The Application Process WITH LIZ ESHELMAN
College Acceptance Requirements For the Class of 2021 (54 seniors), the top five most popular schools were:
5) DREXEL UNIVERSITY - 14 applications 4) ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY - 15 applications 3) UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - 19 applications 2) VILLANOVA - 20 applications 1) PENN STATE - 23 applications How does a Devon Prep student actually make his way into a college or university? It’s simple. And complicated. Start with the courses he’s taken, and the grades he’s received. “The most important factor in the student’s application is his high school transcript - the rigor of his coursework and the grade he earns in the class,” says Eshleman. “A high GPA is wonderful but it’s not the only consideration. The Admissions Committee will look at his rigor as well. Is he taking advantage of all that Devon has to offer? The Committee would much rather see a “B” in an AP course than a student with an “A” in a college preparatory course. The fact that he has challenged himself in the more demanding course (AP) carries more weight. Many of the institutions that our students are attracted to are expecting successful applicants to show rigor in their schedule.”
So, overload your schedule with AP courses, get into college? Not quite. “A student should only take what he can handle. It does a student no good to take 4 or 5 AP courses to only earn C’s or lower in them. A “C” in an AP course tells the Committee that this student probably should not have been in the class. If a student thinks he can get a “B” or better in an AP course (in conjunction with everything else he has on his plate), he should go for it. Colleges prefer to see students who have challenged themselves in high school.”
Then come the test scores. Even in a world where schools are waiving the requirement to take the SAT or ACT, they’re still an important part of a student’s application. “It’s the one piece of the application process that every student, domestic and international, have in common. Students can opt to take the SAT or the ACT. Both tests are used equally in the process and colleges do not favor one test over the other. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, standardized testing became increasingly difficult to schedule and take. All spring 2020 testing was cancelled globally… the summer dates were also cancelled, leaving students without the opportunity to take the tests. The majority of colleges across the US responded by going “Test Optional” for the fall 2021 cycle, some even extending their test optional policies to 2022 and 2023 applicants. Test Optional means that if a student was not able to take the test, his scores not a good reflection of his true abilities or their score was not in the admitted student profile, the applicant could choose to have his application reviewed without scores. About 95% of the colleges across the county were test optional for 2021. They wanted to reduce the stress for the seniors who did not have the opportunity to take the tests. But this did not mean that a student shouldn’t send scores, if he had them. About 40% of the Class of 2021 had test scores prior to the pandemic but the majority did not.”
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