The Application: What College Entrance Officials Are Looking For

There are many components to a college application, depending on what type of college you are applying to. Those who are applying to art school or design school have even more components to worry about, but even those applying for a regular major at a regular public or private university have to worry about the application, getting letters of recommendation from the right people, the essay, and maybe even an interview for some schools. To help, here are some of the major things that college admissions officials keep in mind, and the things that they want to see the most.

Grade Point Average

Grades are important. Anybody who tells you otherwise is not giving you an honest answer, because grades matter a lot. On the other hand, grades are not everything. While the GPA does make up a major component of the college application, it is not everything and it is important to realize that other things matter as well. Some classes are harder than others; math is not easy for everyone and some people just can't grasp Physics-this is a fact of life and college admissions officials know this.

Test Scores

Whether you are taking the SAT or the ACT test, college officials care about test scores. Test scores are an important part of any college application, just as the grade point average is. It demonstrates a student's ability to take tests and to do well academically and while it is not the whole application, test scores do weight out to a great deal of the decision made on a student's application.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities also weighing out as important in the league lead in portions of the college application. The reason behind is that college entrance officials want to see a well-rounded student who has something to offer in addition to academics; obviously a student has a desire to learn at some level if they are applying to the school but what about the rest of the picture? The right extracurricular activities and enough of them can help out just about any struggling college application.

Letters of Recommendation and Essays

Having letters of recommendation is one way to really seal the deal with a college application to your dream school. If you can find the person to write the letter who really knows what you are about and can voice it well, that will help your application make up for areas in which it is lacking.

Also, personal essays are a good way to boost your chances also. Those who are good with the written word are stronger in more ways than they know, and that can help out any struggling application as much as a good recommendation letter can, if not more.