正文
Factors in admissions
College admissions in the United States are not centralized in any way — each among its thousands of undergraduate colleges develops its own system in-house. Among the most important factors in college admissions are high school grades, difficulty of a student's high school course selection, and scores on the SAT or ACT, the nation's two most prevalent undergraduate admissions exams. (The SAT is by far more commonly used.) The reputation of the high school is also important — admission to an Ivy is taken as an entitlement at the nation's top prep schools, even by mediocre students, though uncommon (and unattainable for all but the top 5% or so of students) at even the best public schools. Teacher recommendations are often considered, especially if other recommendations from that teacher are on file for comparison.
An underrated but crucial factor in attaining admission to elite colleges is the absolute necessity that a student indicate interest in the college or university. Yield — the percentage of accepted students who attend that college — is taken by college deans and admissions officers to be the "bottom line" of an institution's prestige as well as an indicator of the current direction of the school's reputation, valued even more than U.S. News-style rankings because is objective. (Moreover, from a practical standpoint, a high yield rate reduces the statistical uncertainty in the composition of the incoming class.) In order to gain admission to an elite instutition, an applicant must indicate steadfast intention on attending if accepted; this includes (if not requires) gestures such as attending a tour, requesting materials from the college, and interviewing with an alumnus/alumna of the college. At the most selective institutions — such as the Ivy League colleges — failure to indicate such a level of interest ensures rejection.
Of tertiary importance are extracurricular activities — clubs, service activities, and athletic or musical talents — though it is common for Americans to overestimate their importance in admissions. While it is very damaging to a student's application for him or her to have no extracurricular involvement, college admissions offices generally consider it impossible to measure or compare the quality of students' extracurricular activities.
A widespread middle-class misconception is that, because it is difficult for (middle-class, non-prep) students to attain admissions to colleges such as Harvard even with perfect SATs and grades, these colleges seek an amorphous "something extra" in terms of the applicant's personal qualities — charisma, maturity, or (from a more cynical perspective) social class. This is false: in truth, admissions officers will readily admit that it is impossible to evaluate applicants at such a fine level, given their limited resources and time. What accounts for the "something extra", in actuality, is that most middle-class families have no idea how to apply to elite institutions; the most common mistake being that the applicant fails to establish and prove interest in attending.
Many colleges also use affirmative action to increase the racial and geographical diversity of the student body. Whites and Asians, especially from coastal states, are perceived to suffer a disadvantage by this policy, and therefore it is highly controversial. According to the study done at Princeton University in 2005, if racial preferences were eliminated, black and Hispanic acceptance rates would dramatically fall and four out of five admissions spots that would have been offered to those students would instead be turned over to Asian students. The effect on admission rates for white students would not be pronounced. Study PDF of study
Children of a college's alumni receive preferential treatment in admissions — this is known as the legacy preference. If the family is a major donor to the college (ca. U.S.$ 250,000 or more) the likelihood of a student's admission increases dramatically.
Role of social class
Socioeconomic status plays a remarkable role in students' decisions whether or not to attend college, where to go, and moreover their success at the admissions process. While this link is controversial, there is little doubt that it exists. Social class is possibly as relevant as intellectual ability in determining the outcome of a student's application process. This is not because admissions officers are classist, but rather because social class plays a major role in determining the quality of information to which a student will have access during the process. It is very unlikely that a lower or lower-middle-class student will know how to apply to the Ivy League colleges. By contrast, upper-middle-class students often have access to expensive admissions counselors, who have often worked as admissions officers at prestigious colleges, while upper-class students benefit from family connections and exclusive prep schools that guarantee, even for mediocre students, top college placement.
College admissions in the United States are not centralized in any way — each among its thousands of undergraduate colleges develops its own system in-house. Among the most important factors in college admissions are high school grades, difficulty of a student's high school course selection, and scores on the SAT or ACT, the nation's two most prevalent undergraduate admissions exams. (The SAT is by far more commonly used.) The reputation of the high school is also important — admission to an Ivy is taken as an entitlement at the nation's top prep schools, even by mediocre students, though uncommon (and unattainable for all but the top 5% or so of students) at even the best public schools. Teacher recommendations are often considered, especially if other recommendations from that teacher are on file for comparison.
An underrated but crucial factor in attaining admission to elite colleges is the absolute necessity that a student indicate interest in the college or university. Yield — the percentage of accepted students who attend that college — is taken by college deans and admissions officers to be the "bottom line" of an institution's prestige as well as an indicator of the current direction of the school's reputation, valued even more than U.S. News-style rankings because is objective. (Moreover, from a practical standpoint, a high yield rate reduces the statistical uncertainty in the composition of the incoming class.) In order to gain admission to an elite instutition, an applicant must indicate steadfast intention on attending if accepted; this includes (if not requires) gestures such as attending a tour, requesting materials from the college, and interviewing with an alumnus/alumna of the college. At the most selective institutions — such as the Ivy League colleges — failure to indicate such a level of interest ensures rejection.
Of tertiary importance are extracurricular activities — clubs, service activities, and athletic or musical talents — though it is common for Americans to overestimate their importance in admissions. While it is very damaging to a student's application for him or her to have no extracurricular involvement, college admissions offices generally consider it impossible to measure or compare the quality of students' extracurricular activities.
A widespread middle-class misconception is that, because it is difficult for (middle-class, non-prep) students to attain admissions to colleges such as Harvard even with perfect SATs and grades, these colleges seek an amorphous "something extra" in terms of the applicant's personal qualities — charisma, maturity, or (from a more cynical perspective) social class. This is false: in truth, admissions officers will readily admit that it is impossible to evaluate applicants at such a fine level, given their limited resources and time. What accounts for the "something extra", in actuality, is that most middle-class families have no idea how to apply to elite institutions; the most common mistake being that the applicant fails to establish and prove interest in attending.
Many colleges also use affirmative action to increase the racial and geographical diversity of the student body. Whites and Asians, especially from coastal states, are perceived to suffer a disadvantage by this policy, and therefore it is highly controversial. According to the study done at Princeton University in 2005, if racial preferences were eliminated, black and Hispanic acceptance rates would dramatically fall and four out of five admissions spots that would have been offered to those students would instead be turned over to Asian students. The effect on admission rates for white students would not be pronounced. Study PDF of study
Children of a college's alumni receive preferential treatment in admissions — this is known as the legacy preference. If the family is a major donor to the college (ca. U.S.$ 250,000 or more) the likelihood of a student's admission increases dramatically.
Role of social class
Socioeconomic status plays a remarkable role in students' decisions whether or not to attend college, where to go, and moreover their success at the admissions process. While this link is controversial, there is little doubt that it exists. Social class is possibly as relevant as intellectual ability in determining the outcome of a student's application process. This is not because admissions officers are classist, but rather because social class plays a major role in determining the quality of information to which a student will have access during the process. It is very unlikely that a lower or lower-middle-class student will know how to apply to the Ivy League colleges. By contrast, upper-middle-class students often have access to expensive admissions counselors, who have often worked as admissions officers at prestigious colleges, while upper-class students benefit from family connections and exclusive prep schools that guarantee, even for mediocre students, top college placement.
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