7 Factors for College Admission

Grades, particularly in college prep courses, are important, but why are they at the top of the list? Grades tell a students’ story in detail over time, measuring their progress and the quality of work over three or more years, not just for four hours on a Saturday morning like an SAT/ACT test. The grades in college preparatory courses are most important because they are more likely to be accurate predictors of success in college.

Did your child take some challenging courses, particularly AP and/or Honors courses, or the safest, easiest courses? Colleges want to accept youth who are likely to be successful students and those who take challenging courses that tend to better prepare them for college. Also, colleges can learn a lot about you by your choices. An institution such as UC Berkeley has denied admission to students who had perfect 4.0 GPAs because the students never tried to challenge themselves. Many students are capable of doing good work, but a college wants to admit students who have intellectual curiosity and who want to learn just for the sake of learning. The idea is that people who only do what is required tend not to be the vibrant, enthusiastic learners that colleges desire to have in their classrooms. Be an informed educational mentor for your child by helping him/her select the most challenging courses that they can reasonably and successfully handle. Encourage your child to step up to the challenge! Remember not to overload!

Not all schools require recommendations. California State Universities such as San Francisco State and San Jose State do not require recommendations, however, most private schools do. Always check your applications early to see if your child will need recommendations. So who should your child ask for a recommendation? The best folks, such as teachers, counselors, and mentors, are those who are familiar with your child’s achievements and future goals. Your child should start making a list of people who could do recommendations in their junior year of high school. A helpful tool for recommendations is an educational resume that outlines all of your child’s achievements (academic, extracurricular), volunteer work, and work experience. This resume would be given to the person who does the recommendation. Lastly, be sure to give plenty of notice to the person writing your recommendation.

Not all schools require recommendations. California State Universities such as San Francisco State and San Jose State do not require recommendations, however, most private schools do. Always check your applications early to see if your child will need recommendations. So who should your child ask for a recommendation? The best folks, such as teachers, counselors, and mentors, are those who are familiar with your child’s achievements and future goals. Your child should start making a list of people who could do recommendations in their junior year of high school. A helpful tool for recommendations is an educational resume that outlines all of your child’s achievements (academic, extracurricular), volunteer work, and work experience. This resume would be given to the person who does the recommendation. Lastly, be sure to give plenty of notice to the person writing your recommendation.

As mentioned earlier, colleges are looking for well-rounded students. Having other interests outside of school is one great way to show another side of the student. Colleges don’t want just “brainiacs”, they want the student who enrich the school environments. Coupled with the previous five factors, students who participate in team sports, are youth mentors, leaders at their church, or are involved in a variety of activities that benefit their community, are the type of students that colleges are looking for.