Lakeside School

It’s the season of change. While we are all are transitioning into a new calendar year, Lakesiders will be shifting into a new semester, and college counselors will begin working with the junior class. With the numerous changes and transitions in recent years within college admissions, I’d like to give you an inside look at how applications are reviewed at highly selective colleges and universities.

There are several rounds through which a student can apply to colleges. The most common rounds are Early Decision, Early Action (including Restrictive Early Action), and Regular Decision. If you’d like to learn more about the application rounds, please read the college counseling office’s resource here: College Application Rounds.

Prior to joining Lakeside School, I worked as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, where my primary responsibility was reviewing and making admission decisions on applications that came from my regional territories, which included Seattle (and Lakeside!). I reviewed students’ applications in the same manner regardless of the application round in which they applied. During the initial read of an application, sometimes called the “academic read,” I reviewed the applicant’s transcript, test scores (if submitted), and intended area of study to determine whether the student met the established academic parameters. If a student met the academic requirements, their application moved on to the second read. If a student did not meet our parameters, I combed through the rest of the application to determine whether there were extenuating circumstances that warranted a full read (was the applicant a recruited athlete, did they have legacy status, did they meet some other institutional priority, were there circumstances outside of the applicant’s control that affected their academic performance, etc.) Applications that were denied in this stage were then reviewed by another reader to decide whether that assessment was appropriate.

The second read, or “full read,” is when I read through each application component. After re-reviewing the student’s transcript/academic record, I reviewed the student’s Common Application (demographic information, family/household information, and the student’s list of activities), essays, and recommendation letters. While I read, I took note of the important information and context I learned about the student. (If you would like to learn more about the specific components of a college application, please watch the Components of an Application video on the College Counseling Resources page.) Following a full application review, I either moved the student’s application forward to the admissions committee or made the difficult decision to deny it.

The purpose of the third read was to prepare for admissions committee. During this brief read, I re-reviewed the components of a student’s application and prepared my committee notes to help me make the case for why the student should be admitted. My notes often included a summary about the student, how they fit within our institutional priorities for that year, their preparedness for their area of study, how they would contribute to the community, and anything else that helped the admissions committee understand the student. During this read, with a more complete understanding of the applicant pool from their respective territories, admissions officers often begin to cull their applicant pools, only moving forward the students who most strongly align with institutional goals, needs, and priorities and who will be strong fits within the university community.

In committee, each application was fully reviewed again and discussed one at a time — different applications were not discussed simultaneously, and applications were not directly compared. When an applicant from my territory arose in committee, I presented for a few minutes to advocate for the applicant and share why I thought they should be admitted to the university, and then opened the floor to the committee for discussion. In the end, the committee collectively decided whether the application was admitted, denied, or waitlisted. The committee process lasted a few weeks until all applications had been considered by the group. 

The number of high-achieving and compelling applicants in the applicant pool far surpasses the number of seats in the first-year class at highly selective colleges and universities like WashU. Thus, to sift through all the impressive and competitive applications they receive, readers must review each application and craft their reasoning for admitting students with the institutional priorities and goals for that year in mind. To quote Jeff Selingo, author of “Who Gets In and Why?”, “A rejection then is not about you; it’s about what a college needs the year you apply.”

Contrary to common belief, the college admissions process is not a meritocracy and there is no formula for gaining admission into highly selective colleges and universities. An admissions decision of “deny” does not mean the applicant was considered inadequate or disliked by readers; in fact, often the student was strongly advocated for by the reader and well-liked by committee members. In my time as a reader, I can vividly recall the tears I shed after fervently advocating for students who I grew fond of in the applications process, but ultimately could not admit given the college’s institutional priorities. The reality is that colleges and universities are businesses, and in a sense, admission decisions are business decisions. Each year, as admissions officers review and decide who will be admitted into the institution, they are charged with making decisions that align with the long-term viability, overarching goals, and priorities of the college or university.

Because the admissions process is such a complex and nuanced system, Lakeside college counselors encourage students and families to focus on what is within their control and to not fixate on building the “perfect” college application — because there is no such thing. Throughout their time at Lakeside, it is most important for students to remain focused on putting their best foot forward in their current courses, choosing electives that they will enjoy during their junior and senior years, pursuing activities that are important and meaningful to them, and remembering that thousands of high-quality colleges and universities exist, and that they will find the right fit for their college experience.

Erin Foster is a college counselor at Lakeside School. Reach her and other members of the team at info@lakesideschool.site. Read more articles about college admissions on Lakeside’s college counseling blog. Read more about this year’s college trends in this recent article by Director of College Counseling Ari Worthman.