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The Essential Role of Academic Hard Factors in College Admissions
How important are hard factors, aka your academic factors, in college admissions? Holistic admissions are how student applications are now assessed, but the baseline for your academics still are crucial to your profile. The hard factors evaluated fall into the following categories:
Rigor of secondary school record
Class rank
Academic GPA
Standardized test scores
Application Essay
Recommendation(s)
Rigor: How many rigorous courses you take and earn high grades in, tells admission officers the amount of rigor you can handle and if you are a good candidate for their institution. Are you taking honors and AP classes? Often students ask if it is better to earn an A in a regular course or earn a B in an AP course. Definitely push yourself and show the B in the AP course. This shows that you took a challenging course, worked hard, and showed a high grade in an entry level college course. Over all four years, take enough to show that you can be admitted to a university and be successful. Every school offers a different number of rigorous courses. Talk to a college counselor to guide you through which ones and how many to take.
Class Rank: Not all schools or districts rank students. However, if yours does, the more rigorous schools will look at the top sections, usually the top 25%. Ask your counselor to see where you fall and work accordingly.
GPA: A high GPA matters and should be in the mid 50% range of the universities you are applying to. Ask your high school counselor for your school’s profile or ask them for your school’s average GPA. Determine if yours falls into the top or mid ranges and if you are competitive enough against your peers. Admission officers compare you to your peers, so if you’re behind, invest in a tutor to scale up.
Standardized Test Scores: Since Covid, most institutions made standardized tests optional. However, more universities are opting for them. The current culture, although optional, is to still submit. For prestigious colleges, this helps admissions know that you are the right fit and determines that you, the student, are able to handle the school’s rigor. Before submitting, check the school’s mid range acceptance scores and see if you fall within the range. Definitely submit if you are. This can weigh towards your acceptance as well as merit pay.
For application essays, recommendations, and course selection, seek a counselor at AP! We will help build the right profile and strategies to submit to your top choice schools. Writing the correct tones and how to properly guide your pathway is the best step toward obtaining your dream school.
Use this template for your weekly study schedule and life planner:
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