3 Ways to Increase Acceptance to Top Colleges

The college application process starts the day a student enters high school.  Since admission to Ivy League and other elite colleges has become increasingly competitive, with schools such as Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Brown, and Stanford posting admission rates at 5% or lower, students must realize that their academic and extracurricular endeavors are being evaluated starting in freshman year.

 

In order to have the credentials to be a viable candidate for prestigious colleges once senior year rolls around, students should consider the following strategies:

 

1. Students need to plan a rigorous academic curriculum, focused on the field they may seek to pursue in college.  As freshmen, students should try to enroll in Honors level courses. Then, by demonstrating proficiency, they can move onto AP courses in subsequent years. By mapping out their intended courses for four years, students can ensure they will reach the required level by the end of high school.  For example, students seeking to pursue the field of engineering, architecture, or finance, will want to complete Calculus by the time they graduate. If they are starting their freshman year in Algebra I, they will need to double up on Geometry and Algebra II as sophomores in order to move onto Pre-Calculus and then Calculus. Students should also seek out electives in the area of their potential field. Future business majors, for example, might consider courses in Accounting, Business Law, Entrepreneurship, Economics, and/or Finance.

The Top Colleges with the Highest Average SAT Score

Students aiming to gain acceptance to some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities typically compare their credentials with those of applicants who recently gained admission. One of the most common criteria to compare is SAT scores. According to recent data from U.S. News & World Report, 27 U.S. colleges reported median SAT scores in the range of 1500 to 1550.  A perfect score is 1600.  

The highest median SAT score of 1550 was reported by Duke University (NC), Johns Hopkins University (MD) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  A median SAT score of 1540 was listed by ten institutions: Brown University (RI), Carnegie Mellon University (PA), Dartmouth College (NH), Princeton University (NJ), Rice University (TX), Stanford University (CA), University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University (TN), Washington University of St. Louis (MO), and Yale University (CT).

The Top Myths on FAFSA’s Parent Required Answers

The State of New Jersey has now made the filing of a FAFSA a graduation requirement. This has resulted in the proliferation of myths and undue stress on many families. 

First of all, there is no cost to file a FAFSA. The first “F” stands for “Free.” FAFSA is an acronym for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The State of New Jersey is requiring it because so many graduating students miss out on scholarship money by not filing this form.  (There is the ability to “opt out” for those who refuse to participate.)

 

The FAFSA has been greatly simplified, with the number of questions reduced from 108 to 46. The streamlined version is considered to be user-friendly, and many financial questions can be answered by linking to a previously filed tax return. It is currently available online for the families of students graduating and starting college in 2025.

 

While many states and colleges use the FAFSA to award scholarship funds, it’s also an application for federal student loans. It’s important for families to realize that there is no such thing as having too high an income to file a FAFSA.  Financial need is not a requirement for an unsubsidized student loan or a Parent Plus loan.

Your Real Competition for Admission to Elite Colleges

When strategizing for a major accomplishment – whether a job promotion, athletic event, or elite college admission – it’s vital to know exactly whom you are competing against.  Students seeking acceptance to an Ivy League or other top school may think they are vying with the other 50,000 Harvard applicants, 57,000 Yale applicants, or 65,000 UPenn applicants.  But that’s not exactly what’s happening.

 

Students are actually in competition with those students who are most like them in terms of their high school experience and college and career goals.

 

Initially, college admissions officers weed out those applicants lacking the credentials to be seriously considered.  In the aftermath of Covid, many families interpreted a college’s “test optional” policy as a reduced emphasis on academic rigor.  Thus, the number of applications spiked to colleges where many students had no chance of being admitted. These students are quickly eliminated, with qualified candidates moving onto a holistic assessment of their applications.

 

Here's where it gets a bit complicated. “Admissions officers are not only evaluating individual applications – they are seeking to build a class composed of students with diverse backgrounds, interests, and intended areas of study,” reported Forbes.

Top 5 Red Flags for College Admissions Officers

Students immersed in the college application process often wonder just what admissions officers are looking for when deciding who gets accepted and who gets denied. Of course, there are some basics, such as a high GPA and impressive SAT scores. But there are other criteria that get taken into consideration. 

College admissions officers are turned off by a “lack of course rigor, lack of extracurricular engagement, unrelated extracurricular activities, inappropriate social media presence, and unpolished and unprofessional essays,” according to Forbes.

 

While students may have little control over their freshman year course schedule, they should focus afterwards on taking rigorous courses, including electives, in the field they intend to pursue in college.  Students who plan on majoring in business, engineering or architecture, for example, should find a way to get through Calculus while in high school. This may mean doubling up in Geometry and Algebra II during sophomore year or taking one of these courses in the summer. They should also select relevant electives that will demonstrate an interest in their future academic field.