So Much Love, So Few Spots

DanAdmiss_Tufts
Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:57:37 +0000

When most admissions officers see a low gpa, do they read the ENTIRE application, or just chuck it? I read a few places that they chuck it, but others have told me they always read it.



The answer, at Tufts, lies somewhere in between. First, I’ll start by saying that “low” is a relative term, and its difficult to tell exactly how low is low from this question. But when I read a student with a GPA that raises serious red flags - as in, this applicant may not possess the tools to be able to graduate from Tufts - I do a quick pass to check if there’s anything that might have caused the grades to be suppressed: trouble at home or a major illness, for instance. But if I can’t quickly find evidence to refute the implication of the transcript, I stop reading the file. If we lack the confidence an applicant can succeed at Tufts based on academic performance, then we cannot admit that student.



Also, when you get a student sending mixed signals (low gpa/high standardized tests, vice versa) how do you look at it?



This is determined by the rest of the application. Obviously, there are a myriad of reasons for an imbalance, some of those reasons are less hampering than others. Let’s take the Low GPA/High Testing example; it’s difficult to know what to make of that until we read the file. Perhaps there will be evidence that this student is bored in high school, but finds ways to grow their intellect outside of school, and will rise to challenge in the future. Or, on the other hand, maybe the impression is the testing is inflated and the student isn’t as capable as the scores imply or a student really is that bright but doesn’t possess the practical skills to capitalize on their intelligence in the classroom. It’s not really possible to know until you read the file. Flip the disparity and its still necessary to read between the lines in the rest of the application to interpret the academic record.



Most people who score over 2000 and score higher the second time do so mainly due to being more comfortable with the test the second time.



Thread resurrection! For those with questions on the philosophy behind how testing is viewed, especially as it relates to socioeconomic factors, check out the posts in "http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tufts-university/446146-contextualizing-sats.html.” The discussion there is one I am most interested in continuing, and if my posts raise thoughts/questions/concerns, please join that thread’s conversation. An honest conversation about the purpose and equity of the admissions process is always one worth having.