Today, with the ever-increasing cost of attending college, applicants and families must take a far more careful approach to their selection of college and field of study. Not only is this one of the most important decisions of one’s life, but it comes at such a young age, with so much mythology attached to it. One of these myths is that the college application process is shrouded in mystery. That is not true. There is enough data in the world of college entrance for applicants to be able to reasonably gauge their odds of gaining acceptance to a particular college, and whether that college offers them the right fit for the applicant’s educational, cultural and social goals. If you’re an urbanite who thrives in a large metropolis, many colleges would not be the right place for you, irrespective of their ranking or major offerings. If you seek a more individualized instructional environment with a group of like-minded students, then large universities may not be the right place for you.
Another mythology is that colleges are the same as they were 50, 40 or even 30 years ago. That is a falsehood perpetrated by successful branding. While certain institutions have been able to maintain their stature through the gravity of their brand and financial resources, many others have been in a state of flux. Your parents, uncles and aunts may have gone to great colleges that may not be able to fulfill your needs or fully prepare you for the future. Likewise, just because your friends tout a certain school or previous classes from your high school have all applied to a certain college, it does not mean that you should follow suit – if anything, find out how many people are applying to a particular college and if the number is high, then avoid that college. Your odds decrease with the increased number of applicants from your school.
These are just two examples of the myths surrounding college application today. These myths, combined with the rapid and tectonic shifts in our economy’s needs, translate to a bewildering process that is prone to error by even the most learned.
The best approach is to start by questioning every idea, brand, and piece of data presented to you. Ask questions. Don’t be satisfied with banal and vague answers. For example: why do most college ranking systems tend to cluster the same schools together at the top? Is it because those schools are the best, or is it that the ranking systems use similar algorithms that give weight to similar factors, leading to the same clusters?
Don’t take anything for granted. Many so-called experts treat this process like magic. Ask them about their expertise and data set. Be tough on those who seek to parlay advice that can shape the rest of your life.
In the end, remember: we live in the age of Big Data, not Homer’s Greece. There are no magical creatures or demigods that can divine the future for you.
© Admissions Company 2018
(https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p20-578.pdf)
Dr. Sybil Gohari is a passionate educator and entrepreneur who founded Admissions Company when she recognized the need for professional college and graduate school applicant development. Utilizing a methodology that combines a technology platform with professional services, Admissions Company helps to significantly increase the odds of acceptance to an applicant’s target colleges or graduate schools. More information is available here: https://admissions.company
Check out Admissions Company’s Odds Calculator:
Admissions Company’s Odds Calculator is an app that helps high school students determine their chances of gaining acceptance to a particular college or university. The students enter their academic and extracurricular information into the calculator, which using a proprietary formula developed over the past decade, will determine those odds. We hope that this tool will help high school juniors and seniors better plan their application process by choosing colleges based on their odds. We also hope that this tool will help high school freshmen and sophomores better plan their academic curricula and activities to aim for the college of their dreams. At Admissions Company, we firmly believe in helping our clients get into the best colleges possible. This tool is an integral part of our efforts to help college applicants make better decisions and achieve the highest success.
The Odds Calculator is available, free of charge, by going to this link: https://tools.admissions.company/
Admissions Company offers free training on how to use the Odds Calculator and interpret its results.