"To be the most competitive applicant possible, take the most challenging program (and do well in it!). Students change their minds very often with regard to major in college. Besides, at places at Wheaton, there is a science requirement, regardless the major."

 

- Lynne M. Stack, Director of Recruitment, Wheaton College

 

"Unwise, unless the subject is too tough for you because of the way you think or the way you perceive it. If you are going to make an A vs. a B, take the harder class; if it is an A vs. a C, and you are studying so hard that it hurts your other classes, then you probably are better off in the less difficult class."

 

- Allen Pritchard, Assistant Director of Admissions, Randolph-Macon College

 

"It is important to challenge yourself within reasonable limits. Try to take five major classes. Take classes in all the major fields offered at your school. Fulfill more than the minimum requirements. Take classes that are honors or AP in as many fields as you can. If taking the honors chemistry class will take so much of your time that you cannot do well in other courses, then take the regular chemistry course. We want you to challenge yourself, not overwhelm yourself!"

 

- Ann Fleming Brown, Associate Dean of Admissions, Union College

 

"Take the honors/advanced coursework available in your area of interest, but do complete the recommended curriculum that the college wants. Not everything has to be honors, but it should be there."

 

- Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions, Lewis & Clark College

 

How do admissions officers evaluate a student whose grades are lower than SATs and SAT IIs would predict -- say, B/B- range with 1390 (750V/ 640M)?

 

"Carefully, as these students are sometimes risky in that they may not have been working up to their potential. (If it is a B/B- average in a very demanding curriculum at a very tough school, then the scores may be commensurate with the academic performance."

 

- Lynne M. Stack, Director of Recruitment, Wheaton College

 

"As are better than Bs. Bs are better than Cs. Happily, each person presents an individual profile! Help the admissions officer by explaining (not apologizing for) your grades. Are you sufficiently challenged? Have you done very well in the toughest courses and less well in the easier ones? Will college give you the chance to spread your academic wings? Have you ever taken a college or community college course in which you did very well? Do your best to put a positive spin on what you have achieved and promote what you will accomplish in college. If you make your case, the admissions officer can convince the committee that you are ready to fly in college."

 

- Ann Fleming Brown, Associate Dean of Admissions, Union College

 

"It usually indicates that they are not working up to their potential, but we would have to see the whole record to make a conclusion."

 

- Allen Pritchard, Assistant Director of Admissions, Randolph-Macon College

 

"We look to see how the counselor, teachers, and student address is. Not addressing it is a mistake. Were there documentable extenuating circumstances or is the student comfortable with a slacker perception and the limitations that may include?"

 

- Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions, Lewis & Clark College

 

Is it better to get a B in an honors course than to get a B+ or A in a regular course?

 

"B in an honors course."

 

- Allen Pritchard, Assistant Director of Admissions, Randolph-Macon College

 

"Of course, it is better to get an A in an honors course than any of the options given. For your own planning purposes, if you really know the grade you will receive in an honors or AP course, never plan to do less well than a B-. When we in admissions review your curriculum, we look for strength in your selection of courses. If you can reasonably take one, two or six honors or AP courses, do so. The key here is what is reasonable for you! Certainly, you should take the best and most courses available in your area of greatest interest. For example, if you are interested in studying math, you should take math throughout your high school career and take the most challenging courses available to you. Study hard and get that A in the honors course."

 

- Ann Fleming Brown, Associate Dean of Admissions, Union College

 

"I hear that personal interviews have gone out of fashion at many schools, but I have found that the most satisfying method of gauging the quality and quantity of work that appears on the transcript of an applicant is to ask the applicant directly. It may not matter if the student gets a B in the Honors course if she believes the C in the regular represents a mightier effort or intellectual outcome."

 

- Brian Hopewell, Dean of Admission, Lyon College

 

"Yes, but listen to the advice of the current teacher and/or counselor as to the best placement for your success. Talking your way into AP Chem, only to get a C or lower, is a big mistake."

 

- Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions, Lewis & Clark College

 

How do students who have academic records that display improvement throughout the course of their high school years compare to those that have had straight As all along?

 

"The consistent student at the A level will compare more favorably. However, the student demonstrating improvement will also be considered in an favorable light, dependent on the level of work and its improvement."

 

- Elena Ruocco Bachrach, Dean of Admissions and the First Year, Bennington College

 

"Straight As is an excellent profile, especially if these grades are earned in strong courses. If you are one of the majority who do not have straight As, do not lose heart. College admission officers value improvement in grades and quality of courses. We want to have students who have learned from high school classes and teachers. Improvement in high school shows us a student who can learn in a college environment, too."

 

- Ann Fleming Brown, Associate Dean of Admissions, Union College

 

"It is hard to compete with straight As. Of course, As in jr. and sr. classes are the most important. We do look at 9-12 trends. A better example might be two students with a B+ average -- one with B+ across the board and the other with all As in the last two years. In that situation, the latter may be the stronger candidate."

 

- Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions, Lewis & Clark College

 

"Probably the way anyone would think -- a straight-A student for four years has definitely been more focused academically over time, but the student who shows improvement, especially if they have improved to the point that they are getting straight As, has also achieved a great deal academically. Both would be in a good position to get into the school of their choice, assuming everything else is equal and the improving student had gone from, say, a B average to an A average."

 

- Allen Pritchard, Assistant Director of Admissions, Randolph-Macon College

 

What do you do when you receive applications from students whose GPAs and class ranks are not weighted?

 

"We take it into account through looking at the classes the student took; that is the first thing we look at -- not the GPA."

 

- Allen Pritchard, Assistant Director of Admissions, Randolph-Macon College

 

"I carefully review the depth and breadth of the courses chosen. The quality and number of the courses you have chosen are the most important parts of the folder. I may or may not recalculate your GPA, if your grades are not weighted, depending on other information in the folder. Each folder is considered individually and carefully, and be assured we understand the difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs."

 

- Ann Fleming Brown, Associate Dean of Admissions, Union College

 

"Weight and lack thereof should not be thought of in moral terms, which I fear is sometimes the case. Our secondary schools offer colleges plenty of grading schemes. Many are simply a reflection of the budget situation of the school, which is not something the student can easily manipulate. [It is a small comfort to know there are still a few things that students cannot easily manipulate.] Consider the source is the rule we observe in trying to make sense of the diversity of transcripts."

 

- Brian Hopewell, Dean of Admission, Lyon College

 

"We ask this on our counselor report form and it is noted by the first reader, along with how demanding the curriculum of the student is."

 

- Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions, Lewis & Clark College