Ten Reasons Gaining Admissions at a Highly Selective
College is Not All about the Numbers

1. Your Grades, Your Scores

• Of course it's about your grades in the most rigorous core courses and your scores on standardized exams, and anyone who tells you it's not is misinforming you. It's just that it's not all about the numbers since so many other factors are also considered.

2. Challenge Yourself

• It's about how throughout high school you have challenged yourself academically and have taken advantage of available academic opportunities.

3. Your Talents

• It's about your unique talents, skills and interests and how you will add to the college's diversity because of your exceptional accomplishments.

4. The Contributions You Made

• It’s about the contributions you made to your school and community.

5. Essays / Personal Statements

• It’s about how well you express yourself in your essays and personal statement.

6. Letters of Recommendation

• It’s about what the people who write your letters of recommendation say about you.

7. Academic Interests

• It’s about your academic interests, and sometimes what you declare as a major.

8. Diversity

• It’s about how you can add to the diversity on campus, and what you can bring to the campus community.

9. Interview

• It’s about how you communicate with your interviewer. What you know about the school to which you’re applying, but even more importantly what you know about yourself.

10. Tell the Story!

• It’s about all the pieces of the application having a common thread and telling a story about who you are.