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New York City
November 2002

College Admissions Demystified
By Sybil Maimin

The college admissions frenzy is in full swing and hardly a seat was empty when The New York Times and Hofstra University co-sponsored a talk based on the book The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg. Anxious prospective students, parents, and guidance counselors were taken behind the scenes by Steinberg, who had been given unprecedented observer access to the admissions committee at Wesleyan University, a select, small, private college in Middletown, Connecticut. What he learned would probably apply to about four dozen similar select colleges and in a general way to many more. An additional perspective was offered by Gigi Lamens, who is responsible for undergraduate recruitment, retention, admissions, and financial aid at Hofstra.

Steinberg’s message: “This process is far more human than we have been led to believe. It is messy and very personal to those doing the job.” He could not find a formula or a strategy for admission. Generally, an applicant’s file is read by two admissions committee members who decide whether to admit, reject, or put on a waiting list. If they cannot concur, the file is passed on to the entire committee for a decision. Some schools, Harvard, for example, make all decisions in whole committee. Much of the reading of application materials takes place in solitude at committee member’s homes during a period of long hours and intense stress.

In assessing an application, a reader looks for rigor of courses taken. A grade of “B” in a difficult course is better than an “A” in an easy one. SATs are important and a score of at least 1400 is expected at top colleges, but much leeway is given in numerous special situations. An applicant whose parents did not go to college is not expected to score as well as one whose parents did. Special talents, especially ones needed by the school, weigh in. The committees, which typically are staffed by individuals whose backgrounds reflect the diversity the college seeks, do not want to fill a class with only high scorers. They see themselves as social engineers and look for qualities that will make for an interesting and productive mix. The essay is taken seriously, and readers claim that, with experience, they can usually spot one written by someone else. An excellent essay is suspect, for example, if the applicant did poorly in English classes or the verbal SAT. Most colleges require three SAT IIs (tests of subject content) and they become particularly important for applicants from unknown schools as does the high school profile. Being a leader in one or two activities is impressive; having a long list of extra-curricular affiliations is not. The interview almost never effects the decision but is recommended as an opportunity to learn more about an institution.

Though often criticized, the US News and World Report rankings play a big part in admissions. Besides influencing student’s choices, they matter a great deal to colleges in this “fiercely competitive” business, explained Steinberg. Colleges contribute to the admissions frenzy by trying to tempt record numbers of applicants and are deeply concerned about “market share.” They try to woo the same students. Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz cautioned prospective collegians that the “goal of the college search should not be for the institution that is best for someone else. One size in colleges does not fit all.” Gigi Lamens noted that there are over 2,000 four-year colleges in the US, each right for a different kind of person. Steinberg, who visits many institutions for his job, has seen some that admit practically everyone and also offer an excellent education.#

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