The college admissions process can be confusing and frustrating, to say the least. Each college has unique requirements, ranging from what standardized tests it recognizes to how many years of a foreign language your child will need to take. Luckily, there are some common benchmarks universal to almost every school. A national survey1 of college admissions officers identified the four most important factors they consider when evaluating candidates.
1. Grades in College Prep Courses – Grades in AP, International Baccalaureate, or dual-enrollment courses
2. Strength of Curriculum – Both the amount of course work your child completes in high school and the quality of those courses
3. Admission Test Scores – Scores on either the SAT or ACT* (most schools accept both interchangeably)
4. High School Grade Point Average – Calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted
Other factors found to have considerable importance include the college essay, teacher and counselor recommendations, class rank, and a student’s demonstrated interest, which were all ranked similarly.
Next Steps
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1 Source: National Association for College Admission Counseling, “The State of College Admissions 2009.”
*SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product. ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. Save $100: Offer applies to SAT or ACT College Prep Advantage, Premier Tutoring, and Small Group Tutoring only. Must enroll by 11:59pm, March 31, 2010. Cannot be combined with any other offer, rebate, or discount. Higher Score Guarantee: Conditions and restrictions apply. For complete guarantee eligibility requirements, visit kaptest.com/hsg.
*This article was written by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.
This article is entitled, “The top factors in college admissions” My son is a 4.2 GPA Student. he has good SAT scores. He has taken 7 AP classes, and has been college prep his whole time. He cannot be accepted into several California colleges because he is not from outside of California. Even though he has lived in the same county all of his life, California likes to recruit from out of state because of tuition is higher. It is terrible and unfair. My son who has done an outstanding job during his high school career will not be able to go to either the local UC or the local CSU. This state sucks!!!!
So I would have to say at least in the state of CA, your information on this article is wrong. Oh yeah, the other thing that he does not have going for him is that he is a white male. He has friends who got accepted who have lower SAT scores and lower GPAs then him, but last name is Rodriguez. Apparently that is important too