Wondering How Admissions Officers Read Applications? 3 Things That Matter More Now Than Ever Before

It’s no secret that the competitiveness in college admissions continues to skyrocket. But what’s really happening when admissions officers read your application? Do the same things matter or are they looking for something different?

Read on for what we are seeing + an opportunity for a live webinar with our very own Stacy Hernandez to peek behind the curtain of the application reading process –

Looking at the early findings from 2023, here are three trends we’ve seen growing in priority in the admissions process:

1.Applying early is increasingly important.

Many colleges are persisting in the trend of admitting upwards of 50%+ of their class from their Early Decision pools. This means that students who are strong, viable applicants compared to the typical admitted student profile create their best likelihood of admission to a school that offers a binding Early Decision pathway by committing to that school with an ED application. This path is not for everyone, but if you know the college is a personal fit and a financial fit for your family, ED continues to be a very important consideration.

Not only is Early Decision important, but at large flagship public institutions that are seeing their application numbers soar, submitting to their non-binding Early Action deadlines can be critical to having a shot as an out of state applicant. What’s more, for colleges that review these applications on a rolling basis, it is to an applicant’s benefit to submit as soon as possible after the application opens. This means getting applications in during the month of August to some institutions like the University of Wisconsin Madison and the University of Texas at Austin

2.Evidence of intellectual curiosity is more important than ever.

More than ever, we see admissions readers placing value on the evidence a student’s application shows of their engagement with the subject area they are indicating as their major choice. This means not simply taking rigorous high school courses that are relevant to that area, but having meaningful involvement in activities, self-directed projects, volunteer, intern, work and research experiences that relate to the area of study. This is especially important for students who think they may want to apply in business or STEM fields, most especially engineering and computer science. Without meaningful evidence of engaging these interests beyond the curriculum, admissions can be extremely difficult.

3.Test scores continue to be helpful, even at colleges with test optional policies.

We think about colleges in three categories when it comes to testing policy: historically test optional, Covid test optional, and test blind. At test blind colleges, like the University of California system, testing is simply not a part of the admissions process, no matter how great your scores may be. At these schools, testing truly is not a factor in the decision process. At historically test optional colleges, those who had a record of reading holistically and evaluating applicants without test scores long prior to the Covid pandemic, we see evidence that students can fare well in that admissions process without submitting test scores. Here essays, transcript, activities, and recommendations will receive increased importance. At the third category of schools, “covid test optional” colleges, we see a slightly different trend persisting. These are the colleges that adopted test optional policies in response to the pandemic, and have seen their application numbers skyrocket as a result. They are now processing more applications than ever before, and attempting to evaluate students in holistic ways, with some providing test scores, and some not. At these institutions, we continue to see a trend of a slight benefit to applicants who submit scores that look like the most recent admitted student profiles. For this reason, if you are considering applying to schools in this category, we strongly encourage you to plan, prepare for and take the SAT or ACT so that you can determine where submitting those scores may be to your benefit as an applicant.

Curious for more insights like these?

TBU Managing Partner Stacy Hernandez has decades of experience on ‘both sides of the desk’ as an admissions officer reading applications, and an advisor & college counselor supporting students to navigate the process. Join Stacy LIVE Thursday April 20th for a webinar that unpacks: How do admissions officers read applications?

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