Articles related to the individual steps taken in the college application process.
When the admissions staff at elite colleges have to examine an ever increasing number of applications without the benefit of more time, it comes as no surprise that applications are rejected more quickly. With that in mind, here are some items that can be perceived as red flags when they review applications:
As a follow-up to the previous post, here are examples of the difference in acceptance rates between the two application phases.
| Early acceptance rate | Regular acceptance rate | |
| Brown University | 14.6% | 3.6% |
| Columbia University | 10.3% | 3% |
| Dartmouth College | 21.3% | 4.7% |
| Duke University | 21% | 4.6% |
| Harvard University | 7.9% | 2.3% |
| Yale University | 12.1% | 3.2% |
Yes. The ultra-competitive nature of admissions to elite colleges means that to succeed, applicants should grab every advantage possible. In this case, applying through early action shows enthusiasm. There are 3 kinds of early action:
The admission interview is not a decisive factor in determining the outcome, but in a hyper-competitive environment, it can put an applicant over the top when handled exceptionally well. This is where an applicant can enhance his/her profile by sharing information beyond submitted materials.
In order for an applicant’s extracurricular activities to impress admissions committees, he/she should show spike(s), activities where the achievement level is undoubtedly excellent. Such level shows not only passion but also discipline. A spike that carries national/international recognition or in some cases regional/state recognition (e.g. ranked in national competitions or state champion) would boost the applicant. In the absence of very distinctive spikes, the next best thing would be to combine spikes of lesser significance. For admissions purposes, activities are not created equal. The following are our observations:
