know a lot about the school or if we haven't seen apps from the school for a long time. we do have a sense of what a "strong kid" from x high school looks like in terms of academics, so that may come in to play (for example...if we know the school offers a ton of ap's and the app is taking them, getting great grades, is near the top of the class, etc...) but if we are unfamiliar with the school, we'll call the school up and ask for more info about the place and the kid to be as fair as possible in trying to understand their accomplishments. hope that helps...</p>
<p>APOL, there is a thread in the parent's forum about more girls applying to colleges, and boys having a higher acceptance rate at non engineering schools.</p>
<p>I'm a girl as well as an Asian...and I'm into the very popular major of Econ. so am I screwed in the college admissions process? oh, and did I fail to mention I'm an intl asking for aid.</p>
<p>AdOfficer, do you look at teachers' recommendations differently that do not have the waiver signed that allows the teacher to send it on their own without showing it to the student? Because my two recommendations I had the box checked that allowed me to see what they wrote. I only did this because I was going to be sending everything to colleges on my own and wanted my recommendations to be included in my one big envelope.</p>
<p>First off, thanks to all the adcoms who are taking the time to be so informative. </p>
<p>What is the biggest misconception you see in these forums?</p>
<p>Adcom,</p>
<p>I find this a very interesting post! I am curious about something. You see tons of applications and almost like reading a book each applicant becomes a character you can see in your minds eye... but once admitted and you get to actually see/meet these students how often are they like what you expected? How often are they extremely different than what you expected?</p>
<p>I know from working at a job where I spoke to people on the phone daily I had an image of them, and when I finally met them they were almost always totally different than what I was expecting! </p>
<p>Just wondering if you experienced that a lot!</p>
<p>I'll chime in again to answer "Catfish"--it's a great question-- and hope that my comments aren't perceived to be snipes at anyone in particular (or CC in general).... I do recognize that the CC universe provides an outlet for students and families to interact with others who are going through the motions and emotions that the college search, application and matriculation processes engender. "Strength in numbers", and all that, really does matter, I think. </p>
<p>That said, I worry about the direction of some posts I've read--and to whom they're directed--especially with specific questions about specific programs at specific schools. Simply put, I worry that too many people may be looking elsewhere for information about a college/university, circumventing those of us who are the "experts" in what we do, and what we know. Sure, there's inevitably a little "spin" in what we do, but it's not all marketing and sales-- I'd like to think that I'm pretty well-versed on my own institution, or at the very least I know where I can look for the right info (or whom to turn/to whom I should lead the inquirer). I have to believe that most questions posted on CC have been vetted and already posed to the appropriate schools--but I also know that there is a treasure of information about a school to be found with those who are alums, or parents of alums, or who have spent much time on campuses and "know" a school well. </p>
<p>Still, I worry that the perception now is to get the "truth" about a college/university, and to do so means to work outside & beyond the expertise of Admissions folk and our colleagues in guidance/counseling; despite good intentions, forums like CC and a multitude of rankings, printed college guides, etc., may be outdated or irrelevant, or worse, inaccurate and misleading. CC is providing a valuable service, I think, but hopefully the discussions here aren't taking place away from (or at the expense of) admissions/counselors, which may inadvertently belittle us and the work we do, and perhaps doesn't do the "good" it intends.</p>
<p>Again, I hope I don't ruffle feathers here, but it's just my observation, as we work with seniors at the end, and juniors (and sophomores and freshmen!) at the beginning of a long, but hopefully informative and ultimately fulfilling process.</p>
<p>hi, I'm an intel, all these posts hav been really informative n somewhat relaxing in this nerve wrecking period. i applied to a no. of colleges mostly competetive ones. and i've already received few rejetions from schools like dickinson, oberlin and gettysburg. i got a decent stat (at least i think so!!)
my grades r good, recos r also fine i suppose, everyone who read my essay praised it, my sat score is 1960 (not so bad eh!!)..but all these rejections have left me devastated and hopeless..i now least expect acceptance from other schools..oh i'm so depressed at this time!!! do all the adofficers read our application in similar ways. is their any chance that a student rejected from one colls might get into some other good colls. do u consider financial need of students while makin decisions??</p>
<p>AdOfficer-Thank you for your insight.I truly appreciate your taking the time to help me understand this process. As my child attends a large ps hs, our counselors have hearts of gold-but are overworked! 700 students per counselor....Hang in there!</p>