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Filling out university applications is a daunting task, rife with uncertainty.

As a former assistant director of admissions at two US universities, now turned school-based counsellor, I cringe at much of the (mis)information that I hear about how students can gain the upper hand in the university admissions process.

Generally, someone’s cousin’s friend who got into an ultra-selective university told someone’s friend’s mother that X, Y and Z are what admissions officers at universities want to see in an application. As a result, I have had to dissuade many students from costly pursuits that would yield little to no benefit, or from going in a particular direction with their essays.

Time and time again, I have been compelled to intervene because what my students were doing in their applications did not make them stand out – nor did it make them look impressive to an admissions officer. 

What are university admissions officers really looking for? 

The complexity of how universities make their decisions and the holistic nature of the application-review process make it difficult to point to one thing that can make or break an application. But this article will give insights from a former admissions officer to help answer the question: “What are admissions officers really looking for?”

which adds a deeper complexity to the aforementioned question.

To put it simply: US university admissions officers take a holistic approach that incorporates applicants’ extracurriculars (including ones not related to the course or major), supercurriculars and grades into the admissions decision.

Non-US university admissions officers generally focus only on supercurriculars related to the intended course or major, as well as grades. However, admissions officers at Dutch university colleges and some non-US private universities take extracurriculars into consideration in their admissions decisions.

Once students understand country-specific admissions criteria, then they can focus on having a deeper understanding of what an admissions officer at a particular institution considers a competitive applicant. To understand what admissions officers are looking for, one must research and understand the institution. However, below are some overarching criteria that factor into admissions officers’ decisions.

Academics

European universities tend to have specific academic entry requirements, which makes it easy for students to see if they are an academic fit.

US universities do not have entry requirements per se, but they publish admitted student profiles. A student who is an academic fit will fall within the middle 50 per cent range of grade point average (GPA) and test scores of a particular institution. Students who fall below the entry requirements at most non-US universities will not be considered. However, US universities will consider other factors that might make up for an academic profile that is below their admitted student profile, such as coming from an under-resourced school or community and impressive extracurricular activities.

UK universities have contextual entry requirements for applicants who reside in UK postcodes designated as under-resourced areas. Selective universities will also incorporate academic rigour into their admissions decisions. For example, a competitive applicant will take the most challenging courses offered at his or her school.

Fit

When I was an admissions officer at a small liberal arts college, I interviewed an athletic recruit who was a strong academic student. However, she kept mentioning a large public university that was well known for its athletics programme and how she would thrive on a large sports-focused campus. The fit was clearly missing, and I remember noting in my post-interview write up, “I’m not sure why she’s here.”

Admissions officers all evaluate applicants with an eye for fit: Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania are looking for two very different students. If a stellar student submits an application to both universities stating his or her love of suburbia and aerospace engineering, the applicant will get a swift denial from the University of Pennsylvania, which is located in a big city and does not offer aerospace engineering. However, the applicant would be admissible to Princeton, which is located in the suburbs and offers a BSE in aerospace engineering.

A student can have excellent grades, excellent test scores and compelling supercurriculars and extracurriculars, and be denied a place simply because he or she is not the right fit for the institution. 

Diversity

Following the , universities in the US cannot use race as part of the admissions decision. However, universities understand the value of having students from many backgrounds.

Diversity has many meanings, and my European students sometimes look surprised when I tell them that they would bring diversity to an institution. For example, some  (HBCUs) offer scholarships specifically for white students, because white students are under-represented at HBCUs.

Geographic diversity matters, too: when I reach out to universities in east Asia and the Middle East as a counsellor at a European high school, they mention that they are keen to recruit more European students and that there are diversity considerations for Europeans in their admissions processes.

Diversity is more than just demographic attributes: it can also include skills, interests and hobbies. A STEM university might be keen to attract students who are strong in STEM, but also have strong interests and accomplishments in, for example, literature or art. 

X-factor

Admissions officers read 1,000 applications (or more) per year, so students must highlight what makes them unique compared with all other stellar applicants, while simultaneously showcasing fit for that institution.

Admissions officers are looking for that X-factor: a student who is not only academically and extracurricularly stellar, but also brings something unique to the table.

Imagine being an admissions officer at a medical school, reading through piles of essays that say, “Since I was four years old, I have wanted to be a doctor.” Or “I want to be a doctor, because I want to help people.” Eyes glazed over and practically falling asleep, the admissions officer picks up an essay in which the applicant has incorporated a vastly different interest or skillset into the practice and research of medicine. That application, if academic entry requirements are met, will quickly make its way to the top of the pile.

Admissions officers are looking for students who will bring recognition to the institution. Education is a business and stellar students attract other stellar students, who go on to become successful, notable alumni – which attracts funding.

Standing out with more than grades

Students should highlight fit, as well as supercurricular and extracurricular activities, throughout their applications to US universities. Students applying to non-US universities should highlight in their personal statements academic fit and supercurricular activities relevant to the course or major. It’s not enough to simply meet the academic requirements, especially for selective universities and courses.

I participated in a mock admissions committee led by a US News and World Report top-15 ranked national university. The committee spent a minuscule amount of time discussing the transcripts. Essays, extracurricular lists and references took up 95 per cent of the discussion about whether or not to admit the applicant, because most applicants met or exceeded the academic entry requirements. Therefore, students need to stand out with more than just their grades.

Of course, good grades are prioritised in the admissions decision. But when most applicants have the relevant academic profile, admissions officers will evaluate other factors, such as academic rigour, academic and social diversity and fit, as well as an X-factor that will give bragging rights to the university.

Unique, insightful...and commonplace

Keep in mind that what will seem unique and intellectually insightful to a student will not be unique and intellectually insightful to an admissions officer who has read thousands of applications.

A few years ago, I met a student who wanted to apply to Ivy League universities. I grabbed a stack of papers, put them in front of her and told her to pretend that the pile of papers were applications with 45 out of 45 predicted IB grades. I then asked her to tell me what made her different from the pile of applicants.

After listening to her, I explained that what she was describing as a unique point about herself was actually common among applicants to the most selective universities. Therefore, students should go over their applications with their counsellors and attend admissions webinars and presentations to get tips on what makes a competitive applicant.

Alumni Nobel Prize-winners, political leaders and titans of industry always feature prominently on universities’ websites and admissions presentations. Admissions officers are looking for students who can make their universities proud, so make sure that applicants are able to articulate in their applications that they are that student.