For most high-school students, applying for college is a daunting process best left to the bravest of scholars. To apply to a top-tier school is an even nobler task.
To ease that fear and debunk some rumors, we sat down with Harvard College Admissions and Financial Aid Officer Sophia Meas for an inside look at the admissions process:
Q: What does the application mean to you as an admissions officer?
A: We get a lot of students who are interested in coming, so we're aiming to give them the best chances of proving that they should be admitted. When I first started six years ago, we received 20,000 applications. Last year, we read over 29,000 applications, but the same number, about 2,000, was still admitted.
We could easily admit 10,000 a year based on numbers (grades, test scores) alone, but then how do you narrow it down to 2,000? We challenge students who apply. The personal essay, for instance, depends on you to represent yourself. If we didn't require it, then everyone would look the same.
We're all very human and want to make this as painless as possible, so while the competition has gone up, accessibility and ease have also increased. With the Common Application and the Universal Application, the process is much easier today than it ever was. The application asks the same questions for all the colleges, and the teachers only have to write one recommendation per student.
Q: So what should the application mean to the applicant?
A: It's an opportunity to be honest about who they are. A stellar student athlete? A great pianist? It's an opportunity to share what's most exciting to them about who they are.
For instance, people have different ideas about relationships. What are you looking for in your partner? How do you find a soul mate? We're looking for what would be the ideal roommate.
After one decides to apply to a top-tier school, the application/decision process boils down to four main components: academics, extracurriculars, character and overall capture. Is there a certain role that each of these components plays in your decision?
If you're coming in, and everything about your application is "fine," then the crux of your case is the personal writings. If you're involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, and no leadership, it's not impressive. Maybe academics is hampered by it -- being burnt out?
Q: Do you have advice for obtaining good recommendations?
A: Ask early. We're all procrastinators, and teachers get overwhelmed, too. Some people work well under pressure, but most don't.
Think carefully about who you're asking. The point is to put you in a glowing light -- to help you. It's very telling who students ask to write the recommendation -- it's your judgment. On the other hand, ask if they would do a good job in writing your recommendation.
Q: What about the personal essays? What are some of the best and worst things you've heard? Are there topics that you would like to stop reading about?
A: They're all unique, and they're all very special, but what makes one more special than the other? Life is mundane for the most part. Once in a while, people have an exciting experience, and they write about it and what they walked away learning from it. I don't think there's anything we don't like to see.
One girl wrote a really funny essay about her experience working her first summer job. She showed her personality and how funny she was. You read it and think that you would totally want this kid to be your roommate. Another kid wrote a letter to his mother, and it was really sincere and from his heart.
Q: And for the interviews, what kind of report do you get from the interviewers?
A: We find out a lot about the students from the interview. We have a form we give them, and they'll say what they learned from the interview; they really break it down to the four parts. Some interviewers will write sagas.
Q: Harvard got rid of its Early Application in 2007 under the pretense that it gave an unfair advantage. Was there an advantage to applying early?
A: "Early admission advantages the wealthy" applied to students who had the resources and knew to apply early. The bulk of the population was not as assured, so we're trying to level the playing field. The quality of the applicant pool has not changed since we got rid of the Early Application, but the economic and ethnic diversity has increased.
Q: Do you gain an advantage or disadvantage when you declare a major as opposed to remaining undecided?
A: We just want to get to know the student very well. If you know what you're interested in, by all means tell us, but if you don't know, don't lie. Now, if you want to major in math, but you're bad at it in class, we might see that as a disadvantage. But we know well enough that once you do get into college, you might change your mind once, or twice, so your major does not (make or break) your application.
Q: What about choosing to take a gap year?
A: Studies have found that it's actually a healthy thing. If you tell us you want to take a year off, it doesn't hurt the application. It might even help your application.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
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