What to list? What’s important?
Top Two Takeaways:
- Grades, ACT/SAT scores, and rigor of high school classes can impact colleges acceptance and result in more merit aid.
- Be sure to keep track of volunteer experience and list it on applications.
From the Pros
Which volunteer experiences should I list?
From Scott E. Queener, Ph.D., Director, Student Success, Lincoln Land Community College: Maximize the space provided on the application to fill out as many volunteer experiences as you can.
From Lynn Whalen, Executive Director, Public Relations and Marketing, Lincoln Land Community College: LLCC is an open access institution, and uses a “multiple measures” method of placing students into the correct level of classes. Mainly, the high school GPA is considered, but test scores may also be a factor. So students should prepare for and do the best they can on tests such as the SAT and ACT.
From Springfield Academic: Typically, GPA and course rigor are the most important factors considered in admissions. List all volunteer experiences on the application. Test scores play a significant role at some schools and not as much at others. LOTS of universities are test-optional for fall 2021 freshmen. Look for test-optional schools at www.fairtest.org
From Mary Beth Stephens, MBS College Coaching LLC: Every classroom grade in high school counts. Thus for many, thoughts about college should begin their freshman year. The classes you take in high school are important. Colleges will compare the classes you take to the classes that are offered, particularly AP/IB. This does two things – it levels the playing field (a little) since they can compare a smaller, perhaps more rural school where a student takes every AP class available to a larger suburban school with 28 AP classes where the student only takes two of them. However, not every student wants or is ready for all of the AP classes offered. Students should challenge themselves and try to balance their workload as much as possible.
The importance of test scores depends on the school. They are important, and I use the “middle 50th percentile” for both the ACT and SAT to show my clients where they fall. I don’t define “reach” and “safety” schools. They know their scores and can see where they stand with these ranges. If a student falls in the middle 50th percentile they are have a good chance of getting in. If they fall above it, it’s harder, and the school is going to look closer at other parts of the application to see if the lower test score is an indicator of just difficulty with the standardized testing or whether it’s an indicator that they aren’t a good match for the school. I have had several clients get into schools who were well below the middle 50th percentile.The schools indicated the students would be required to go to tutoring and receive additional assistance until they had proven they could handle a college curriculum. If a student is above the middle 50th percentile, they make that college “look good” and it increases the probability of their getting in. However, some schools often reject students with high ACT/SAT scores as the admissions office doesn’t feel the student is a good fit for the school. Students need to list the volunteer experiences that are most important to them.
From the Moms
From Angela Try: Test scores are incredibly important for merit aid and scholarships. The higher the GPA, the more merit aid you’d receive. My daughter listed her volunteer experiences in Girl Scouts, NHS, and Key Club – really highlighted ones that focused on service, leadership and academics. Be sure to list if you were an officer – or held a leadership position in the group.
From Denise Beauman: My daughter only listed the most recent and most relevant volunteer experiences. Her test scores were of minimal importance in her acceptance.
From Julie Kaiser: List all the volunteer experiences. Standardized test scores are very important. My son’s ACT score garnered him a half-off tuition.
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