Quantifying holistic admission (at Williams)

[Keilexandra]

<p>Source: A Williams econ student’s senior thesis turned working paper. Coauthored by the then-President of the College, Morton Schapiro, and presumably his advisor in the Economics department. The paper is an analysis of matriculation chances, but I found the bits below more relevant for non-technical discussion. It is the most detail I’ve seen on how one particular elite college “quantifies” holistic assessment. The various named attributes are also interesting.
<a href=“http://www.ephblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/w15772.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ephblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/w15772.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Around 60% of the admitted students in the data set had academic ratings of one or two. Roughly 75% of the admitted students had non-academic ratings of two or three.

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<p>I’ve heard somewhere or another that 100% (or close to it) of AR1 legacies are admitted to Williams.</p>

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While the academic reader ratings are somewhat subjective, they are strongly influenced by the following guidelines. [NB. I’ve added line breaks to make this footnote more readable.]
Academic 1: at top or close to top of HS class / A record / exceptional academic program / 1520 – 1600 composite SAT I score;
Academic 2: top 5% of HS class / mostly A record / extremely demanding academic program / 1450 – 1520 composite SAT I score;
Academic 3: top 10% of HS class / many A grades / very demanding academic program / 1390 – 1450 composite SAT I score;
Academic 4: top 15% of HS class / A – B record / very demanding academic program / 1310 – 1400 composite SAT I score;
Academic 5: top 20% of HS class / B record / demanding academic program / 1260 – 1320 composite SAT I score;
Academic 6: top 20% of HS class / B record / average academic program / 1210 – 1280 composite SAT I score;
Academic 7: top 25% of HS class / mostly B record / less than demanding program / 1140 – 1220 composite SAT I score;
Academic 8: top 33% of HS class / mostly B record or below / concern about academic program / 1000 – 1180 composite SAT I score;
Academic 9: everyone else.

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<p>

While the non-academic reader ratings are somewhat subjective, they are strongly influenced by the following guidelines. [NB. My line breaks.]
Non-academic 1: at least two activities / at least 3 consecutive years of involvement in one activity / top regional or national standing in an activity / student exhibits a rare level of leadership and engagement;
Non-academic 2: at least two activities / at least 3 consecutive years of involvement in one activity / top local standing in two activities / student exhibits high-level work in differeing activities;
Non-Academic 3: at least two activities / at least 3 consecutive years of involvement in one activity / top local standing in one activity / student exhibits high-level work in one area and long-term commitment to activities;
Non-Academic 4: at least two activities / at least 2 consecutive years of involvement in one activity / moderate level of achievement in two activities / the student participates in a few activities for less than two years;
Non-Acemic [sic] 5: everyone else.

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<p>

Recorded and assigned by the admissions office, the attributes proxy for qualities that are in some way desirable to the Williams community. This analysis uses the following attributes: alumni grandparent, alumni other, alumni parent, alumni sibling, studio art, development or future fundraising potential, dance, institutional connection, intellectual vitality, local, music, politically active, religious, research science, economically disadvantaged, social service, theater, top athlete, tier 2 athlete, and tier 3 athlete. Strong candidates have many attributes—they are well rounded—or are especially talented with regard to a specific attribute.

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<p>

The intellectual vitality attribute is given to an applicant that demonstrates “extraordinary academic depth / talent as usually revealed in the recommendations” or a student who admissions officers believe will be “a classroom catalyst who would have a significant impact in labs or class discussion.”5 Recommendation letters with phrases such as “the smartest kid I have taught in 30 years” or “learns for the sake of learning” or “goes above and beyond expectations” or “drives the conversation in the classroom” or “challenges peers to more deeply engage the material” commonly lead to a student being given the intellectual vitality tag. Of the 2,901 admitted students in the data set, 27% received the intellectual vitality attribute.

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<p>After factoring in hooked slots, I would guess that a great majority of “academic admits” are tagged with intellectual vitality.</p>

<p>The data on matriculation chances themselves are fodder enough for a future thread.</p>

[Drought]

<p>I’m top 25% in my class, I get 66% A’s and 33% B’s (3.67), my academic program is at least extremely demanding, and my SAT composite is 1580. So where would I fit in on that academic rating chart? Apparently not high enough, because I got deferred. Ugh. I kind of thought holistic actually meant holistic, ya know?</p>

[Yurtle]

<p>Well holistic probably applies MOST to the “borderline” of whatever they set as their standard. Like AP test essay grading. There is a standard, but they…try to grade on your positives rather than what’s missing?</p>

<p>At any rate, I’d be an oddball case too. B’s, Academically challenging, but I don’t think I’m top 25%. And it’s not like it makes much of a difference if I was- almost all those kids stay in state. My school doesn’t keep track of the ones who don’t.</p>

[Keilexandra]

<p>Yeah, I don’t really know what Williams does about the lopsided people. Average, maybe?</p>

[Yurtle]

<p>Depends- probably for the average applicant. I never applied to Williams, but I’d venture to say my essays are awesome (Otherwise UChicago would’ve outright rejected me, instead of deferring me) and I’d like to think I can be decently personable in an interview…and my biggest EC is quirky to say the least. So like I said, that’s where holistic might come in- they’re lopsided, or don’t quite hit up to par, and so they run through everything else.</p>

<p>They might’ve seen my file and been like “wot, no D’s in Honors Chem!!111” or they might not have. Who knows? That’s where the rest of the file comes in.</p>

<p>…Keil, did you not read “The Gate Keepers” btw? Because it basically talks all about the 1-9 scale of Wesleyan and how they grade applicants 'holistically"</p>

[Keilexandra]

<p>Oh, I did read Gatekeepers and found it fascinating. But IIRC, it did not go into so much detail as SAT score ranges and number of ECs/length of commitment/level of achievement assigned to each ranking.</p>