3 Secrets Every Admissions Counselor Knows But Refuses to Tell

With the 2019 college admissions scandal giving the United States a little indigestion, it’s not a bad idea to take stock of what matters most when it comes to applying to an educational institution or program of your choosing. To get in, you better have good grades, awesome test scores and a robust track record of community service.

Isn’t that what matters most?

If they could cop to it, college admissions professionals might tell you what they’re really looking for in a candidate; and those qualities might be completely beyond your control.

1. Legacy status matters. The Hoya took a look at 2017 Georgetown University admissions and found 30% of legacy students who applied were accepted, compared to a rate of about half that for the broader pool of applicants. IvyWise reports this is a common practice mainly because schools anticipate legacy students will ultimately opt in and attend school in the fall. In other words, legacy candidates are not perceived as a gamble when students have the right of refusal. However, Princeton alum and former applicant interviewer Bryan Walsh suspects the reason has more to do with anticipating alumni donations.
2. SAT scores are unfair. Legacy money isn’t the only way affluence can help students get into college. If you can afford to take a test prep course during high school, and subsequently get a higher score on standardized tests, you’re more likely to rank high on college admissions lists. (Check out this article in The Washington Post for more on SAT inequity.)
3. Low admissions make colleges look exclusive. According to MarketWatch, perception may have more to do with not getting into college than anything else. If a university offers only a narrow means of getting in, it is technically “exclusive.” This means bragging rights for exclusivity go to schools with the largest pools of applicants and the tiniest rates of acceptance.

These trends make it seem as though it’s all a numbers game when it comes to getting into college. With Bloc, you can skip the application process (and scandal!) and go right to the source of truth. Our admissions counselors don’t care if your dad was a Bloc student, they won’t ask for any standardized test scores, and they’ll take pride in admitting as many qualified candidates as they can, who’ll learn how to launch a career in web development or digital design.

Start your career journey with a free and friendly phone chat to find out everything you need to know about Bloc and the career that’s waiting for you.