Admisssions/Application Inconsistencies

Applying to College
1

<p>Of the many things that make me nuts about the admissions process, application inconsistency is high on the list. So I thought it might be helpful to compile a roster of 2008-09 anomalies … i.e., the picky requirements and regulations that can vary from one college to the next. </p>

<p>Here are some examples, and I know there are many others out there. </p>

<p>Columbia SEAS: One of two teacher references must be from a math teacher</p>

<p>MIT: One teacher reference should be from a math or science teacher and one from a humanities teacher</p>

<p>NYU: Only one teacher reference required; no Early Decision deferrals–just Admits and Denials</p>

<p>Stanford: Extra resumes and other supplementary materials are strongly discouraged. Arts supplements are allowed, but deadlines are BEFORE usual application deadlines.</p>

<p>Columbia: Extra resumes are not allowed; Restrictions on other supplementary materials. </p>

<p>Cornell: Human Ecology, ILR, Architecture, Hotel Administration, Engineering require ANY math Subject test (recommended for CALS); not required for Arts & Science; Science Subject Test also required for Engineering, Recommended for CALS</p>

<p>Boston College: Early Action applicants cannot apply to any binding Early Decision program</p>

<p>Georgetown: Ditto</p>

<p>Brown: Early Decision applicants cannot apply elsewhere via Early ACTION (other Ivies with ED–Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn–do not impose this restriction)</p>

<p>I will eventually compile a Master List of such inconsistencies once the suggestions pile up. And suggestions should not be limited to just the “elite” schools cited above. All are welcome!</p>

2

<p>Most high-end schools dropped their SAT Subject Test requirement from three to two when the Writing test was incorporated into the SAT - keeping the overall test load the same. But not Harvard. They’ve stuck with three. Which means that, compared with the three tests for applicants of few years ago, current Harvard applicants must take the functional equivalent of four Subject tests.</p>

3

<p>Good one, and the same is true at Princeton:</p>

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4

<p>I think the message is clear here: We need a national standardiztion of application requirements. The Common App hardly does that, as the above evidence reveals.</p>

<p>The colleges will argue, “Hey, it’s our ball and bat. If you don’t like the rules, then don’t apply!”</p>

<p>Thus, the Big Picture Question is: If the Common App can’t fix this problem, what can? Any major brains out there?</p>

5

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<p>We do? Do we want Harvard to be just like Podunk Community College?</p>

6

<p>University of Miami - Dual Degree Program
The instructions state that ALL application materials be sent in one envelope, including SAT testing information. As everyone knows, College
Board sends information to the schools directly. Teachers writing recommendations do not like not being able to submit their letters and forms directly.
When the admissions office was called by the high school counseling department, different answers were given and no one seemed to know what the ‘official’ policy is.
This also forces applicants and recommending teachers to have everything completed, not by the schools due date, but by the high school’s transcript request date.</p>

7

<p>Georgetown also requires three Subject Tests, but not necessary if applying Restricted EA.</p>

<p>UChicago: and one math-science rec and one lit-humanities rec, but cannot be a foreign language teacher.</p>

<p>UC financial aid offices do not state anywhere that OOS aid is practically nil, particularly for the OOS portion of the “fees”.</p>

<p>But, dem’s our rules, and if you don’t like our holistic process, look elsewhere…not sure if CA should/can “fix” the problem. UChicago joined, but still requires its quirky essays, so what’s the point?</p>

8

<p>The “Common” Application helps to avoid the duplication of filling out the same basic personal information on multiple forms. But that still seems to be the extent of the utility of that form. Otherwise, every school feels it necessary to do a supplement – which multiplies the essays that students write, and has the inevitable “Why This College?” essay. The essays seem to have become a bit like the SATs – now we have courses on how to write them; coaching for how to make them better; guidance on how to craft the opening line; topics to avoid and to pick. </p>

<p>We have found it confusing that the Secondary School Reports instruct the counselor to attach a transcript; our school won’t do that, and they tell us to ignore those instructions. It would be helpful if schools and the Common App folks could get in sync on how material is submitted. That includes those schools who ask for the materials to be returned to the student for submission. Again, our school won’t collect this material for the student, and some teachers are not comfortable returning it to the student.</p>

<p>I think schools should get rid of the “Suggested” “encouraged” “strongly encouraged” language for tests, etc. One Admissions Rep told us that “encouraged” essentially means “required.” If a student is at a disadvantage without these tests, then say so.</p>

<p>Similarly, one school to which my daughter is applying said that recommendations are “optional;” another said test scores are “optional.” When we called both admissions offices, we were told – in almost identical language – “we neither need nor want them.” That doesn’t sound like “optional.” Now, are we at a disadvantage for having sent this material in?</p>

<p>The process is stressful enough without making students second guess the instructions.</p>

9

<p>I like the language that says “recommended” or “encouraged” because it let’s you know there’s a little leeway there. My son had 3 years of foreign language, but his top choice school recommended 4. Because it wasn’t a hard and fast requirement I took it too mean that when a student is planning their high school course sequence, 4 years of FL would be preferable, but that students with 3 shouldn’t feel that submitting an application was pointless either. It makes the expectations stay a bit fluid and that any one choice a student makes isn’t going to necessarily discredit other strong aspects of their application.</p>

10

<p>I think that’s fine for HS course requirements. I’m referring to test scores – “2 subject tests encouraged.” The admissions rep said, ‘That essentially means required.’ Why not say so?</p>

<p>But the more frustrating one was “optional” (again, on application materials, not on HS courses, etc.). When the admissions officers then say, “We don’t really want them” – why say it’s optional? It leaves the student second guessing what they want, and that doesn’t seem to be helpful or the point of submitting application materials.</p>

11

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<p>When Subject Tests are “Recommended” but not “Required” it can be code for: “We don’t want to insist on these tests because then we may lose out on applications from students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or from the multiple others who get lousy guidance (or who ignore the guidance they do get) and thus don’t even realize these tests exists. So if we exempt them, we have to exempt everyone,.”</p>

<p>So … if you don’t come from such a background, and admission officials recognize your high school as one that typically does send candidates to the colleges that use Subject Test scores, then it might work against you if you don’t submit any Subject Test scores.</p>

12

<p>I hope to get with Son over the weekend to get materials to the recommending teacher. The varied requirements make me feel guilty, like we’re asking too much of the teacher…some want the Common App form, some want an actual letter, another wants their own online form. Teacher can’t just do one letter and send it to all.</p>

<p>One school requires the teacher rec to be from an academic subject from Junior or Senior year. Unless you’ve had the teacher before, it’s hard to ask a teacher you’ve just had for a few weeks your senior year to do a rec. So that basically limits your recs to about four teachers. Son’s favorite of the four left the school…now there are three from which to choose…Besides limiting student choice, that puts a large burden on the teachers who teach academic subjects to juniors.</p>

13

<p>If the only things stopping people from applying to a million colleges were the accumulation of application fees (and even then, some folks get fee waivers), then that’d be a nightmare for adcoms. As it is, this forces seniors to prioritize and consider their options a little more carefully.</p>

<p>I think the discrepancies are by design. How much do you care about applying to our college? Will you put in the extra effort? It’s like writing separate cover letters for each job you apply to. If you send out a form letter that’s not tailored to the company, you’re not going to look like you cared enough to put effort into your application. If you’re not willing to put in extra effort to your college apps and carefully read directions in something as critical as your college applications, then maybe that’s an indicator of your ability to succeed at that college.</p>

<p>MIT’s grad school application made me list out ALL the textbooks used (plus editions and authors) for the classes I took in college. These things get worse later on!!</p>

14

<p>“When Subject Tests are “Recommended” but not “Required” it can be code”</p>

<p>And that’s what is frustrating – not knowing what the language is code for, and not knowing what works against you. Similarly, when “optional” can mean “we don’t really want them at all,” why say optional? Will sending them actually “work against you”, even as not sending in test scores in another situation might?</p>

15

<p>Washington University has a pre-application “data sheet” that has to be filled out (a pre-application application) and I believe the University of Tulsa has something similar.</p>

16

<p>Bryn Mawr and Villanova both have a pre-application. I guess that’s not a huge inconsistency because other colleges do this, but I had no idea until about a month ago.</p>

17

<p>I have an application that asks that the school report/guidance counselor rec be attached to the transcript, but my high school can’t do that because they said it undermines confidentiality and would make the transcript unofficial. </p>

<p>Some colleges want mid-year reports while others don’t care; some want you to send the FAFSA only and others want that and the CSS profile; and some want subject tests from specific areas.</p>

18

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<p>At our school the teachers do one letter and it is copied and attached to the profile and transcript and sent to all schools the kid is applying to (this year electronically). It’s accepted and no one is penalized by doing this.</p>

19

<p>Do any of your schools make you send your transcripts electronically through Docufide to each school? I just found out today that my school makes us do that.</p>

<p>I always thought that our counselor should send in our official transcripts along with the secondary school report/recommendation letter, instead of sending it in ourselves.</p>

20

<p>USC is not only off the Common Application, but also has a maybe-optional, maybe-recommended, maybe-required Pre-Application Data Sheet.</p>

<p>No one in my class can figure out if not submitting it will hurt them. The deadline was random, too, sometime last week.</p>

<p>It also requires you to recalculate your unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale but gives no other guidelines, which is particularly frustrating if you attend a religious school: no other school cares about religion grades, so we’re used to omitting them; USC gives literally no guidelines on the recalculation process.</p>