Colleges that practice holistic admissions care about more than academics when making an admission decision. The word “holistic” comes from the Greek word “holos”, which means whole. As the word suggests, everything about the applicant can be considered.
The 4 parts of holistic admissions
There are 4 key parts to holistic admissions. This post will provide an overview of each part and provide links that describe each part in detail. The approximate weight given to each part for the most selective colleges is also listed.
- Class Rigor & Grades (40%): This is the foundation of your application. Highly selective colleges expect you to take a rigorous courseload (up to a point) and get good grades in them.
- Standardized Testing (10%): These are the SAT and ACT. While many colleges are now test-optional, not submitting a standardized test means that other parts of your application must be stronger. Most students should take standardized tests, and then selectively decide where scores should be sent. Note that while APs are strictly speaking standardized tests, they are better classified under Class Rigor & Grades, as students are expected to take them for each AP class.
- Extracurricular Activities (25%): Commonly called ECs, these are everything you do that is not required by school. Developing strength in ECs shows admission officers three things. First, it shows you still have time and energy after completing your schoolwork for other pursuits. Second, it indicates you are likely to contribute to the social culture of the college and not just be an “academic drone”A student that cares only about grades and makes little time... More. Third, excellence in your ECs shows both ability and perseverance. Examples of ECs include school sports, jobs, academic research, and student activism.
- Personal Rating (25%): The personal rating section contains what you write about yourself through your essays, and what others write about you in their recommendation letters and interview reports.
An important part of the holistic admission process is that hooked applicants are given preference and therefore have much higher odds of admission. Since selective college admissions is a zero-sum game, this means lower admission rates for unhooked applicants.
How to approach holistic admissions
Another important thing to understand is that holistic admissions has randomness, but is not random. By randomness I mean that individual decisions can be surprising. A very “high reach”Admits less than 10% of students with your qualifications.&n... More may give a surprise admission after less selective colleges reject. Conversely an expected “likely” college may reject you while several more selective colleges admit you.
By not random I mean that when students apply to a range of colleges, most of the time their overall admission decisions are what one would expect, given their qualifications. Therefore it is essential for students to apply to a range of colleges. The right way to do so is described in the post on how to create a college list.
Comparison to other countries
Parents who attended college outside the USA, or attended less selective colleges in the USA, are often surprised how much weight holistic admissions gives to non-academic factors. Many Asian countries determine college admissions based purely upon the results of a single test. Colleges in many European countries and Canada care only about course rigor, grades, and test scores (and possibly an interview with teaching faculty).
As the post on creating a college list mentions, you should consider using their objective admissions to your advantage. Many talented students in the USA apply to the University of Toronto or McGill because they become high quality safety colleges.
