How much time do admissions officers spend on each application?

renaissancedad
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 17:48:50 +0000

@mjrube94, here’s another article about FERPA disclosure of Stanford’s admissions:

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2015/03/09/first-students-gain-access-to-their-admissions-files-through-ferpa-provision/

Regarding the SAT score issue that you raise, this passage may be relevant:

Last week, the first groups of students viewed their admissions files. A staff member accompanied students for the duration of their 20-minute appointments to ensure that no photos of the records were taken.

The files contain quantitative scorecards, along with two to three verbal written evaluations of the application. Students are graded on measures such as intellectual vitality, non-academic engagements and their high school grades and test scores. The files also contain check boxes that indicate whether the applicant qualifies as “diverse,” a legacy or a “VIP.”

However, for most students, the written comments by the admissions office reader draw the most attention. In these evaluations, the application readers make their case for why the student should, or should not be, accepted.

“It felt like you reached some threshold with the numbers, and after that they mostly talk about your essays and extracurriculars,” said Will St. Amant ‘15. ”They were able to glean a lot from my application.”

Amant added that the process “felt surprisingly arbitrary,” but acknowledged that “they were really looking for someone who would be able to take advantage of the resources here.”

All you have to do is reach a threshold with your scores. A 2400 score doesn’t get you anything in terms of bonus points, it just means you met that one threshold.