One of the most-asked questions we receive from families is some version of this: “What do colleges look for these days in a student?” Although anecdotes can help, sometimes the data can tell the story for you.
Grades and Course Rigor Matter the Most in College Admissions
The most recent National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) State of College Admission Report updated its four-year college members’ survey of the Factors in the Admission Decision. Admissions officers mark each individual factor (grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc.) as either Considerable Importance, Moderate Importance, Limited Importance, or No Importance in regard to how they are used in determining whether to accept a student.
Source: NACAC.
As shown above, the factors receiving the highest ‘considerable importance’ percentage were related to grades and course rigor with approximately ¾ of respondents marking them as such.
Why are grades the most important factor in college admissions?
Well, the answer is pretty simple, really. Schools like to admit people who are good at school. Certainly, it’s nice to be a great center fielder, to have led your Model UN team to a regional title, or to be the lead in your high school musical. And colleges will be happy if you want to bring those talents with you to their school but not unless you can succeed in the classroom. The point is this: grades are the measure of your work in school. They are the assessments of your academic performance. And they are recorded and presented to college admissions officers on your transcript.
The Importance of Your High School Transcript in College Admissions
The number one most important element of your college application is your transcript. The transcript is the record of your academic performance. It gives information about the rigor of your courses (e.g., honors, college prep, remedial, Advanced Placement, etc.), as well as your performance (your grades in those classes). You have a GPA that is a mathematical representation of your performance through high school. And this GPA is used to compare your performance with other students at your school.
College admissions officers read and re-read your transcript. They will focus on your primary academic subjects, including math, English, science, social studies, and world languages. Colleges want to know whether you can analyze literature, perform a chemistry experiment, identify the causes of the Vietnam War, or solve difficult geometry problems. So they will focus on your grades in the core academic subjects. They will pay much less attention to your grades in your “extracurricular pursuits done while in school,” including music, theater, business, art, debate, and athletics.
Even though your high school grades and course rigor are clearly the most important factor in college admissions, there are other factors that are also analyzed in the admissions process.
Teacher Recommendations
Other academic factors also enter the mix at most colleges. The first is your teacher recommendations. Not all colleges require them, but certainly, the more selective ones generally do. These recommendations do not focus on all your extracurricular achievements—but on your curricular ones. Your teacher knows very well how you do in the classroom, whether your assignments show sophistication and your tests indicate mastery of the material.
As evidenced in the NACAC survey, with 11% indicating teacher recommendations are a considerably important factor and 40.5% moderate importance, teacher recs are an important element for college admission that build on your grades and course rigor.
[For more about getting great letters of recommendation for college, see this post.]
The College Essay(s)
The Common App personal essay as well as supplemental essays remain an important part of a holistic college application review, with over 56% of colleges surveyed indicating it was given considerable or moderate importance. The roughly 20% of schools deeming essays of considerable importance has remained consistent over the last decade based on previous NACAC surveys. As we point out here, a well-crafted college essay can present admissions officers another side of you not seen in your high school transcript.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular achievements can show dedication, perseverance, and distinctive talents, and often provide a platform for developing leadership abilities. So extracurricular accomplishments are definitely important. This is confirmed by the NACAC data, where even though only 6.5% of schools view extracurriculars with ‘considerable importance’, 44% weigh extracurriculars with ‘moderate importance’. Every admissions office wants to populate their campus with hard-driving, creative, and interesting people who are willing to make their college a better place.
But, as noted with extracurriculars being moderate and not considerable importance, admission officers won’t just skip over your poor academic performance and let you in based on how you have stayed busy outside the classroom. They may admire your creativity, but if you can’t demonstrate that you can hack the algebra and the five-paragraph essay, you won’t be admitted.
What About Standardized Test Scores?
The other academic factor is your test score on the ACT or SAT. While these scores are not really a measure of your intelligence or your classroom abilities, they are measures of how well you understand English and basic mathematical computation. These fundamental academic skills are important if you are to succeed in college. The colleges that require these scores are giving you a chance to show off those skills.
Now much has been said about the diminishing importance of standardized tests in the admissions process. Many colleges and universities were “test-optional” before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. But the virus infected the college admissions process, such that most colleges decided to go test-optional, at least temporarily.
The NACAC survey points to just how much standardized tests have declined in importance over the years. Heading into the 2024 admissions cycle, only 5% of colleges surveyed placed ‘considerable importance’ on test scores compared to around 50% pre-COVID.
Obviously, some elite universities that tend to dominate the headlines have returned to requiring test scores recently, including MIT, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale. In addition, some public colleges in certain states (Florida comes to mind) require test scores. There will likely be more in the years to come but test-optional at many colleges is here to stay.
But even if colleges remain test-optional, you should still attempt the test. A strong test score is another academic feather in your cap that demonstrates your prowess in the classroom. It is an imperfect measure of your intellectual gifts, but it certainly gives college admissions officers some solid information about your basic mathematical and English communication skills–not to mention your ability to do well on standardized tests!
What’s more, a good test score might help you score some merit scholarship dollars at your preferred college (assuming that your preferred college awards merit-based scholarships…many of the most selective colleges do not).
Study Hard and Challenge Yourself
In the college admissions process, your grades and course rigor are far and away more important than the other factors looked at by admissions officers. Of course, also give yourself the opportunity to excel outside the classroom in activities that you enjoy. Find that balance where admissions officers can not only see that you will be able to do the work in college but also contribute and make a difference on campus.
If you need assistance in the college admissions process, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. At Great College Advice, we provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.
