Holistic Admissions?
Lately we’ve noticed some new terms creeping into the already crowded landscape of admissions jargon. Test-optional is probably the most familiar from the recent admissions cycle. Another term we’re hearing a lot is Holistic Admissions. It’s been around for a while, but this year it started cropping up everywhere.
So, what is holistic admissions?
At its simplest, the concept means that admissions offices using holistic admissions are committed to looking at the entire application instead of filtering out students based on GPAs and test scores. (How many of us imagine admissions officers of elite colleges looking at our GPAs and test scores and putting us in the admit or reject piles without even glancing at the rest of our painstakingly put together application?) While GPAs and curriculum still matter--a lot--now the personal statement, letters of recommendation, and activities both in and out of school play a much stronger role in determining whether a particular applicant will be a successful and engaged member of the school community.
There are a number of colleges that went test-optional long before the pandemic: Bowdoin College made submitting standardized test scores optional in 1969 and its neighbor, Bates College, did the same in 1984. The University of Chicago, another elite institution, decided to stop requiring the SAT or ACT in 2018. With increased scrutiny of the implicit bias and inherent systematic inequality in standardized tests as well as rampant cheating scandals (Is it time to finally get rid of the SAT and ACT college admissions tests), these schools have demonstrated that removing standardized test scores from admissions criteria doesn’t affect a college’s ability to admit outstanding students. Beyond that, diversity of the student body has greatly increased at many test-optional institutions and there has been no statistical decline in graduation rates or student GPAs.
Simply put, holistic admissions is working for these schools.
What does that mean for you?
As a high school student thinking about where to apply to college, it means you should still be making thoughtful and informed decisions about what courses to take and you should still be working hard and doing your best in these courses. It means the personal statement is a great opportunity to catch the attention of admissions readers and show why you would be an excellent addition to their student body. It means that asking teachers who know you well and will speak to your unique strengths and interests to write your letters of recommendations matters now more than ever.
And it means we’re here to help.
Give us a call (617.447.0186) or send an email to info@yourmayfirst.com and let’s chat.
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