Inside Admissions: How Elite Colleges Review Your Application

A college application seems like it should be a straightforward document to review - an applicant's name goes here, the address goes there, and the college statement is a few pages back. But while each application is straightforward, assembling an entire incoming class of first year students is a bit more complex. There are transcripts and test scores to consider, coaches contacting the office about recruited student-athletes, and the provost has just informed the admissions office of an upcoming academic initiative that will lead to a new department—a department that now needs incoming students who don't even know that your university's program exists. Join Jake Baska—7Sage admissions consultant and former assistant director of admissions at the University of Notre Dame—to review a series of mock applications and gain greater insight into this process. What are admissions officers picking up on and how can your child use that knowledge for their own applications?