When we launched nearly a year ago, the stated mission of Getting In was to lighten the parental load in the college admissions race and demystify the application process. Today, we’re tackling five persistent myths that can lead parents and kids to make poor decisions.
Myth 1: An Applicant Has to Be Well-Rounded
Our emphasis here is on “has to.” As Amber puts it: “Well-roundedness is neither frowned upon, nor sufficient for admission.” (Olivier from 1987 hangs his head: His extracurricular activities list was a farcically overstuffed laundry list of clubs and teams compiled on the principle of “More is Better.”)
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“Well-roundedness can be helpful – depending on a student’s profile, college list and what is consistent with their profile and aspirations,” Amber says. “If a student is well-rounded – let’s say they’re engaged in community service, school clubs and sports teams – but is aspiring for a competitive major without the clear connections visible in their extracurricular profile, it might be tough for their application to emerge at some of the more competitive institutions on their college list.”
I had not thought of the “competitive major” angle but it makes sense. My concern would be that an applicant might be spread too thin to make a real commitment – and contribution – to any activity.
Myth 2: You Must Be a Recognized Leader in Everything You Do
This is a tough one at a time when applicants typically have to upload a resume, which encourages braggy self-descriptions.
“‘President,’ ‘Founder,’ ‘Leader,’ ‘Captain’ are all great titles to have; but the titles alone don’t entail the level of impact and true leadership admissions officers are looking for,” Amber explains. “What does leadership look like to you? What difference does your presence in a club, organization, initiative or movement make? And most importantly, how effectively can you communicate your impact and your motivation?”
As a journalist, I was always encouraged to “show, don’t tell.” And mere titles are more the latter than the former.
Myth 3: You Fit the Profile of Other Admitted Candidates, So You Will Get Admitted
I have repeatedly railed in this column against potentially toxic comparisons among applicants. That app that lets a kid plot their GPA and SAT score on a graph that shows a history of applicants from their high school to a specific college and whether they got in? It’s an alluring tool, but it’s toxic: It strips out all of the human element.
“This is one of the most dangerous and damaging myths we combat as academic professionals,” Amber says. “Not only is this untrue; when families believe this lie, it can take the joy and passion for exploration right out of a student’s educational journey.”
While “your student will be ‘compared’ – at least minimally – to other students from their context (high school of attendance, homeschool, state, etc.),” Amber says, “the profiles that compel admissions officers to advocate for a student’s admission ironically tend to be those that showcase a student who shamelessly pursued their own genuine passions – not students who seem like they tried to do and say what we think we want them to do and say.
“This speaks to the value of self-reflection, autonomy and voice that truly matter to admissions officers – we’ll speak more to this in an upcoming article.”
Myth 4: A Perfect GPA Will Help Guarantee Your Admission
The most selective schools out there could fill their incoming class with perfect GPAs.
“It certainly doesn’t help guarantee admission,” Amber says, “but a perfect GPA can be helpful evidence to admissions officers that you can handle the academic rigor at their institution — and that’s a good start!”
Myth 5: Your Test Scores Are the Most Important Factor in Admissions
They’re a factor at schools that require applicants to submit them. They’re just not a skeleton key that always unlocks admission.
“It’s true that many elite institutions are returning to requiring or recommending standardized tests. But they are not the most important factor: There aren’t enough seats to admit every student with great test scores alone,” according to Amber. “Simply put, there’s more to the story to be considered, though test scores are a part of that story.”
