Admissions Academy Blog

The Decision Makers

•  Posted by Kathy Chi on April 5th, 2011 in Admissions, Articles of Interest
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Now that April 1st has come and gone, most colleges have released their admissions decisions, and inevitably, the results can seem quite mysterious and perhaps even arbitrary to those on the outside. Of course, there’s the exhilaration of being accepted, but it’s much harder to stomach being denied. What happened? How are these decisions made?

Last week, NPR’s Morning Edition tried to address these questions and more by taking listeners behind-the-scenes at Amherst College, a highly selective institution that traditionally has an admittance rate in the low teens. The insights are honest and heartfelt, and hopefully, families come away with a slightly better understanding of the challenges of selecting students to build an incoming class.

Similarly, MIT has a blog post from 2006 that shares what it feels like to be an admissions officer, making tough and often agonizing decisions.

It’s clear that admissions is not an exact science, much less always fair. It’s a human process, full of emotion and flaws, yet through it all, colleges genuinely care about students and families, doing the best they can within what’s possible. Most importantly, at the end of the day, I believe the individual defines his or her future, not the college. In the words of President Hennessy, “The college you attend does not determine the scope and possibility of your life’s achievements. It will have some influence, no doubt. What is more important is the encouragement and support that we, as parents and friends, offer these prospective students as they explore their own educational trail. In the end, the experiences they encounter and the depth of character they build along the way will mean far more than the name of the institution on their diploma.”

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