The College/Graduate School Admissions Domino Effect states that there are five key
steps of applying and getting accepted to the colleges or graduate schools of your choice.
If you ignore any one of the steps, or do one poorly, then the likelihood of getting accepted
decreases dramatically -- just as if you pulled a domino out of a chain of dominos.
The five phases of a successful college/grad school application:
Grades matter. There's no question that your grade point average (weighted or unweighted)
is a key part of the admissions equation. Admissions committees view your grades as future
indicators of how likely you are to succeed in undergraduate or graduate classes.
Because just about all colleges and universities use grades as part of a scoring index,
if your grades are weak, you'll need to compensate for this problem by performing at a much
higher level on one or more standardized admissions tests.
If there were extenuating circumstances, such as the need to support yourself or your
family, a serious illness, or other life-altering event, you should be thorough
in explaining the situation on your applications.
Finally, it's also important to note that grades in traditional "college prep" courses are
often weighted more heavily than easier classes; and challenging yourself with advanced courses (such as AP or IB)
are often given the greatest weight.
If you are looking for help with grades -- in high school or beyond -- we recommend reading our
book, Write Your Way to a Higher GPA.
You need to perform well on whatever standardized test -- SAT and ACT for undergraduate and
GMAT for business, LSAT for law school, and MCAT for medical school -- is required for
admission. Most schools -- or ratings of schools -- list score ranges of recently
admitted students.
And while some students, who now face a battery of standardized tests practically every year
in school, should be quite adept at taking these kinds of tests, it makes sense to
practice for these tests -- whether that means buying a book, using tutors, or taking a
prep course.
Always strive to do your best the first time, but know that you can take these
tests repeatedly. Note, that while some schools will use your highest scores, others
will take the average of your scores.
Students looking for more help and resources related to standardized testing for undergraduate studies should visit
our Standardized Testing Resources for Teens.
Students looking for more help and resources related to standardized testing for various graduate
programs should visit our Graduate School Resources.
Undergraduate colleges like to see applicants who have shown leadership in one or
more volunteer or extracurricular activities. Remember that quality is favored over quantity, thus
do not to join as many clubs as possible, but show a deep and long-term commitment to one or two
particular activities -- and be sure and take a leadership role in at least one of them.
Graduate schools want to see both a passion and commitment to your field of study. The best
programs require you to have experience in your field. For example, the best MBA programs do
not admit applicants who do not have several years of work experience. Similarly, the best law schools
and medical schools want to see you have had exposure to the legal and medical professions, respectively.
Be sure to accurately portray your activities and experiences. And remember to provide detailed
information about your activities/experience. Read more about positioning your
experience by reading our article, Using
Extracurricular Activities in College Applications.
If done properly, the application essay (or personal statement) is a chance for you cut through
the other applications and make yourself stand apart from the other applicants. Some admissions
counselors make initial judgments about an application's strength and standing by grading the
personal statement before any other part of the application.
Remember that while you can't go back and change your grades, class rank, or standardized
test scores, you can control the quality of your application essay. Use the key tools
of writing and rewriting and editing to produce a gleaming document.
Your application essay should show self-awareness, honesty, and depth. Avoid ego-driven
autobiographies, lying or exaggerating about circumstances, or having an essay that is a bit
too polished for your writing skills. On the other hand, be extremely certain that your essay
is completely void of typos, misspellings, and writing style errors.
This last domino is as important as the first; strong recommendations are a critical
part -- perhaps the most critical part -- of the college application. Persuasive
letters of recommendation -- ones that gush about the applicant --
can turn the heads of the admissions committee while average letters
-- ones that could be written about any good student -- can raise doubts.
There are definitely strategies in choosing the two or three people you are
going to ask to write letters of recommendation. One of the keys is asking
people who really know you and your potential. Read more suggestions in
our article, Four
Steps To Getting Perfect College Recommendations.
For more information about pursuing an education, please visit our
College Planning Resources, full of
information, tools, and resources for students of all ages and types.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
