do colleges really read the essays

6 Common College Admissions Myths

Get a feel for how much grades, tests and your essay really matter from those who review the applications.

Brett Ziegler for USN&WR

College admissions officers are well aware of how different high school curricula are because they work with many of the same schools every year and receive detailed profiles of the course offerings, along with context about the student body.

When applying to college , many students think they know which strategies will help them attract the attention – in a good way – of admissions officers. But there's often a gap between perception and reality about what actually matters, and what matters most, when it comes to grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and other factors. And what holds true in this unprecedented time will differ in some ways from the norm.

Many colleges report that, while academic performance is key, they take a multifaceted approach to reviewing applicants, looking well beyond what can be seen on a transcript, says Joe Shields, an admissions counselor at Goucher College in Baltimore. "A holistic admissions review process allows a student to demonstrate their best qualities and discuss how they would be a good fit for that college," he says.

Another often misunderstood fact: It's not as difficult as many students think to get admitted to a college, beyond the most selective schools. A 2019 report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling revealed that, on average, two-thirds of first-time freshman applicants were offered admission to a four-year school in the U.S. Some 80% of places accepted 50% or more of applicants.

"There are many good colleges you may not have heard of," says Hannah Serota, founder and CEO of Creative College Connections, a consulting practice dedicated to helping applicants find the right fit .

Read on for a look at six other persistent myths about college admissions:

• Getting all A's is the most important thing.
• Test scores can make or break your chances of getting in.
• The more clubs and activities on your resume, the better.
• You should ask for a recommendation only from a teacher who gave you an A.
• It's a mistake to get creative with your essay.
• To make yourself memorable, you need to visit the campus.

Myth 1: Getting All A's Is the Most Important Thing

Of course, your grades matter. But what that means depends on a college's selectivity as well as the classes you took, based on the offerings at your high school. Some places offer more honors, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses than others, and a B in one of these more challenging courses can signify a higher level of mastery than an A in a grade-level class at a school with both.

College admissions officers are often well aware of how high school curricula are different from one school to another because they work with many of the same ones every year and receive detailed profiles of the course offerings, along with context about the student body.

"GPAs can present very differently from each institution to the next," says Janine Bissic, an education consultant and former director of admission at Whittier College in California.

For the next few years, college admissions officers will be evaluating transcripts that may have one or two terms that appear quite different from applicants' overall records, thanks to the varied experiences students have had studying from home during the coronavirus pandemic. They plan to be forgiving to those who, say, didn't receive letter grades for a semester or two.

Everyone evaluating applicants is in the same boat, says Todd Rinehart, vice chancellor for enrollment at the University of Denver . He expects counselors to "remain empathetic and flexible" as they weigh candidates. "We are trying to find reasons to admit students," he says.

That said, admissions officers will, as usual, look for evidence that applicants can succeed in college.

At Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, "we would expect the most rigorous schedule that's appropriate for the student and the highest grades. We would be looking for both," says Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs and dean of admissions and financial aid.

Being able to handle a challenging course load while maintaining strong marks is a signal that you have the academic grit and discipline to handle college-level work.

Balance is also key. Taking a handful of AP classes can help you look good, but more isn't always better; the idea is to take the most rigorous set of courses that makes sense given your abilities. While a B in an AP English literature class may be more impressive than an A in a grade-level class, a C or D isn't likely to wow anyone.

"Challenge yourself where you are strong, and then work hard and do well in all of your courses," advises Clark Brigger, executive director of admissions at the University of Colorado–Boulder . Now that the College Board has eliminated the SAT subject tests, doing well on AP exams may be an increasingly important data point for highly selective colleges, Serota says.

"When a student takes a challenging course and does well, it is predictive of how they will perform in college," Brigger says. "However, there are always some students who stretch too far and then struggle with their performance and subsequently their health."

If your grades dropped during a semester when you had personal hardships, such as a parent's job loss or a serious illness or death in the family, it's wise to explain the reason somewhere in your application. If the issue is coronavirus-related, the Common App and Coalition Application have provided optional ways for applicants to elaborate.

Don't be discouraged if your grades weren't where you'd have liked them to be early in high school. Many admissions officers look for an upward trend, improvements over time that enable a student to finish strong.

"At the end of the day, we want to feel confident that if we admit a student, they can handle the rigor of the courses," says Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president for enrollment at Rice University in Houston.

Myth 2: Test Scores Can Make or Break Your Chances of Getting In

Test scores are just one element of the application package. "There are many students we've denied with perfect test scores because they didn't have anything else to set them apart," Christiansen says.

Even in normal times, different institutions place varying levels of importance on standardized tests. This year, some two-thirds of colleges and universities, including the eight Ivy League schools, are or are expected to be test-optional or test-blind for fall 2022 admissions.

In many cases, schools are extending this beyond next fall. The University of Maryland–College Park is one of many state flagships temporarily suspending their test requirements. The University of California system settled a lawsuit in May that claimed the tests discriminate against disadvantaged students; it won't consider scores at all in admissions decisions, although the agreement left open the possibility of using a new test in the future.

Even before the pandemic, many schools were shifting their test policies to optional, including Ohio Wesleyan University , the University of Denver and the University of Chicago . Bowdoin College in Maine has been test-optional for more than half a century. This trend is partly because admissions officers recognize that many applicants have intellectual abilities and academic strengths that aren't reflected in exam scores.

But before you decide to skip the tests, consider whether you'll be applying for scholarships, some of which may depend on the scores to qualify applicants, and whether having good results might be beneficial to your chances even at a test-optional school. Colleges and universities publish the data related to incoming classes online, so officials suggest that students can benchmark their own exam results and weigh whether it might enhance their application to submit scores.

Among colleges that do require the SAT or ACT , many "superscore," which means they use your best section-level scores even if they're from different test dates. In other words, if your SAT reading score was 70 points higher the second time you took the test but your math score was 50 points higher on the first, the better of both attempts is what the admissions office looks at.

Myth 3: The More Clubs and Activities on Your Resume, the Better

Quality means more than quantity when it comes to extracurricular activities, college admissions experts note.

"Being passionate about key interests is more important than joining a lot of clubs," says Christiansen. "We're looking for depth and progression of leadership, not just participation."

David Senter, a 2020 graduate of Rice, thinks his experience swimming competitively and working his way up to varsity team captain helped demonstrate his dedication and added something important to his strong academic record, along with his participation on the academic quiz bowl team.

"You have to show you care," Senter says. "I was never the fastest, and I never went to the state championships, but I showed up every day and bonded with the team."

When reviewing your contributions outside of the classroom , admissions officers really want to know things like: What did you do in high school that made an organization better or furthered its cause and helped you grow? What are you doing with your time that would contribute to our campus in a meaningful way if you were to come here?

"Colleges are looking for a well-rounded student body, not necessarily a well-rounded student," Serota says.

These days, of course, they will have to be sensitive to the fact that some students weren't able to participate in extracurricular activities for an extended period because of the pandemic.

"Admissions officers won't red flag a gap in, say, debate participation," says Mimi Doe, co-founder of the counseling firm Top Tier Admissions. "But for very top schools, they want to see what a student did instead. How they reached out beyond their own school and became engaged, even online, in some sort of initiative."

Even in normal times, some students simply don't have time for clubs and sports because of family obligations. Rather, they might need to take care of younger siblings after school or hold a job.

Admissions staffers get it. If that's the case, students would do well to be honest about their situation and to focus on the qualities that emerge from those experiences and what they get out of them, says Stacey Kostell, chief executive officer for the Coalition for College, a group of more than 150 colleges and universities dedicated to increasing students' access to higher education.

Myth 4: You Should Ask for a Recommendation Only From a Teacher Who Gave You an A

The best person to ask for a letter of recommendation isn't necessarily a teacher who gave you an A. It's better to consider whether a teacher can help admissions officers get to know a different side of you and better understand who you are. You might choose the teacher who taught your most difficult class, for example, or a class you thought you wouldn't like but did.

Students "should really be looking for recommendations from teachers and mentors who know them especially well and can give rich context to their work ethic, character, persistence and growth," Bissic says.

Shields agrees: "If you struggled with a subject and had a good rapport with the teacher, you can get a helpful recommendation if the teacher can talk about how you came for extra help or you were able to advocate for yourself."

Myth 5: It's a Mistake to Get Creative With Your Essay

The key job of your essay is to reveal something about who you are. If you're not funny, don't try to be. If you're not impassioned about a controversial subject, don't pretend to be.

"You need to make the case for why you care about something and what you're doing about it," Serota advises. But think carefully about choosing to share a mental health issue or a drug problem, for instance. "Be careful about revealing things that would make the reader feel a sense of caution about you," Serota says.

And while you may be tempted to write about how the pandemic affected you and your family, consider that admissions officers will likely be inundated with essays on the topic.

"It's likely to blend in, and it becomes that much more difficult to stand out," says Ethan Sawyer, founder of the College Essay Guy website and author of "College Admission Essentials." He encourages students to instead use the extra space provided by the Common and Coalition applications to describe the effects of the pandemic on their families.

An essay's most important quality is that it should feel authentic, Serota and others say. Make sure that it addresses the prompt, but also think of your essay as an opportunity to reveal your true voice and to highlight who you really are. Admissions folks are experts at distinguishing between viewpoints that feel genuine and those that don't. The most compelling essays reveal something about an applicant's personality, Kostell says.

When it comes to large universities in particular, it may be hard to believe that there are human beings who are actually reading and giving careful consideration to your app, but it's true. During the review process, "multiple sets of eyes read every piece of the application, essay and letters of recommendation," says Brigger, whose university reviewed more than 54,000 first-year applications this past cycle.

"Admissions officers and university faculty and staff are the ones making admissions decisions, not a computer or automated process ," Brigger says. The essay is your opportunity to connect and make an impression.

Myth 6: To Make Yourself Memorable, You Need to Visit the Campus

A campus visit , real or virtual, can be helpful in more ways than one. Since the pandemic brought in-person visits to a screeching halt, schools have introduced a wide range of virtual options, from informal chats to "tours" that are meant to offer students a taste of campus life.

Many competitive colleges are using these new approaches as one tool to gauge an applicant's demonstrated interest . This can be shown in various ways: by calling or emailing with questions, requesting a virtual interview, contacting alumni or interacting with a representative on social media or, when possible, at a college fair.

Some 40% of colleges indicate that demonstrated interest is a moderately or considerably important factor in decisions, according to the most recent NACAC data.

Admissions officers can track how many contacts you've had with their institution, and they can even see if you've opened and engaged with emails.

"The artificial intelligence and the way they use data has become super sophisticated," Doe says.

As colleges begin fully welcoming in-person visitors again, spending a day on campus sitting in on a class and talking with students, or perhaps attending a summer program for high schoolers at a college that appeals to you, can both signal your interest and help you and the admissions office establish whether you'll be a good fit. That's key.

"Fit continues to be the most important factor to us – we want students to succeed here," says Marc Harding, vice provost for enrollment at the University of Pittsburgh .

Participating in such a program shows that you're passionate and curious enough about a subject to take it to the next level, too. And that says a lot about your level of college readiness.

This story is excerpted from the U.S. News " Best Colleges 2022 " guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.

Tags: education , colleges , college applications , college admissions , students , Coronavirus

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College essay resources

The #1 college essay myth (and what college admissions officers really look for), brainstorm what to write.

Brad Schiller

College essays are not the place to "just tell your story."

It's not that “tell us your story” is wrong for college essays. It’s just severely misleading. 

Yes, college admission offices give this advice all the time. But if you look at how they actually evaluate essays, you’ll see that what they look for goes well beyond “your story.”

This article will walk you through: 

• why colleges (and sometimes even guidance counselors!) give this misleading advice; 
• what admissions officers actually look for; and 
• how to deliver it for them. 

As college essay coaches who’ve helped thousands of applicants get into great colleges each year, we’ve examined the question of why the “tell your story” advice is so ubiquitous, and you need to know what’s really going on. 

Read the Table of Contents to see what we'll cover in this article:

Colleges say they want applicants to tell their story

Let’s go on a journey of discovery through the internet. What advice do colleges give about writing the essays they require?

We found one striking pattern (emphasis added): 

• [The essay] is an important part of your application because it gives you the chance to tell us your story as an applicant. — BU
• Tell a good story. Most people prefer reading a good story over anything else. So... tell a great story in your essay. — Tulane Apps 101: Ten Tips for an Epic College Essay .
• Your transcript and standardized test scores tell your academic story, your extracurricular activities, recommendations, essay(s) and background, tell your personal story . — William & Mary
• In [successful] essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins. — Johns Hopkins  
• Tell your story. Some of my most memorable offers of admission have gone to students who like to color outside the lines. — Canisius College
• The college application process is a wonderful opportunity for self-discovery. You will find out things about yourself, what motivates you and what excites you. This is a passage to an exciting new chapter in your life. We want to get to know you and your story. — Muhlenberg College

Here are some videos that popped up as we researched this question:

And here’s an article from the Washington Post that ranked high in our search:

True, not every admissions department used the word “story.” 

We also found (emphasis added) —

• The point of the personal statement is for you to have the chance to share whatever you would like with us . — Harvard
• Be honest, be open, be authentic—this is your opportunity to connect with us . — MIT
• These essays are an opportunity to tell us about yourself in your unique voice . — CalTech
• Essay writing is an excellent opportunity for personal expression and original thought. — Northwestern
• The authenticity of the writing is what makes it effective. — Johns Hopkins - WaPo article
• “Imagine UC was a person. If we met face-to-face, what would you want us to know about you? These personal insight questions allow you to tell us. — University of California — see also their video on the topic:

In this category of advice, while the admissions offices don’t use the term “tell your story,” they’re still suggesting that you simply share something interesting about who you are, and connect with them in the way that you would with a friend.

However, when you look at how colleges actually evaluate essays, it turns out that this advice is wrong at worst and incomplete at best . So let’s do that now.

What college admissions officers really look for

Let’s hop back into the internet for another journey of discovery. This time, let’s search for clues about what college admissions officers do when they’re in the process of actually reading your essays.

As some readers know, at Prompt, we’re pretty excited about a lawsuit that made much of Harvard’s admission process public. 

The lawsuit revealed that “share whatever you would like with us,” as the college claims (see above) isn’t necessarily helpful advice. 

Instead, admissions officers review “ humor, sensitivity, grit, leadership, integrity, helpfulness, courage, kindness and many other qualities” in determining a personal rating for each applicant, according to coverage (emphasis added). 

Yes, this means that Harvard admissions officers give applicants cold, hard numbers based on whether their essays reveal things like grit and courage. So what if, based on their advice, you simply shared an interesting story about your passion for the theater or for playing sports? So that they could get to know you?

You’d be out of luck. Because without specifically focusing on an interesting, authentic story that also reveals something about your character, you’re unlikely to write an essay that they rate highly.

There are also clues that other colleges are looking for more than just a nice story or the “true you.” 

Here are some approaches we found to the process of assessing admission essays:

• Emory University specifically takes into account “ intellectual curiosity and the potential to contribute to community life on campus.” 
• According to the dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, “We expect [applicants] to have high test scores and grades. That’s a given. So another way for us to think about merit for those applicants is, what did they do with that opportunity they were given? How far did they travel in their high school journey?”  ‍
• “It's quick and easy for candidates to share, and for admissions readers to assess a candidate's 'what,’” says the dean of admissions at Lafayette College, “However, the hope is to find the 'how' and the 'why' behind an applicant's 'what'. If a candidate is a chemistry loving, slam poet who pole vaults, cool, that's 'what' they are. But, 'HOW' and 'WHY' have they become a chemistry-loving, slam poet who pole vaults? Too many candidates stop at the 'what' and do not give the 'how' and the 'why.'”
• "As an admissions officer, I analyzed students' personalities ,” says the former admissions head at Dartmouth. “If … the student came off as arrogant, entitled, mean, selfish, or, on the flip side, funny, charming, generous, witty , I wrote that exact trait in my notes. It's not enough just to be smart at top schools. Students must also show that they'll be good classmates and community builders ."
• “We want to enroll students who will contribute to the life of the campus , so we are eager to see how you have contributed to your high-school community or the community in which you live,” says an officer at Dickinson College.
• “Applicants who are able to convey that they have spent their high school years exploring different classes, activities and opportunities immediately grab my attention,” says an officer at Drake. ‍
• According to an officer at DePauw University, “a successful applicant should highlight an ability to overcome obstacles and garner results . It’s about proving you can produce outcomes .” 
• During the pandemic, 315 admission leaders (including all the heavy-hitters, such as the Ivys), signed a “ Care Counts in Crisis ” statement, assuring applicants that they most value 5 attributes: self-care ; academic work; service and contributions to others; family contributions ; and extracurricular and summer activities.

Some supplemental essays also show what colleges value. For example, these are all about intellectual curiosity:

• Stanford — The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
• University of Washington — [T]ell us about something that really sparks your intellectual interest and curiosity , and compels you to explore more in the program/area of study that you indicated.

Once you start looking more closely at how colleges actually make their decision, you see that colleges really care about a number of specific characteristics .

5 traits admissions officers look for in your college essay

The point of a college essay is to prove you’ll be successful on campus and beyond. As Emory admissions dean John Latting says, “The whole [admissions] process is about finding potential .”

The way you prove your potential is by showing that you have 5 special characteristics. They go by various names, but at Prompt we’ve boiled them down to:

• Drive — going above and beyond what’s expected
• Intellectual Curiosity — manifesting your love of learning
• Initiative — Changing the status quo
• Contribution — Giving back to the community
• Diversity of Experiences — Having a unique background or experiences that give you a new perspective.

Go back to the last section and see how often these words (or similar ones) come up — you’ll see that it’s extremely often. 

To take a specific example, here how these characteristics align with the categories unearthed from the Harvard admissions litigation:

• Grit — that’s Drive
• Leadership — that’s a combo of Drive, Initiative and Contribution
• Helpfulness — that’s Contribution
• Courage — that’s adjacent to Drive and Initiative
• Kindness — well, that’s Contribution again

Now if you’re carefully comparing this list to the quote above, you’ll notice that we’re missing:

• sensitivity, and 
• Integrity. 

That’s because it’s true that they don’t match up to our 5 Traits. Humor is wonderful if you’ve got it, but “your college essay might not be the best place to try on that funny writer voice for the first time,” to quote the dean of admissions at Lawrence. (Diversity of experiences is similar, in a way, in that it’s a wonderful-to-have, but not something you can force if you just don’t have it.)

Integrity is a must-have — but most good essays around the 5 Traits should demonstrate integrity. Needless to say, any essay that implies a lack of it is a bad essay. As to sensitivity, well, if you’ve got it great. Not sure that one’s really make-or-break.

The point is that your essays aren’t a friendly “get to know you” space. They’re a vital component of your application; the colleges are grading your essays. And to score high you need to write about an experience in which you showed one or more of the qualities that they’re looking for — one or more of the 5 Traits. (If the experience also happens to showcase integrity and a sense of humor, all the better!)

Why colleges don't share what they're really looking for

At Prompt, we study the pronouncements of college admissions officials obsessively . We’ve gotten to know them , we read books about them, we follow them on Twitter. 

We don’t think that college officials are “lying” when they present this advice. Rather, there are many reasons why their advice isn’t as helpful as they probably think it is. Here are a few:

First , as we noted above, the advice to “tell your story” or “get to know us” or “be authentic” isn’t wrong. It’s just misleading because it isn’t clear about what actually gets evaluated. Most admissions officers probably think they’re giving helpful advice.

Second , offices are intentionally vague because it gives them more room to maneuver. If they say they’re looking for X in essays, everyone will write X . They want wiggle room for kids who write Y. 

Third , they may be thinking in different modes when they think about “writing an essay” compared to when they settle down to “evaluate” an essay. In Originals , Adam Grant describes how different these two modes can be. His book describes an experiment that randomly assigned some participants to think like managers and others like creatives. Those in the “manager” mode evaluated novel products correctly only 51% of the time; those in “creative” mode were correct far more often, at 77% of the time.

This is kind of the opposite. Admissions officers likely think broadly when giving advice for writing essays — they might be thinking about how they’d like to read essays, or how great essays are original, or focus on small, everyday topics. But that likely goes out the window when it comes to getting through a stack of essays on their desk and using them to assign “personal scores” that can be used to advance or reject applications. 

Bear in mind how overworked admissions readers are. According to an evaluator at Brown, “[W]e keep up a rigorous reading pace with the regular decision applicant pool. We were expected to read five applications per hour, which equates to 12 minutes per application. In those 12 minutes, I reviewed the application, standardized test scores, the transcript, the personal statement, and multiple supplemental essays — all while taking notes and making a decision on the admissibility of the applicant."

Make sure you write your essay to appeal to that “boring, bureaucratic” admissions officer. The one getting through a pile of essays, on a hungry prowl for qualities that will show success. We’ve got some stats to prove it can make up to a 10x difference in your chances of admission. 

Our team of expert writing coaches have helped 50,000+ student write 90,000+ essays that have boosted their chances of admission. Create an account to use free college essay resources , or explore college essay coaching options today .

Related posts:

• The Purpose of College Essays
• The Qualities Admissions Officers Look For
• Great Academics Aren't Enough
• What Harvard Admissions Data Reveals

The above articles and a step-by-step guide to approaching the college essay writing process can be found in our Help Center .

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Who Is Actually Reading Your College Applications and Essays?

Students pour over their college applications every year, but who actually reads them? You’ve likely heard terms like “college admissions officer,” “college admissions committee,” and “ admissions reader ” thrown around. But what do these terms actually mean? And how does the admissions process work?

In this article, we will discuss the roles of college admissions officers, admissions committees, and admissions readers. We will also examine questions such as: How long does it take admissions to review an application? What do colleges look for in applicants? And how many admissions officers are there?

What is a college admissions officer?

To start, what is a college admissions officer, and what do they do?

A college admissions officer is responsible for reviewing college applications within a specific region. Depending on the school, an admissions reader might review your application before passing it along to your admissions officer. Colleges know that each high school is unique and has different opportunities and standards. Therefore, in an effort to be fair, college admissions officers are assigned a specific region. Eventually, these officers become experts on the high schools within this region.

High schools also submit school profiles along with students’ college applications. These profiles describe the courses and opportunities available to students. College admissions officers, admissions committees, and admissions readers consider each student’s application within the context of their high school’s profile. College admissions officers, however, are often most familiar with the specific high schools in question.

It’s important to realize that the college admissions officer reviewing your application is determined by where you live. If a college representative has visited your high school, it is most likely your college admissions officer. After all, the best way for college admissions officers to familiarize themselves with a high school is by visiting. This is why you should introduce yourself to them if the opportunity arises.

What do admissions officers look for in an applicant?

So, what do admissions officers do, specifically?

In addition to reviewing your transcripts, test scores, activities, strong personal statement , supplemental essays, and recommendations, college admissions officers summarize your application and present their summary and impressions to a larger college admissions committee.

Of course, not every college has an official admissions committee. Generally, though, the more selective the school, the more thorough and formal the admissions process. That said, if you are interested in learning how to get into an Ivy League , you should familiarize yourself with the college admissions committee review process .

It’s also important to keep in mind that college admissions officers look at your social media accounts . After all, admissions officers want to gain a holistic understanding of each applicant, and for better or for worse, students’ internet personas are very telling of their interests and values. So make sure your social media presence is appropriate and presentable!

How long do admissions officers read applications?

You’re probably wondering how much time admissions officers spend on each application. On average, college admissions officers review several applications within an hour. That said, if your application makes it through the first round of consideration, an admissions officer will spend much more time with your application. Suppose an admissions officer or admissions reader is not sure whether or not your application is a good fit for the college. In that case, they will seek out a second, or sometimes even a third, opinion before bringing an application to the admissions committee.

What is a college admissions committee?

Each college approaches the admissions process differently. That said, there is a lot of overlap, especially when it comes to highly-selective schools, such as Ivy League institutions . Generally speaking, the more selective the school, the more likely it will be to have an official college admissions committee and a formal review. But what actually happens during the college admissions committee review , and what do colleges look for in an applicant?

What colleges look for in applicants, in part, depends on the school’s specific values. Similarly to how a school can be a good fit for your needs, schools have certain criteria they look for in applicants. Generally, the best way for college admissions readers and officers to get to know a student is through their college essays. This is why it’s crucial to put your best foot forward in your essay. Tweet

How do colleges decide who gets in?

In order to be seriously considered for admission, a student has to be a good academic fit. This means that their high school GPA, history of course rigor , and test scores (if submitted) are up to the college’s standards. Even though many colleges adhere to holistic college admissions standards , if a student does not meet the school’s qualifying GPA and test scores, their applications will quickly be sorted out.

If your application makes it past the first round of considerations, your application may be passed on to another reader or be reviewed by a committee. At this stage in the admissions process, your college essays , list of activities, and letters of recommendation will become the focus.

Each college is different, so you probably won’t know for sure who reviewed your application specifically. Rest assured; however, admissions readers, admissions officers, and admissions committees are all professionals who take each application seriously.

There are many factors that admissions officers look for in an applicant . Still, generally, they are looking for academically capable, passionate students who are intent on making a difference and being involved in their communities. This is why preparing thoughtful, personal statements and supplemental essays is essential. College letters of recommendation are another valued aspect of your college application because they convey how others perceive you and what you’re like in the classroom.

Key takeaways and moving forward

How colleges decide who gets in depends on several factors, including extracurricular activities, high school GPA, standardized test scores, volunteer hours , college essays, and letters of recommendation. Colleges look carefully at every aspect of your application. So if you’re wondering, do colleges read letters of recommendation? The answer is yes. Likewise, they also review each of your college essays, in addition to all of the other sections of your application. That said, approach each aspect of your college applications with care. If you need help staying organized during the college application process or developing an application strategy, you may want to consider hiring a college counselor . Here at Prepory, we have the resources and expertise to help you achieve all of your college-related goals. So if you have questions about how colleges decide who to accept or how colleges read applications, reach out to learn more about our services .

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What The People Who Read Your College Application Really Think

Kirk Carapezza

Time to get together the transcripts, the test scores and put the final touches on those personal essays. It's college application season, again.

To a lot of students, the process seems wrapped in a shroud of mystery. What exactly happens when you send your application out into the unknown only to... wait?

Well, here's a glimpse behind the curtain at one school:

Inside a tiny conference room at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, the admissions committee is preparing to review 23 applications. They'll spend about two minutes on each before deciding whether to accept or deny admission, or place the application on hold.

To speed things along, the committee uses a lot of jargon, like "L-B-B" for late blooming boy, and "R-J" for rejection.

If it sounds like they're cutting corners, know that before the committee meets around the table, each application gets a close look from two of the members.

Then it's condensed into a single one-page profile. The one for this student says he comes off just a bit arrogant in his essay and interview:

"Academically he has everything. I wonder if a counselor call might be enlightening?" asks one member of the committee.

"It sounds like maybe he could work on it and be cognizant of it. I mean, he's strong academically," says another.

A third member chimes in, chuckling, "I think his classmates could bring him down to reality."

Ann McDermott is director of admissions at Holy Cross. "You have 13 people in a full committee room and 13 different perspectives so it can go any different way," she says.

And you hear from a lot of applicants at schools around the country that the admissions process can be frustrating. Disappointed applicants complain that when it comes to discerning between hundreds of students who seem to have the grades, teacher recommendations and test scores, the process comes down to luck.

But is there a method to the madness? It, of course, varies from big state universities to small private colleges, like Holy Cross, which will admit 700 freshman this fall.

McDermott says there's no set formula. It's both an art and a science. "We balance our feelings with some facts."

Yes, feelings. That's because sometimes the facts, like test scores and grades, don't tell the whole story of the student.

She offers some tips on application Dos and Don'ts for prospective applicants.

Tip 1: Engage

Visiting the campus, having a Skype or phone interview with an admissions counselor, or sitting in on a class shows admissions counselors you're interested in that particular school. It also gives the school a chance to get to know you better.

"Just like a teacher in the classroom wants a student engaged, we want students engaged in the process with us. I think it makes for better discernment of what a good fit is for both them and for us," says McDermott.

Tip 2: Don't "phone-it-in"

When it comes to the application, admissions counselors say the biggest red flag is a sloppy, half-baked essay.

"Or over-thinking the topics so much that it becomes awkward and doesn't convey the student as it should," McDermott adds.

Tip 3: Take time to reflect

Taking time to think about the kind of college experience you want can help you narrow down your list to schools that suit your personal and career goals. While you're making sure you're a good fit for the school, make sure it's also a good fit for you.

McDermott's last thought: "I think [high school] students should spend a little of time thinking what they liked in high school, what they didn't like, who they are, and not just going and rushing off and looking at schools and getting in the frenzy."

Kirk Carapezza is an alumnus of College of the Holy Cross and writes for WGBH's blog, On Campus . Lydia Emmanouilidou contributed to this report.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, do colleges actually verify the information in application essays.

Hey everyone! As I’m polishing my essays, I've been wondering—do admission officers actually fact-check the anecdotes and accomplishments we mention, or do they take our word for it? Just curious how much scrutiny is involved in the process!

Hello there! Your question touches on an interesting aspect of the admissions process. Typically, admissions officers do not have the capacity to fact-check every detail in your essays. However, there are exceptions, particularly if something in your application raises a red flag or seems inconsistent with the rest of your profile. For example, if you mention an award or experience that is highly unusual or exceptional, they might do a quick check to ensure it's accurate.

Furthermore, your counselor's endorsement or recommendation letters may corroborate the stories or achievements you discuss in your essays. If a college is suspicious about any part of your application, they might reach out to your high school to verify the information. As such, it's always best to be honest in your essays and throughout your application. Misrepresentation can lead to serious consequences, like rescinding an offer of admission or expulsion if already enrolled.

For instance, if someone were to claim they’d won a prestigious science competition, admission officers might be familiar with the competition and know who generally wins those awards. If they don’t recognize the name, that might prompt a verification. Remember, building your application on a foundation of honesty is not just about avoiding trouble; it's also about presenting your true self to the admissions committee. They want to admit students who will contribute genuinely to their campus, and that starts with trust. Good luck with your applications!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Do admissions officers read the entire essay?

Hi! I was wondering if admissions officers will read the entire essay that you send in or if they just read the first sentence and decide to continue reading or toss it. For example, if you started an essay out with something to contrast with the rest of the essay, would that be effective?

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2027094-essays-really-do-colleges-have-that-time-and-effort-p1.html

Try to remember, you’re not writing this for a high school English teacher or the SAT. It’s your college app and not the time to play wutj style or artifice.

Write it as if an admissions officer is going to read the whole essay. There is no way for any of us to tell you whether or not admissions folks read every single word of every essay. Make sure your essay is straightforward and true to who you are. Don’t overthink or try too hard to be unique.

I have a slightly different take on this. Given the huge number of applications each AO is initially responsible for, just as a function of time and effort management, I suspect some app’s are tossed based purely on the applicant not hitting some objective thresholds in grades and test scores. There are probably also a very limited number of applications that go to the admit pile with a relative cursory reading of much of the file based on some combination of objective stat’s, extremely strong hooks (e.g. athletic recruit, scion of major donor, etc…) and/or truly unique and outstanding accomplishments. This leaves us with the vast number of academically qualified applicants, maybe 15-20 thousand plus, where the hard choices are made. Given the statistics we can see from other highly competitive schools that have broken out acceptance rates by test scores and HS record (e.g. https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/selection/profile16.html ; https://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/explore/admission-facts – the Brown stats are particularly granular), we see that higher objective stat’s students are admitted at a materially higher rate, in other words the system is not one where once you hit the minimum hurdle, all applicants are “equal”. While there is going to be some level of correlation between high stat’s candidates who get better LoR’s and write better essays, the differences in acceptance rates and percent of matriculates suggests higher stat candidates have an advantage.

So now we have to speculate as to why a “1450” candidate gets in when “1540” candidates do not assuming similar HS grades/rigor. Obviously it is down to the LoR’s, essays and EC’s (putting aside remaining hooks like URM, first gen, legacy etc…). Of these 3 things, the only one that is fully within the control of the applicant at the time of the application are the essays. So my advice would be, the further down the objective stat’s range you are, the more you have to write an essay that will grab an AO’s attention, especially in the first paragraph. So if you are well below the median in objective stat’s, I say “go big or go home” in your essay. If you are above the median, a more conservative approach is probably warranted. Obviously write the best essay that you can to advocate yourself and your fit with the school, but you might want to avoid going out on limbs that may get attention, but not necessarily in a good way.

BK your analysis is excellent and well-put.

I would say that the advice from lookingforward and me may reflect some exposure to various applicant’s efforts to be “creative” and “unique.” A little Strunk and White could go far.

I think we all agree, just putting it a little differently. To the original poster, your essay will most likely be read in its entirety if admissions is on the fence about you, as BK said.

In general, an essay is pretty neutral. A really bad one can harm, and really outstanding one can help, but, for the reasons outlined by BK, most have much less effect on admissions than commonly thought.

So don’t stress and most of all, be yourself.

@compmom , further to your point on the relative importance of the three “subjectives”, in recent conversations I have had with 2 senior AO’s at Yale and the AO responsible for the region where I live, when the subject came up of what differentiates candidates all with super competitive HS records and test scores, the LoR’s came up immediately. This makes a lot of sense as these are independent opinions coming from the most part professional educators. The highly selective schools want students that will “make a difference” – it could be leadership, inspiration, intellectual power, anything that makes a strong personal mark with the LoR writer. If you cannot truly stand out in the small pond of a HS environment, it says a lot about your prospect of making a positive difference in college. When the topic turned to essays, it was also interesting to hear that they are looking for the voice of a 17/18 year old telling a story consistent with all the other parts of their app, not a polished essay of a “47 year old lawyer”.

Excellent post BK!

I agree about letters of recommendation, including those outside of school when relevant (for arts supplement for instance).

And about the voice of a young person, not the polish…if only everyone got that!

@compmom @BKSquared thank you both so much! This post has been incredibly helpful.

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