December is a hectic month for college-bound parents and their students. For students who have applied for an early admission decision, they will likely hear the results this month while also working to complete their applications to other colleges or universities.
Rebecca Zwick, a senior researcher at Educational Testing Service, the author of “Who Gets In? Strategies for Fair and Effective College Admissions wrote an excellent article this week that appeared in the New York Times titled Why Applying to College Is So Confusing
The article reminds college parents and their students that “the annual college applications frenzy is upon us — a season when high school students agonize over G.P.A.s and personal essays, hoping and praying that they will stand out among throngs of applicants.
College Parents of America agree’s with Zwick, that “colleges aren’t doing a good enough job explaining to applicants how admissions choices stem from their policy. While most colleges list some of the factors they consider in admission — such as leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities — they need to go further to explain how applicant characteristics are assessed and weighted.”
We encourage college parents to read Zwick’s article as advances some important themes for how college admissions offices can become more open about how they choose certain admission candidates over others. In addition, don’t forget our earlier articles such as:
