THE BEHOLDERS
"We [Admissions Counselors] look for again, so many ways on how you [the applicant] as an individual will impact our campus." (Gil Villaneuva, Dean of Admissions at Brandeis University).
Praised as either heroes or villains, college admissions counselors play a vital role in a student’s future at a particular institution of higher education. They either mark a seal of approval or one of waitlist or denial which can all arouse a variety of emotions from students. College admissions counselors are a critical factor in the world of education today, which makes them experts on deciding whether a particular student would be able to succeed at their institution.
These important role-players largely believe to consider the ‘total person’ in the process, but that can easily be pushed to the side when actual numbers (see test scores) can be compared when evaluating applicants. The University of Oregon Admissions Staff represents the view which many other admissions counselors share on the process by considering they need to keep a balance between test scores and other important factors which students possess. This particular staff uses test scores along with GPA in the initial admissions process, but they keep up on current student’s scores in order to monitor their performance in the university setting. This method allows counselors to see trends between admission characteristics and achievement when actually completing college-level coursework which allows conclusions to be drawn to what type of students can achieve in a particular university environment.
Part of the job of admissions counselors involves being as fair-minded as possible, but that is difficult when so many different aspects need to be considered. They have be known to possess the title of ‘gatekeepers’ and ‘class shapers’ as they determine what the universities’ population will appear like. Despite this, admissions counselors go through years in the system in order to learn what type of student fits their institution best
and then seeks to find and admit the type they are looking for.
College admissions counselors may seem scary and mean, but really they are trying to find students who can thrive at their institution. It may be a hard game for some to play, but college admissions counselors are doing the favor of helping the applicant in deciding whether they are cut-out for a certain institution. As the times change in the wake of the new SAT format and decreased reliance on standardized tests, college admissions counselors will remain open to other options used to assess students, as well as considering other characteristics besides test scores. At this point in time the door remains largely open to what the future holds and many institutions are waiting until results come in from the newly formatted SAT, in order to assess if they need to change the factors they weigh in their admissions process.
Banner Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Opening Quote courtesy of Gil Villanueva from Brandeis University. "A behind-the-scenes look at the undergraduate admissions process." (17 Mar. 2009).
Pie Graph courtesy of HowToGetIn.com (Google Images).
Video courtesy of Bloomberg Business (YouTube).
Opening Quote courtesy of Gil Villanueva from Brandeis University. "A behind-the-scenes look at the undergraduate admissions process." (17 Mar. 2009).
Pie Graph courtesy of HowToGetIn.com (Google Images).
Video courtesy of Bloomberg Business (YouTube).