What matters most on a college application?

A student's grades in college-preparatory classes remain the most significant factor in college admission decisions. Highly selective colleges look for students who: Complete core academic requirements.

What's the most important part of a college application?

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Your GPA is the single most influential factor that any college will consider. It reflects your performance as a student over almost four years of your life and offers insight into what sort of college student you will be.

What looks best on college applications?

What are the 4 key pieces to a good college application?

Strong test scores (relative to what admitted students have) A specific, honest, and well-written personal statement and/or essays. A unique extracurricular interest or passion (a "spike," as we like to call it) Volunteering experience with measurable impact.

How do you stand out on a college application?

College Admission Officers, What Made You Declined A Student?

What are colleges looking for in an essay?

Admission essays are very different from the 5-paragraph essays you write in English or history class! Great essays are built around stories, not arguments. They reveal your character, not rehash your achievements. The best essays focus on moments when you changed, learned, or grew as a person.

What stands out to Ivy Leagues?

Demonstrate intellectual curiosity

Ivy League and other top colleges want students who have a real passion for learning and a deep intellectual curiosity. Or, as Stanford's undergraduate admissions page states, someone with a genuine interest in expanding their intellectual horizons.

What are the 5 C's in college?

Through our extensive research—quantitative and qualitative, objective and subjective—we've learned that when it comes to making a decision about college, everything matters to someone. So we've identified a set of key triggers that we call the 5 C's: curriculum, campus, community, career, and cost.

What are the 5 C's of college choice?

They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs) — Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College (CMC), Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College — and two graduate schools — Claremont Graduate University (CGU) and Keck Graduate Institute (KGI).

What are the 5 P's of college admissions?

For most students and their families, college search priorities boil down to one or more of the “five P's”: Place, Program, Prestige, Price, and Personal.

What is a Tier 1 extracurricular activities?

Tier 1 extracurriculars are like hitting a home run in the eyes of admissions officers. They're rare and exceptional, showcasing outstanding achievement or leadership.

Do colleges check your extracurriculars?

If you're applying for a top school and the extracurricular is a spike (your most impressive activity on your application), they will almost certainly look into it.

What colleges care about extracurriculars?

Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale indicate ECs are very important. Brown, Barnard (Columbia), and UPenn indicate ECs are important. No Ivy indicates they are not considered. The main takeaway is all Ivys consider them in the college admissions process.

What makes a strong college application essay?

What are three 3 things you look for when applying to colleges?

How do colleges decide who to admit?

Admissions officers look at “hard factors — GPA, grades, and test scores — and soft factors — essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest — to gain a full picture of applicants.

Can you get into a good college with C's?

A C+ and a C- will not disqualify you from admission ANYWHERE. It will however decrease your chances of being selected. As for your application, those are both very competitive schools and are going to be looking at many things in your application, not just your GPA.

What are the top 5 criteria you would use in selecting a college?

College rankings, student safety, dining options, and campus amenities can all factor into your decision. Dorm life, campus athletics, and a diverse student body can also matter.

Do colleges care about C's?

Remember, colleges may be a little less willing to forgive a “C” grade in one's junior or senior year. Colleges may see this as a sign that a student is not as “college-ready” as their peers. However, this does not mean that you'll be rejected since most colleges review applications holistically.

Is all C's a 3.0 GPA?

C grades are usually worth 2.0 points.

Is all C's a 2.5 GPA?

A 2.5 GPA means that you've gotten only C-s and D+s in your high school classes so far. Since this GPA is significantly below a 2.0, it will make things very difficult for you in the college application process.

What is the easiest ivy to get into?

Cornell is considered the "easiest" Ivy League to get into because it has the highest Ivy League acceptance rate. While it's easier, statistically speaking, to get into Cornell, it's still challenging. It's also important to remember that students apply directly to one of Cornell's eight undergraduate colleges.

Do you need straight A's for Ivy League?

Overall, selective colleges value a rigorous course load over perfect grades. An Ivy League school might accept a student who had all As and one or two Bs in the highest-level classes, but it probably wouldn't accept a student who had flawless grades in all mid- or low-level classes.

What is the cheapest Ivy League school?

Which is the most affordable Ivy League school? A. Princeton is often acknowledged as the “most affordable Ivy” due to its commitment to extensive financial aid offerings.