Why do well qualified students get rejected, while less qualified students get accepted into highly selective schools? How are admission decisions made? Here are 5 points to understand what drives admission officers. Hint: There is no foolproof formula

The College Metropolis Podcast: College Admissions Talk for High School Students and Parents

#113 – The reasons why highly selective schools give admission to some students, while rejecting others students who may appear to be better qualified baffles the minds of a great many families each year. On this episode, we present you with the behind-the-scenes activities and processes that highly selective schools follow as they sort through the many applications they receive, and decide on which students will be admitted. We highlight the reasons why there is no possible foolproof formula to gain admission into highly selective school. Jankel and I uncover the term, “Institutional Priorities,” and use it to explain why colleges and universities may look for a slightly different type of students to admit each year. Throughout the episode we make several general statements about what to expect when applying to a highly selective institution. These statements are not meant to dissuade you or persuade you to apply to one. Rather, we make those statements to give information that will help you find the right frame of mind. For example, we state and give the reasons why no student should count of admission to any highly selective school as a “sure thing”, regardless of academic and non-academic preparation. Towards the end of the episode we encourage you to spend the time and energy that is necessary to make a list of colleges that is well balanced, with a number of schools to which you will have a very good chance of admission based on your qualifications, a number of schools to which admission is likely but not sure (50-50), and a number of schools to which admission is a stretch (highly selective schools). We also remind you of the importance of applying to schools that offer “you” a good fit. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. We thank you in advance!