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In Search of the Holy Grail:
Highly Selective College Admissions
Sue Biemeret
Bob Foltin
Amy Grove
Adlai E. Stevenson High School
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What is a Holy Grail?
The focus of all our national attention The best of what higher ed has to offer Typically admits fewer than 10 - 25% of
applicants Modern-day version of the knight’s search
for ultimate truth
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The Holy Grail, Round One
Amherst Brown Caltech Univ. of
Chicago
Columbia Cornell Dartmouth Duke
Georgetown Harvard Harvey
Mudd
Univ. of
Illinois
MIT Michigan North-
western
U North
Carolina
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The Holy Grail, Round Two
Notre Dame Penn Pomona Princeton
Rice Stanford Swarthmore Virginia
Wash U. Wellesley Williams Yale
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How The Grail Admits Students -Course Selection
Single most important factor in process Looking for most rigorous courses
available at SHS AP/Honors classes expected Most common AP classes: English, Math,
Science Senior courses are important! Looking for rigor and balance
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How the Grail Admits Students -Grade Trends
Not just the course rigor, but also excellence in classes
Expectation: All A’s in all APs!! Reality: Taking most challenging courses and
earning top grades Most HGs expect 4.3+ weighted gpa Grade trends from freshman through junior year
really examined Some HGs recalculate gpa to include only
academic units
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How the Grail Admits Students -Test Scores
Which tests to take? ACT+Writing or SAT Reasoning Test with SAT Subject Tests?
Check each school’s requirements!! SHS policy on reporting test scores Common scores: ACT 33+, SAT 1500+ [not
including Writing score] Sometimes used as eliminator to remove
applicant from pool Explain poor test history in personal statement
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Some Testing Requirements Harvard: either ACT + Writing or SAT AND 3
SAT Subject Tests of the student’s choosing Yale: ACT + Writing or SAT AND 2 SAT
Subject Tests Brown: ACT+Writing or SAT AND 2 SAT
Subject Tests Duke: ACT+Writing OR SAT and 2 Subject
Tests Stanford: SAT or ACT + Writing; 2 SAT Subject
Tests recommended
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How the Grail Admits Students:Co-Curricular Activities
Answer the question: What do you do besides study? What is your passion?
Well-roundedness or Well-lopsidedness Depth over breadth Begin chart in 10th grade and update it; use
Resume feature on Naviance! Don’t join just to look involved!
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How The Grail Admits Students:Essays
Single scariest part of process for most students Deliberately ambiguous writing prompts to elicit
how you think, define your passion[s], determine your intellectual curiosity
No right or wrong answer Be sure to answer the question!! Secret: develop your voice!
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How the Grail Admits Students:Letters of Recommendation
Two types: teacher and counselor Teacher: How did your presence in class change
the class? What did you add? Counselor: How did you navigate Stevenson?
More global view Get teachers who know you well [not just who
grade you well…] Don’t overstock your app with letters Get to know your counselor now!
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How the Grail Admits Students:High School Experience
This is our job: to tell the Stevenson Story of excellence to colleges
High school visits, high school profile, professional development contacts
Let’s not rank high schools [!!], but know that Stevenson’s history of academic excellence is well known to HG schools
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How the Grail Admits Students:Geographic Distribution
All HG schools want national student body, at least one student from each state [except public HGs]
No quotas of high schools or states Consider our competition…. Increase the odds? Move to North Dakota
[and be first chair French horn….]
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How the Grail Admits Students:Special Talents/Considerations Athletic, Musical, Artistic Talent can add
weight to application What’s your “hook?” Alumni Legacy sometimes considered [but
not always….] “Knowing someone” isn’t going to affect
decision [unless that someone has a building named after him on campus….]
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How the Grail Admits Students:Demonstrated Interest
The newest piece of the puzzle. Did the student visit the campus, come to
local presentations [at SHS or at local hotels], email the admission office with legitimate questions???
Some colleges utilize data to help make decisions about candidates.
Early application is the ultimate example!
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Importance of “Safety” Schools
What is a safety school? NO ONE wants to be known as a safety Just who is/isn’t safe these days is a
moveable feast Real safety: much more than a place you
can get in, but also a place where you can grow, learn, become the best you can be
--Should resemble your “reach” schools in location, size, opportunities
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Early Admission Plans
May 1st is Universal Candidate Reply Date Two Ways of Signaling Your Interest [and Maybe
Even Enhancing Chance for Admission]: Early Action: not binding [can wait til May 1] Early Decision: binding [must say yes if admitted,
can’t wait til May lst]– Real commitment to school [like getting engaged…]
– Must withdraw all other applications if admitted
– May only apply to one school ED
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ED: The Financial Issue
Need to have a realistic view of your financial need [as opposed to want]
Can’t compare aid awards from other schools when applying ED
Estimate? Go to www.finaid.org and look for estimator page
Can only refuse ED offer if college does not match your need [as opposed to your want]
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Other Financial Considerations
Difference between “ability to pay” and “willingness to pay” [difference between need and want] - confusing difference to many families
Most Holy Grail schools do not offer merit [no-need] aid, only offer need-based aid
Parents: You may have to pay the full cost of a Holy Grail education!
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Some Scary Statistics [from 2009]
Brown: 24,988 apps
--10.8% admitted
Harvard: 29,112 apps
--7% admitted
Penn: 22,939 apps
--17.1% admitted
Princeton: 21,964
--9.8% admitted
Stanford: 30,428 apps
--7.6% admitted
Yale: 26,000 apps
--7.5% admitted
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Even More Scary Stats…
27,000+ high schools in the U.S.
Each school has a “top twenty” list of students
540,000 superstars all applying to the same schools!
Even perfect test takers don’t always get the brass ring!
Our “best” student can become “typical” in the Holy Grail applicant pool
We do not control this situation!
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Lucky/Unlucky Students 85-90% of applicants to HG schools meet
academic requirements, but 7-25% of applicants are admitted Importance of personal factors, both about the
student and by the college Some students are lucky to be admitted And others are unlucky not to be admitted Not a matter of better/best, but of lucky/unlucky
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Strategies for Students -There Are No Guarantees
No one is entitled to admission to a Holy Grail!
This is not science, this is an art. Some of our best students are not admitted Realize your local, state, and national
competition
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Strategies for Students -Do Your Homework!
Know everything you can about the Holy Grail schools!
Research, read, check web sites, meet with reps
Visit, visit, visit! Level of interest becoming key factor at
some HG schools Know more than a school’s US News
ranking: know why you want to attend it!
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Strategies for Students:Develop a “Split Personality”
Important to balance confidence in your abilities with reality of admission odds
As you complete your application, be 100% convinced of your ability to succeed
After you turn your app in, go back to being 100% convinced that you might not get in!
Importance of confidence in application process, reality in admission process
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The Stress Factor
Applying to college already stressful; HG apps hike up the stress to “full throttle”
Student stress Parent stress Dealing with stress
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Keeping Your Perspective…
Don’t ever forget your talents, your wisdom, your unique strengths
Don’t also forget that there are thousands of equally talented students across the world who also seek admission to the Holy Grail
Instead of admit/deny, think about lucky/unlucky
There IS a right place for each of you!!!
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Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island
6,013 undergrads No core curriculum [so admissions looks
for independent thinkers and risk-takers] Brown Curriculum: students must pass 30
courses with no req’ts [must show writing competency plus a Capstone experience]
Self-designed majors are commonplace Frosh live together in halls; then, housing
done by lottery
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Columbia UniversityNew York City
7,584 undergrads The ultimate urban campus experience! “Core curriculum” coined at Columbia! Students have intellectual persona
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Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York
13,846 undergrads Largest Ivy Both public and private, depending upon major
[“One foot planted in the Big Ten, the other foot in the Ivy League”]
“Easiest Ivy to get into, hardest to get out of” All Frosh take required seminar 70” of snow every year….
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Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire
4,196 undergrads “Dartmouth Plan”: school year divides into 4 10-
week terms, 3 courses per term. Most students take 3 terms/year.
Must remain on campus summer after sophomore year, so have “leave time” during soph or junior year. Students may take up to 3 terms off campus.
“Most intimate of Ivies” Housing crunches common “Work hard, play hard” place Rural location - outdoor activities very popular
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Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts
6,655 undergrads Highest yield rate in nation: 79% World-renowned faculty in every department Students need to complete a core of 6 “modes of
inquiry” courses Soph and Junior tutorials common Largest university library system in world All frosh live in Harvard Yard which skirts
campus No Greek Life
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University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
10,337 undergrads Founded by Ben Franklin: theory + practice Strong liberal arts core Most students live on campus [surrounding area
very urban] 20% Greek Students are politically active and involved Athletics is big here Campus like “the Secret Garden”: Gothic beauty
surrounded by bustling urban Philly.
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Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey
5,047 undergrads The “Ivory Tower” Ivy: deep traditions, more
conservative academically and devoted to undergrad experience
Classes taught in seminar or preceptorial format [discussion groups of 15]
Senior thesis required Honor code Housing broken into 5 residential colleges, many looking
like Gothic cathedrals Upperclass “Eating Clubs” are Princeton version of Greek
life
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Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut
5,247 undergrads Great rival with Harvard Academically liberal; no strict core
curriculum; 36 courses required for graduation
Students assigned to 1 of 12 residential colleges but don’t live there til soph year; all frosh live on Old Campus - each college has own dean, faculty, dining hall, etc.
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Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina
6,400 undergrads Two undergrad schools: Engineering and Trinity College
of Liberal Arts Flexible core requirements, but all students must take
Small Group Learning Experience East and West Campuses; all frosh live on East; most
students live on campus all 4 years “Work hard, play hard” place: intense study, but great
support for athletics [“Tent City”] Campus sits in 8,000-acre forest Forms Research Triangle with UNC and NC State
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Georgetown UniversityWashington, D.C.
7,038 undergrads Known for Foreign Service and Public
Service programs [location…] Frosh and sophs live on campus; housing
guaranteed 3/4 years on campus Kids use DC for social life and really
support their Hoyas! Jesuit school [only 50% Catholic]
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Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois
8,476 undergrads Operates on quarter system Medill School of Journalism and Music/Theatre programs
world-renowned Housing either in residence hall or one of 11 residential
colleges Least “rah rah” of Big Ten schools [not always much to
cheer about!] Beautiful suburban campus hugging Lake Michigan Apps up 25%+ over past three years
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University of Notre DameSouth Bend, Indiana
8,371 undergrads Catholic school; about 85% Catholic Freshman Year of Studies all students take 85% of students live on campus No Greek; halls function as hub of student social life;
many kids stay in same hall all 4 years Athletics is HUGE! [sometimes even with good reason!] Kids rely on campus for social life; South Bend not very
attractive to ND kids [and vice versa!] Beautiful campus with golf course, lakes and the famed
Grotto
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Stanford UniversityPalo Alto, California
6,878 undergrads Strong commitment to liberal arts 90+% of kids live on-campus, with many frosh in
frosh-only housing Athletics are a big deal at Stanford Very small Greek life; kids use Sierra Nevada
Mtns and San Francisco for social life 8,000-acre campus [“The Farm”] was estate of
Leland Stanford