(Chicago Tribune) By Gerald Bradshaw —
Students constantly bombard me with this question — “How do I get into a top college?” Most are asking about their chances of getting into the Ivy League, with Harvard, Yale and Princeton (HYP) being at the top of the list — sort of like caviar on a buffet table. Along with the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, and Caltech loom as assorted prime cuts of beef just as UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan are factored in if a student is interested in top state schools.
A college applicant’s life in the admissions office of these elite state schools begins and ends with having a strong GPA (3.75/4.0) and respectably high test scores (1400/1600 SAT, 33/36 ACT). These quantitative markers are also generally necessary for admission to top state schools, where slightly less emphasis will be placed on high school extracurriculars, recommendations and essays. The lifeblood of HYP and their sister institutions continues to be students who bring a “wow” factor to their applications — winners of national competitions and champion athletes with top grades and scores. Admission rates from top prep schools to the Ivies will likely trump those from most public high schools by several points.
A few years ago the Wall Street Journal studied freshman at 80 selective colleges to find out where they went to high school. Not surprisingly, New York City private schools and New England prep school graduates dominated freshman class enrollment at elite colleges. The article cited in particular, Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., as a “virtual factory” for sending students to Harvard and Yale. This trend continues but as the report indicated there is increasing new competition from schools overseas and public schools that focus on math and science. Public high schools located in close proximity to top universities also do well, in part because many students are children of professors at the university.
As a public school student, your chances of admission increase markedly if your school specializes in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects. STEM-related jobs are expected to grow by a larger percentage than non-STEM jobs in the near future. Colleges are now investing a significant amount of money in facilities and faculty to meet these workplace needs.
We can thank the tech boom for creating a high demand for science and engineering majors as these are students that tend to have higher SAT scores, which pump up a school’s rankings for a double dip benefit. The evidence suggests that if you attend a highly focused public school — one where academic rigor is given first priority — you can compete with the best private prep schools in the admissions process.
As I have often said, do not lose hope should you not gain admission to an Ivy. There are many state and smaller private schools that have excellent academic programs as well as job placement statistics. The success of your college education is not predicated on the name of the institution you attend — rather it will be on your academic acumen when you graduate and begin pursuing a career.
