Advice from the Best: Round 3 in our College Counselor Series!
We are excited for our third installment in our college counselor series, featuring the much sought-after Jennifer Bloom**, who has worked with many (very happy) TA families. Read below for her expert take on the state of college admissions.
Parents, raise your hands if you think you wouldn’t get into your alma mater. Most of you should have your hands raised right now. Congratulations, you’re correct.
Under COVID, test-optional policies have exacerbated this trend. Early applications dramatically increased and acceptance rates decreased, yet again.
Before you throw your hands up, there is some good news: College is one of the things our country still does at a world class level. The range of outstanding schools has gotten larger. They may also be schools you didn’t apply to!
My own metric of a top college: one not only with high rankings, but also a school that will bring out the very best in your child and allow them to thrive.
More than ever, it’s necessary to approach college admissions with a smart, step-by-step strategy. We call our strategy “be alike but spike.”
I’ll explain. The reasons for “being alike”— that is, performing at least as well as other top applicants — are simple. First, admissions officers don’t want to admit students who can’t succeed in the classroom. Second, incoming students’ stats heavily influence rankings such as U.S. News & World Report. While accepting candidates with below-average GPAs and scores does happen, it’s rare. Today, colleges simply expect applicants to fit in.
Just fitting in with other top students, however, is not enough; admissions officers routinely claim that more than 80 percent of applicants fit in. Successful applicants also have to stand out, or “spike,” in some specific area.
Contrary to an old myth, selective colleges don't desire well-rounded individuals so much as a well-rounded freshman class. Of course, colleges don’t want their students to be completely one-dimensional, but they do want each student to contribute a special attribute or skill to the college community.
They want a superb musician, a star athlete, a master mathematician, and a brilliant dancer. By combining these kinds of students, admissions officers strive to create a vibrant, diverse, and multidisciplinary campus community. The well-rounded student may do each of these activities, but through lack of focus probably won’t end up doing any of them really, really well.
Focus on your grades, take rigorous classes, build relationships with teachers and college guidance counselors (also important for outstanding letters of recommendation) whether you are in person or virtual.
Continue test prep. Bowdoin has been test optional for 50 years yet 70-80% of kids apply with test scores. University of Pennsylvania revealed that 62% of Early Decision applicants submitted test scores, and 76% of those accepted had scores. These national metrics are still important.
(There are kids who absolutely don’t need test scores – they have unsafe living conditions, parents who suffered job loss, food insecurity, and more. I hope this is not your child.)
Yes, you can absolutely continue to develop your spike under covid. This is not your time off - rather it’s an opportunity to set yourself apart. From doing a virtual internship or working remotely in a lab, to creating outdoor classes for underserved kids, students have dozens of paths to deepen their spike.
I have future economists studying today’s unprecedented fiscal policy, budding public health experts and epidemiologists studying disease transmission, burgeoning classicists creating virtual museum exhibits, up-and-coming education advocates creating programs to address decline under COVID, and so much more.
In addition, how you react to these restrictions will say a lot about your character, resourcefulness, and ability to be creative under stress.
Following these steps will ensure that when you’re ready to apply, you will have an application that is deeply attractive to colleges, giving you the ultimate flexibility.
Have questions about working with Jennifer**? We’d be happy to connect you to her and answer any questions you have about the admissions process. Give us a ring at 646.638.3504.
**For the past 15 years, Jennifer Bloom has been a top educational consultant working with families globally to navigate the college admissions process. Previously, she spent more than ten years in marketing and advertising, where she created and launched new services and award-winning advertising campaigns. She was also an interviewer for Harvard College. Jennifer graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, received an MPhil from Cambridge University (UK), and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Together with her partner (and mother) Lillian Luterman, Jennifer founded Entryway Inc., a provider of premier college consulting services.
