<p>If you want to know, Hernandez's book on getting into the Ivies gives insight into the actual admissions process and how much weight each component has. Ivies may place more or less emphasis than other competitive schools on tests, EC, employment, etc. The book is listed on CC's homepage; check it out of your library. I just read it to help D#2 prepare her apps this summer.</p>
<p>College admission, from the college's point of view, should hinge on which candidates they feel like will reap the most FOR the college. This means :</p>
<ol>
<li>Cash</li>
<li>Connections</li>
<li>Publicity</li>
<li>Reputation (both for excellence and providing a service to their business partners in society)</li>
<li>Meeting regulations/law requirements</li>
</ol>
<p>All of those areas will increase the college's finiancial bottom line, allow them to prosper in the business/political community, gain them notoriety and draw more resources to the college. </p>
<p>How does this translate into admissions?</p>
<ol>
<li>Those who have the most and are willing to part with it, would be accepted.</li>
<li>Those who have the connections (usually through their parents or other family influence) in the political/business world would be accepted.</li>
<li>Those who could bring positive attention to the college (famous, or those connected to the famous or those with remarkable talent) would be accepted.</li>
<li>Those with great promise for producing something for the college (in terms of social involvment, dedication to the college community, research, outstanding academics in their field, etc...) would be admitted. </li>
<li>Those who fufilled a need for the college as far as imposed regulations were concerned (affirmative action and the like) would be admitted. </li>
</ol>
<p>In all cases, obviously, you admit the most qualified from the pool you have to choose from. </p>
<p>In conclusion, it's not just one factor - the applicant's background and an interview would probably be the greatest deciding factors based on these assumptions. The rest would come into consideration after those issues.</p>
<p>Performance in high school clases, relative to the content of those classes, and as measured by the following:
--description of course content, including projects assigned, syllabus, & teacher means & criteria of assessment.
--quarter, semester, final grades in courses.
--qualitative & quantitative secondary school profile, provided by school & further elucidated by teacher, if needed.</p>
<p>Performance in academics outside of campus: community college, secondary level courses, etc. -- with similar features as above.</p>
<p>Recommendations:
--qualitative teacher recommendations, unprompted. (If there's not much to say about a student, that will speak volumes.)
--sample of student work, sent by teacher from school address</p>
<p>Academic awards, both on campus and off</p>
<p>Achievement in performance-centered extracurriculars (debate, athletics, performing arts, visual arts, etc.), verified & described by moderators, teachers, coaches of these</p>
<p>Rank in light of Secondary School Profile, and "How Many Others Share This Rank" (typically asked). Certainly adjusts for the importance of this if 43 share that rank. If there are tied ranks above this student, the extent of this should also be noted.</p>
<p>SAT II scores
AP Exam scores</p>
<p>Performance & role in co-curriculars such as journalism, Model UN or other content-based activities.</p>
<p>Interviews</p>
<p>SAT I scores</p>
<p>Commitment to others as evidenced by community service and/or leadership activities (including off campus) verified by adults supervising or accounting for those activities.</p>
<p>gpa and course rigor should be the most influential along with AP and SAT II scores. I disagree with those who believe that extracurriculars should play a factor. imo, community service and other ec's should barely be considered unless there is some extraordinary case. imo, colleges are academic institutions and their goal should be to promote higher learning. thus, grades and standardized test scores are king. it is NOT the job of colleges to be a place that teaches morals. their job is to educate. leave the morals to religion. also, requiring community service for admittance into college or even high school graduation both contradicts and devalues the practice of charity while also dishonoring those who were charitable before us. essentially, community service for college admission is like offering money or better grades for volunteering at a homeless shelter. when incentives are offered in exchange for community service, the act is no longer charity, but rather a job. in addition to the contradiction in meaning, offering incentives for charity devalues the act because the essence of charity to do a good deed and expect nothing in return. imo, anonymous acts of charity are the best kind.</p>
<p>The poor thing that you are doing right now is that by weighing one part of the app more than another, you are essentially finding an easy way out for yourself.</p>
<p>Every single part of the app is just as important. </p>
<p>Note that some schools, esp. prestigious ones, such as Regis in NYC, do not even have class rankings.</p>
<p>No doubt in my mind what the most important aspects to an application are:</p>
<p>-Strength of schedule
-GPA relative to that strength of schedule</p>
<p>And most importantly...</p>
<p>The essays. </p>
<p>Without a doubt, the most important part of the application is the portion where you can express yourself beyond the numbers and basic extra curricular activities. For colleges, numbers play a portion, but once you realize that a great deal of applicants are qualified by the numbers, the only way to distinguish is by the quality and style of writing on the applications. That really gives the best insight.</p>
<p>I meant what you think SHOULD be most important. In your perfect world.</p>
<p>Legacy. Which is not on your list.</p>
<p>Then GPA/SAT scores</p>
<p>THen extracurrics/community service</p>
<p>THen awards</p>
<p>Then recommendations (as a last option)</p>
<p>teacher recommendations</p>
<p>
[quote]
GPA?</p>
<p>SAT Score?</p>
<p>Community Service?</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars?</p>
<p>Awards?</p>
<p>Recommendations?</p>
<p>Social Status?</p>
<p>?????</p>
<p>What do you guys think should be the most important factor in college admissions? Which way would be best?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The most important factor should be demonstrated excellence.</p>
<p>The best admissions policy should disregard race, gender, national background, and other factors that do not have any role in the participation of university programs. Instead, only academics, community and extracurricular involvement, and recommendations should be considered. Ideally, we should not have to consider socio*economic* status, but if it must considered, then it is far better than considering race.</p>
<ol>
<li>GPA (with many AP and IB classes)</li>
<li>SATII (To back up the GPA)</li>
<li>Extra curriculars
College essay</li>
<li>Awards</li>
<li>Recommendations</li>
</ol>
<p>Tyler: Are you asking for yourself, as a guide for your app to one of the ultra selective colleges or are you asking just to generate discussion? Because if it's the latter, then some of the points put forth have no resemblance to what actually happens. Some of the answers given are DEFINITELY not the most important factor in ultra selective college adcoms. I've recruited for one of them for almost 20 yrs and can tell you that Epiphany's reply is the most centered on what really goes on.</p>
<p>Rank isn't a good indicator...</p>
<p>1) some schools don't rank
2) if it's for example a magnet school most of the school probably could of been top 10% at their original high school, but they chose to take more rigorous courses with better students</p>
<p>SATs, because mine were the by far the most awesome part of my transcript</p>
<p>I think GPA, especially in terms of what courses you've taken. The SAT, ACT, and AP tests are just a snapshot of your whole high school career. I don't think they measure intelligence accurately for everyone. EC's should be second.</p>
<ol>
<li>GPA [in comparison to AP scores and SAT II's to kind of verify that there isn't too much grade inflation]</li>
<li>EC's [people who only study do NOT create interesting or successful student bodies]</li>
<li>SAT's [they ARE standardized to some degree... somewhat useful I suppose]</li>
<li>Awards</li>
<li>Recommendations</li>
</ol>
<p>I don't know if community service should really be a VERY important factor. I mean, it's nice to give back to the community, but we can't spend SO many hours concentrating on that that we don't have time for other EC's which will actually make a larger impact on society in the future. Scientific research, for example, should be weighed more heavily than many hours of community service. I think that should be pretty obvious, but I could be wrong.........</p>