College Admissions

Question: I have an overall weighted GPA of 3.51. My SAT scores are: Critical Reading 550; Math 480; Writing 500.What are my chances of getting into college?

There are so many colleges and universities that will accept a student with your credentials that your head may spin from the all the options. We hear so much about the hyper-competitive schools such as the Ivies and their ilk, but–in reality–the vast majority of institutions accept many more students than they turn away, and an applicant with a strong “B” average like yours will be most welcome.

How do you seek out your best bets? There are numerous approaches. For starters, if you have not done so already, try an online search engine such as the College Board’s “Matchmaker” at http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/adv_typeofschool.jsp .

Answer the entire questionnaire, selecting your preferences for type of school, size, location, majors, extracurriculars, etc. When you get to the “Admission” section, enter your current SAT scores and check “50-75% had GPA of 3.0 or higher.” When you hit “Results,” you’ll find a list of colleges where you are likely to be admitted. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll be accepted by all the schools that come up on this search, you should certainly be a very viable candidate at most of them. If you play around with the questionnaire and check the other GPA options, you’ll get additional choices.

Another place to look for college possibilities is on the “Colleges That Change Lives” Web site. See: http://www.ctcl.com/ This site and its 40 member schools are the by-product of a book by the same name by education writer/consultant Loren Pope. The book points out that it can be the less renowned, smaller institutions that really give students the chance to know each other, their professors, and themselves–something that can get lost in the shuffle at a bigger …or bigger NAME .. institution. Note that the Colleges That Change Lives organization holds events throughout the country, and there may be one coming up near you.

Finally, don’t discount the grapevine … i.e., word of mouth … as a good way to learn about possible target colleges. Ask any adults you respect where they attended college Eavesdrop on conversations in elevators or supermarket checkout lines. Read the College Confidential discussion forums to see where students with similar profiles have been happy and engaged. Obviously, once prospective schools land on your radar screen, it’s up to you to do additional research to see if the place is really a good fit … and visit campus whenever possible.

But don’t think for a minute that college acceptances will be an uphill battle for you. Sure, the application process can be confusing and onerous at times, but if you plan carefully, you should have some excellent choices when the dust settles.

Good luck!

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Question: I’ve been told that before my son takes a gap year, he has to apply to–and be accepted by–a college, then talk to them about deferring admission for a year. I was under the impression that he could apply for college during his gap year. Which is correct?

Your son can certainly wait until his gap year to apply to colleges. However, this might be a little tricky if he plans to be far away from home or in any sort of situation where he won’t have regular access to the Internet and e-mail. (Yes, it’s still possible to go through the process without technology, but it sure isn’t easy!) Also, before your son graduates, he might want to consider soliciting references from his teachers and guidance counselor, but that isn’t an imperative either, as long as he’ll be in a position to stay in touch with them during his year off.

So, don’t worry, it looks like you got some bad info from the grapevine this time. Not only can your son wait until his gap year to make his college choices and complete his applications, but also this may be a sound approach because his gap-year experiences could significantly affect what he wants to do and where he wants to be. Waiting those extra months to apply to colleges should also add a bit of sanity to his senior year.

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Question: My son received a rejection letter from Fordham (his dream school). As you can imagine, as a parent, I feel helpless and want to help. I called the school and asked about their appeal process. They told me that they rarely overturn their decision. I’ve committed to writing an appeal letter on behalf of my son and wanted some advice. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Is a heartfelt or factual letter better? Please help.

My condolences on your son’s Fordham news. As a parent myself, I know how painful it can be to endure a child’s disappointment. In a minute I’ll give you the appeals suggestions you request, but–before I do–I’m going to make you suffer through one other important suggestion. I know you want desperately to help your son right now, but, truly, the best help you can give him is to help him to move on. Learning to face disappointments and rise above them is a valuable life lesson … perhaps more useful than anything your son will learn in college, whether at Fordham or elsewhere. Certainly many teenagers become focused on the idea of a “dream school,” but we adults should realize that there’s not a single perfect college for anyone.

Read the College Confidential threads written by those who enrolled in “Safety Schools” and flourished there, and you’ll see what I mean.

This succinct post by “GoldShadow” echoes the thoughts of many others: “I ended up going to my last-choice college, and at first I was pretty disappointed. I went in planning to transfer, but I didn’t. Two years later, I’m as happy as can be and I love it here.” Sure, not everyone fares as well as this … but that’s also true for some who attend a top-choice school. So, because you do want to support your son at this difficult time, I urge you to discuss his other options with him and inspire him to get excited about the choices he does have.

Most college officials I know are befuddled by the idea that students and parents now routinely “appeal” admission decisions as if they were capital murder convictions. In fact, an appeal should be saved for only the most extenuating circumstances. The college folks have just been through several frenzied months of evaluations, often making some very tough calls. The last thing they expect to do is to start all over again.

Thus, appeals letters should be submitted only by those who have some significant new information to submit or who feel that, for whatever reasons, the original application was inaccurate or misleading. Some examples of this might include:

-A student is seriously ill all fall and his mid-term report included several “incompletes.” The student has now made up those grades and done very well.

-It comes to light that a school counselor did not provide adequate–or accurate–references or other materials.

-The College Board made an egregious scoring error which was just recently discovered (and we know this can happen!)

If you feel that your son’s application did not truly reflect his abilities in these ways–or others like it–then this sort of “factual” appeal may be in order. Do not, however, write a letter that simply reiterates the accomplishments and strengths that were already on the application. Likewise, if the thrust of your plea will be, “This is a great guy who is desperate to attend your school …. how can you overlook him?” then you and your son are better served by starting the moving-on process right away.

But if you insist on writing an appeal letter anyway, then I advise your son to write one as well. His case will not be strengthened if admission folks see mom or dad fighting his battle.

While it’s important that your son should get psyched about a school that is welcoming him, it’s also okay to remind him that many colleges do accept transfer students who were not admissible as freshmen. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Similarly, your son can head off to school next fall determined to love where he is but also aware that, if he does well there, he will have a good shot at Fordham as a transfer.

Finally, as I often tell students and their parents at this trying time of year, as stressful as this process can be, there is often a meant-to-be outcome. Your son may reluctantly enroll in another college, but it will be there that he discovers his perfect major … or mentor … or mate (!). I have seen this happen many times over many years and am optimistic that your son, too, may find it true.

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Question: Our son did not get into the only school he applied to. We are looking for information to help make this next year as productive as possible — junior college? volunteer abroad? As well as looking for direction….

Sorry to hear that you’re scrambling at an already hectic time of year, but I do have to wonder why a student would apply to only one college. Did your son get poor advising at school or did he approach this process with an “all-or-nothing” determination to attend a dream college? In any case, as my Nana used to say, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” It’s time to move on, and your son will certainly have plenty of options. In fact, this unfortunate situation may even be destiny’s way of telling him that he was barking up the wrong tree. Here are some ideas to start with:

-In early May, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will post online its annual “Space Available Survey” and you can search, state by state, for colleges that are still accepting applications, even if their official deadlines have passed. While you won’t find Stanford or Swarthmore on this list, there are usually some quite-respectable–if not ideal–options.

See http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/Press/07SAS.htm (but only after the first week or so of May)

-There are also many colleges and universities whose application deadlines have not passed. Trying using the College Board’s “Matchmaker” search engine: http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/servlet/advsearchservlet?buttonPressed=next&navigateTo=5 Your son should fill out the Matchmaker questionnaire, selecting all his preferences (size, location, etc.) Then, when he gets to the section called “Admissions,” he should select the option that says “More than 75% of applicants admitted.” Many of these schools will still be accepting applications.

-Finally, consider a year-off alternative. Your son may decide to work, to pursue an extracurricular activity in depth, to enroll in community-college or “continuing education” classes at a local university, or take part in some sort of organized “Gap Year” program. I’ve heard excellent things about City Year (http://www.cityyear.org/home.aspx ) One great thing about City Year is that participants are actually paid a stipend for their efforts, while many other structured gap-year programs can be pretty pricey. Massachusetts-based “Dynamy,” offers gap-year “internships in MA and CA, too. http://www.dynamy.org/ There are some other great year-off programs, too, but those are just two to get you started.

Do be aware, though, that if your son does a program like City Year or Dynamy and then reapplies to colleges, he probably won’t have a much better chance at the school that already turned him down. If he takes college-level classes and does well, he MIGHT. However, after a non-academic gap year experience, his priorities may have changed anyway, and he can apply to a NEW list of colleges … one that’s more on target than his original goal might have been.

Above all, please assure your son that, although he may feel frustrated and hurt right now, the college-admission process is a capricious one, and the decisions that students receive–both good and bad–don’t really say anything about what kind of people they are nor about the happiness and success that awaits them. I could tell your son many tales of famous college “rejects” who can now look back on their denial letters and laugh, no matter how painful they were at the time.

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Question: Can you please explain what Rolling Admissions means and how colleges determine when to send out your decision?

“Rolling Admission” colleges and universities evaluate applications as they arrive, and decisions are mailed shortly thereafter—usually within two months. Places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Thus, when considering Rolling Admission schools, it usually makes sense to apply as soon as possible. I say “usually” because, if your junior grades were weaker than your norm or if you’re hoping to improve SAT or ACT scores, then it can be wise to postpone your application until you have stronger stuff to show the colleges.

Note, however, that Rolling Admission plans may have financial aid and/or housing “priority deadlines.” Try to apply well in advance of these since latecomers can be disappointed.

Most Rolling Admission schools will tell you (either right on their Web site or by phone, if you call to ask) what sort of turnaround time to expect … two weeks, two months, etc. Sometimes this can vary depending on the influx of applications at the time you submitted yours. Also, if all of your materials have not arrived, then your application may be put back on the shelf, and you will be stuck at the end of the queue. This can postpone your verdict for weeks … or forever, if your materials don’t show up eventually.

Thus, as an applicant, it is your responsibility to make sure that all application components have reached their destination. (Just because you’re certain that you sent them doesn’t mean that they were received or properly filed.) If you haven’t gotten a response from a Rolling Admission college within the time frame you anticipated, then you should check right away–if you haven’t done so already–to make sure that your folder isn’t gathering dust in the “Incomplete” pile.

Hope that helps. Good luck to you as your college verdicts “roll” in.

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Question: Are art programs/colleges easier to get into than liberal arts? Any advice about applying to top tier art programs?

I assume that you’re talking about fine arts programs as opposed to performing arts, which is a different story altogether. But, actually, in both cases, the answer to your question is an unsatisfying, “It depends.”

Since most fine arts schools require a portfolio for admission, even students who have Ivy-caliber grades and test scores will be turned away if their arts submissions aren’t up to snuff. On the other hand, the admitted-student rate at the nation’s top art schools is somewhat higher than at the most selective liberal arts colleges and universities. For instance, Rhode Island School of Design, one of the nation’s most renowned art colleges, accepts about a third of its applicants, while the Ivies and most “elite” small schools admit anywhere from about 10% to 20%.

Admission to an arts program within a larger university is typically portfolio-based as well. Sometimes these programs may have lower standards when it comes to grades and test scores, but, even so, the portfolio evaluation may make them more selective than the university itself.

When my own advisees ask me to assess their chances of admission to art programs or art colleges, I cannot provide the answers they seek because I’m in no position to evaluate their creative work, even if everything else in their “profile” meets–or exceeds–the institution’s standards. If you want to get an assessment of your own work, you can begin with your teacher(s). Ask how your portfolio compares to those of past students who have aimed for the same or similar colleges. You can also attend a National Portfolio Day event. (See http://www.portfolioday.net/ ). This is a free and (fairly) stress-free way to have your work critiqued by experts. National Portfolio Days are held throughout the country and attract representatives from many arts programs. Think of this as a college fair, which provides a chance to learn about a lot of colleges at once, but the twist here is that you can lug your portfolio or slides along and get some feedback that can help you strengthen your application (or spur you to pursue an entirely different career!).

Although performing arts programs require a different approach (auditions, head shots, etc.), you will also usually find that admission chances depend greatly on a subjective evaluation of your talent, and grades and test scores may take a back seat if you are very gifted.

However, if you wish to study any type of art in college .. fine arts or performing arts … you can also look to the liberal arts. Many colleges have excellent programs in these areas that do not require a portfolio, an audition, or even a commitment to a major until the end of your sophomore year. Although your course load may not be as focused on your specific interest as it would be in an art college or school of art within a university, this can still be a great way to pursue a passion without locking yourself in to just one field.

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Question: My daughter, who is in middle school, is already interested in accelerated medical programs. What colleges do you support?

We support ANY combined medical program that will admit your daughter. It’s a sellers’ market out there!

Seriously, these programs are SO competitive that they typically admit only Ivy-caliber students and can be as selective as the Ivies (or more so!) and also as unpredictable. Even colleges that are not terribly picky when it comes to the rest of their applicant pool will turn away all but the strongest combo-med candidates. For instance, several years ago I visited Drew University in New Jersey. There, the typical admitted freshman has combined SAT scores (Math and Critical Reading only) of just under 1200, but the combo med candidates must have 1400 minimum simply to apply. In fact, an admission official I met during my visit told me that, although 1400 is the cut-off for applications, the accepted students more commonly have SAT’s above 1500. So, just because a college or university seems well within your daughter’s reach, keep in mind that the combo-med candidates are held to a far higher standard. Last year, for instance, I had an advisee who was denied by Boston University’s combined med program, and she is now a student at Yale.

In addition to having near-perfect grades and test scores, your daughter must also demonstrate significant interest in the medical profession and be able to speak convincingly in at least one interview–and sometimes several–about her reasons for choosing this profession at an early age. Admission officials at combo med programs carefully scrutinize all applicants’ reasons for hopping on this fast track as teenagers.

Note also that, although you use the term “Accelerated Medical Program,” I am actually addressing any type of combined bachelors/MD program. All of these typically enable students to be accepted to both undergraduate school and medical school at the same time, when they are still just in the senior year of high school. In fact, some combo programs are 7 (or even 6) years in duration, while others are 8, which is the normal amount of time that most students spend in undergraduate college, then med school. (However, the 8-year combo-program students do not go through a full med school search and application process. So their medical career is also “accelerated” in that way.)

There are obviously pros and cons to combined programs. The pluses are that they enable motivated pre-med students to get a jump start on their medical education and to be able to forge ahead without going through yet another college search in just four years. To me, that’s the best part–the fact that students don’t have to go through this whole application song and dance before they’ve recovered from the first time around! The biggest down side is that students tend to get locked into both an institution and a career path when they are very young and may not be fully prepared to choose either. Just as one college can be markedly different from another, so too can medical schools vary widely. An 18-year-old might be fairly certain that he or she wants to be a doctor but rarely has a sense of whether to choose a research-oriented medical college, a very technical curriculum vs. one that may emphasize alternative medicine, etc.

Also (and very unofficially) I’ve heard directors of medical residency programs admit that they can be suspect of combo-program grads who may lag a couple years behind in maturity than their counterparts who are somewhat older and more seasoned.

I generally recommend that students who are applying to combined programs also apply to colleges or universities without them and then wait until April to make a decision. The combined programs tend to be highly competitive, as I’ve told you, so all applicants should have other, safer options anyway. (If your daughter is a member of an underrepresented minority group, there are a handful of programs that target these populations specifically and may have slightly less stringent admission requirements, especially when it comes to test-score cut-offs.)

When looking for program options, check out the Web site, below. This list is not complete, but pretty close:

http://www.medicalhelpnet.com/content/view/28/46/

As you investigate the combined med programs, contact admission offices and ask these questions:

1. Are the standards of admission to this program far higher than to the university at large? If so, if I am not admitted to the program, might I still be admitted to the university? If there is a minimum SAT score to be admitted, is it at all flexible? Must the score I submit be from a single testing? Will you consider comparable ACT scores if they are better than my SAT? Do most of the admitted applicants actually score well above this minimum?

8. Is an interview required? If so, will ALL applicants be interviewed or just those who pass a preliminary level of screening?

Since your daughter is not yet in high school, you’re wise to look down the road ahead, to make certain that she is selecting the most challenging classes–especially in math and science–that she can handle and also seeking out other medical-field enrichment opportunities (e.g.,. volunteering in a hospital or clinic, taking summer courses in the sciences or related areas). However, because she is so young, she also needs to recognize that she has time to change her mind. If she doesn’t seem 100% certain that a medical career is right for her, then “the Dean” prescribes a broader undergraduate degree. Your daughter can always aim for med school once she is more sure of her goals and has a couple years of college under her belt.

For more information on combo med admission and programs, check out the College Confidential discussion forum on this topic. Go to:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=476

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Question: I am a high school senior and I have been accepted to my first-choice college. However, I’ve had a series of problems this fall, along with senioritis, and my first-semester grades were all D’s. Is there anything that I can do to salvage my acceptance or will it be revoked for sure?

Yikes! You have gotten yourself in some hot water and are correct in assuming that you are in grave danger of losing your place at the college you plan to attend. With a very poor semester like that, you may be beyond damage control, but here’s what I suggest you do right away:

-Talk to your guidance counselor to verify that your first-semester grades will be sent to the college you plan to attend. This is most likely the case, but occasionally a college will expect only your final grades, not a mid-year report. If it’s the latter, you might be able to pull up your average and save yourself before you get bounced. You don’t say what your usual GPA is nor do you name the college you plan to attend. If you are ordinarily an “A” student and have been admitted to a college that is highly selective, then obviously the water is far hotter than if you are usually a “C” student. Also ask your counselor if he or she has dealt with this situation in the past. If so, what approach was taken? What was the outcome? Ask your counselor, too, where you can apply now, despite your disastrous semester.

-Telephone the admission office at the college you plan to attend and explain the situation to the admission staff member who oversees applicants from you high school. Don’t expect a lot of forgiveness for the “senioritis,” but do explain the “problems” you mentioned. Some problems (a death in the family, illness, divorce, etc.) are likely to evoke more sympathy than others (”I’ve had a lot of car trouble”). But, whatever the issue, you may find a sympathetic ear. When you make this call, be pro-active. First, tell the admission officer that you are working with your teachers to raise your grades (if, indeed, this is an option). In addition, prepare some “punishments” that you can live with but which fall short of a rescinded acceptance. For instance, you could promise to earn a certain GPA in the next semester (one that is as least as good–or better–than your cumulative GPA up to 12th grade). You could also propose that you will start college next fall “on probation,” with the expectation that you must meet a predetermined GPA in your first term. You might suggest, too, that you will take some college classes over the summer to prove that you are ready to buckle down in the fall.

You do seem to realize that you have messed up, but your willingness to make amends and the attitude you exhibit as you do so might keep you from losing your place at your college. Certainly it’s worth fighting for.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out,

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Question: Everyone else from my school who had applied to a certain school got called for an alumni interview except for me. I know a couple of alumni interviewers, and they told me a few weeks ago that they were starting to call people. I know my qualifications for this college are as good, if not better, than the rest of the applicants, so I’m not sure what to make of this.

Don’t worry, you can sleep well tonight. You don’t name the college in question, but rarely are interviews assigned on the basis of merit. In other words, getting called for an interview does not mean that you’ve passed some sort of initial screening, nor does a lack of contact suggest that you can expect a thin letter in the mail. (Well, this is occasionally true, but usually it’s only when you’ve applied for a special program, such as a combined BA/MD program.)

Many colleges expect applicants who wish to have alumni interviews to make the initial contact themselves, after first obtaining the name of the appropriate alum from the admission office. However, at the Ivies and some other selective schools, it’s a “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” situation. That is, once a student has applied, the local alumni interview coordinator receives the student’s name, and the coordinator assigns that student to one of his or her volunteer staff members. The names of all applicants go out to the alums, not just the “good” ones.

So, if your friends have been contacted and you haven’t, it probably means that:

The alum who got your name is not as efficient as the ones you know and those who will interview your friends, or …

Your application has not yet been processed in the admission office. Even if you submitted your materials before your friends did, the order in which this information is entered into the computer system (which leads to alumni notification) can be somewhat random. (However, if you haven’t already ascertained that your application materials arrived safely, now is a good time to do so.)

If a couple weeks go by and you still haven’t heard from your local alum, it’s fine to call the college just to double check that there hasn’t been an oversight. But meanwhile, don’t fret over the fact that you haven’t been contacted, and tell your friends (if you dare) that, unfortunately, the fact that they have been doesn’t mean that their applications have already moved closer to the “In” pile.

Good luck to you as you prepare for you interviews and await your decisions.

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Question: How are applications read? It seems as if January is devoted to opening and sorting mail. Do admissions officers skim the first paragraph of an essay only? Do they look at every piece of paper? Do supplementary materials enrage them or do they help? Does the order in which applications are discussed affect an individual’s chances (i.e., as the class fills are up the last few spaces more competitive?)

You ask good questions, and the short answer to all of them is that the norm at one college may not be the norm at another. For a longer answer, dig up an old copy of Panicked Parents’ Guide to College Admissions, and turn to Chapter 7, “How Admission Decisions Are Made.” (Last revised in 2002, there may be some specifics that are out of date, but the overall process hasn’t changed.)

Now, here’s what you probably wanted all along … the in-between answer:

Because there rarely seems to be enough time for admission officials to finish all the work that they must do between application deadlines and decision notification day, many colleges like to get started as soon as possible. This means that, at some places, applications will be read before all documentation has been received or filed. However, there are always certain materials that are not expendable. For instance, a college may decide to evaluate an applicant when only one of two teacher references is in the folder, but no school will read an application without a transcript or required test results (but they probably WILL read an application if test scores appear on the transcript, even if the official ones haven’t come from the College Board or ACT). Typically, if a student is evaluated before the application is complete, the new material may spawn a revised verdict. As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

But classes do not fill up early. While, as the weeks pass by, admission officials may keep an eye on how many students have received “Yes” votes (or “10’s” or “1’s” or whatever the good number at that institution is), they don’t call a pow-wow on Valentine’s Day to say, “Stop reading. The class is full.” At the end of the process, when EVERY applicant has been evaluated, if there are too many who passed muster, then some tough cuts will be made. But those who were judged at the end of the line will not automatically be squeezed out. Of course, here I’m referring to colleges that have a specific deadlines, not Rolling Admission schools, where classes do fill up and latecomers may be disappointed.

But does the order of discussion affect outcomes? Officially, definitely not, but possibly on some subconscious level it has to. If an admissions committee has just reviewed a candidate who earns straight A’s, performs countless hours of community service, and lives in a homeless shelter, and then the next kid in line writes an apologetic essay explaining some C’s in his junior year because his grandpa died, even the admission folks most sympathetic to the loss may view this applicant less favorably in light of the one that had come just before. Such is life. It’s hard to avoid head-to-head comparisons, and timing is important. If I ever make it to the Academy Awards, I’ll try to arrive on the red carpet right behind Roseanne Barr, not Jennifer Lopez.

As for the essays, in theory at least, every word of every essay will be read. But imagine that YOU’RE a beleaguered admission counselor with a stack of 40 folders in your family rumpus room on a cold February night. If you suffer through a painful opening paragraph about the State football finals, rife with egregious spelling errors, and then the second paragraph offers no relief, wouldn’t you rush down to the end, if only to see who took home the “trofee”? Admission folks will rarely confess to skimming, but it does happen.

Unsolicited supplementary materials are a mixed bag. Sometimes a picture (poem, DVD, etc.) can be worth a thousand words, and may indeed provide a glimpse of a candidate that nothing else in the folder offers. More commonly, however, admission folks roll their eyes when they flip over yet another certificate of participation from the sophomore-year community clean-up or a column of newsprint touting the selection of 17 seniors into the Home Economics Honor Society. Extra references may showcase a new side of the applicant, but those that lack novel insights can be annoying. I’ve written entire “Ask the Dean” columns on the pros and cons of VIP/alumni endorsements. Usually these are not helpful and may even be harmful, but it really depends on who the reference is from and how close the connection to the candidate. Additional writing samples may be apt for aspiring writers, but I’ve seen some pretty awful poems and short stories that turned out to be deal-breakers. I recommend that, before submitting such samples, students should seek out a candid adult opinion, if possible. And, yes, most every scrap of paper with an applicant’s name on it will probably end up in that student’s file, but not all will be scrutinized in the selection process.

Also, when it comes to evaluating essays, supplemental materials, extracurriculars, etc., beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What enthralls one admission officer may mean little to another. That’s why I always say that there’s a big element of luck involved. If Junior’s folder lands on the right desk–the one that belongs to the guy who shares his passion for the piccolo–he may be in better stead than if it falls into the hands of the ice-hockey aficionado.

So, the bottom line is this: Despite efforts–and claims–to the contrary, there are often subjective factors that play a role in final verdicts. However, from what I’ve seen first-hand, admission officials do strive to be as fair as possible and to consider extenuating circumstances as required. I’ve also seen many “favorite” candidates turned away. So even when an applicant gets bad news from top-choice colleges, it doesn’t mean that staff members didn’t “like” this child very much. Sometimes these decisions are nearly as tough to make as they are to swallow.

Good luck to you as you await whatever outcomes lie ahead.

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