<p>Hi I just started to learn about college application. Now I am reading a book saying that the most selective colleges like Stanford sorted the applications by last name, not school. I was wondering what it means. Could anyone explain to me, thank you</p>
<p>It probably means a reader might be given a stack of applications to review from kids whose last name begins w S, rather than getting a stack of applications to review from kids all from Stuyvesant. </p>
<p>It doesn’t make sense to me. They usually have one representative per region because he/she would be most familiar with high schools in that region. Students are read (compared) relative to students from that high school/state/region/country.</p>
<p>I believe that it is normal for adcoms to have geographical territories, though, so that they are familiar with secondary schools and do look at kids from a single school together to some degree. Some schools have kids from a region go through a review by a subcommittee and only the ones they pick go to the full committee. Or so we are told. Perhaps it depends how many applications they are dealing with.</p>
<p>Schools do it differently. They may well be by reps per region (which is also the way I have always seen it done and I do think Stanford does have regional admissions reps), and then sorted alphabetically in those categories. I know that some schools will look at all of the kids from a school together, but most do not, though they may take a good look at the group for disparities and consistencies before releasing the final decision. Changes are usually for WL to reject or reject to WL, however. I can tell you that COMPLETE files are read first. The admissions officers are not going to be sitting on their hands waiting for someone’s things to arrive just to move along the alphabet. </p>
<p>thank you all guys!</p>
<p>I checked Stanford’s website and they have reps by region for undergrad admissions. Perhaps the alphabetical is for second read or for grad school?</p>
<p>Maybe it’s alphabetical within region, so they don’t read all the apps from one high school together.</p>
<p>It does mean that one of the reps will get all the Lees, Parks or Chus, though. It would make more sense to randomize.</p>
<p>You mean like Robert E. Lee?</p>
<p>Gypsy Rose Lee, paying her way through Stanford …</p>
<p>Question: Are admissions readers reviewing PAPER applications in manila folders? I thought by now all documents would be online and electronic. I thought even if an application item was submitted on paper, it would have been scanned and added to an electronic application “folder.” Anyone know? If it’s all electronic, I would guess a reader could easily access the apps any way the office requires – alpha order, by high school, etc. </p>