You need to keep in mind that there are two concerns with regards to the admissions process—getting accepted and earning merit-based assistance.  In the majority of colleges and universities, merit aid is handed out through a review process that takes place in conjunction and at times in concert with the review for admissions.  At some schools the financial aid office is responsible for both need and non-need assistance.  It’s important to figure out who holds the purse strings.

What is helpful is that those qualities and qualifications that will help get your son or daughter accepted will also put him or her in the running for school scholarships.  What are the areas of interest being scrutinized by the college administration and which factors count most in the selection process?

The admissions staff will generally try to select a well-balanced class, one that enriches the college-going experience for all students.  Colleges and universities seek to admit students who will contribute to challenging academics, a rich cultural environment, strong athletic programs, and varied extra-curricular activities.

It could be that the college is trying to achieve more specific recruiting goals.  For example, one school may be trying to increase the size of its student population, hoping this will create new academic departments and increase the size of the supporting faculty.  A different university may be seeking

greater student diversity.  Another may be attempting to raise their academic profile by raising admissions standards.

This demands that the schools develop certain criteria, standards, and recruiting policies.  Needless to say, colleges can only meet these specific recruiting goals by carefully screening each individual applicant.  Considering the thousands of applications that they must review, your student’s job as an applicant is to help them by making his or her selection for admissions as easy as possible.

Should you find out what the recruiting policies are for the schools you’re interested in?   Only if you want to get paid to go to college.

In general, admissions staffs emphasize the importance of a solid high school transcript. They look to see whether you’ve taken the most challenging curriculum available to you.  They check how well you fared in those classes.  Most colleges are swayed by students who take advantage of opportunities and don’t just settle for the easy “A.”

If Jamal took all honors and AP courses during high school and maintains a 3.3 GPA while Kaitlin is cutting a 3.8 GPA in all standard level classes, admission officers will more than likely look more favorably at Jamal.

Of course grades indicate a student’s capabilities and motivation; however, grades are only significant in light of the student’s curriculum.  Class rank allows colleges to measure your academic performance in comparison to your classmates.  In fact many colleges today reassess a student’s GPA to try and level the playing field.  In her Wall Street Journal article, “Why Colleges Scoff at Your Kid’s GPA,” Anne Marie Chaker discusses the problem of non-standardized GPA.  She explains, “The problem is that GPAs—always somewhat erratic because curriculums differ so much—have in some cases become almost meaningless as high schools experiment with a raft of ways to measure students.”  Certain institutions drop the pluses and minuses, while others disregard the entire freshman year of high school.  John Hopkins eliminates all but the core subjects and recalculates the GPA.  Some schools, like Haverford College in Pennsylvania, throw out the GPA altogether and look to the student’s class standing to determine entrance qualifications.

However manipulated, make no mistake; grades in conjunction with test scores are an easy way for colleges to screen thousands of applications down to a manageable number.   This is especially true at larger institutions.

Colleges and universities do use scores differently, however.  There are those that will set minimum cut-off for admission.  Then there are those that don’t require them at all.  The majority, however, have a more complex procedure for reviewing test scores.  A former dean of admissions for a prominent private college described their procedures as first considering the quality of program, quality of performance in that program, and how that performance is corroborated by teachers, counselors, and heads of schools in an application.  He also pointed out that tests are important, too, but they will control what admissions does, only if an applicant’s academic program is unchallenging and academic performance is poor or mediocre.  Even then, tests will always be looked at in the light of the student’s educational, linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic background.

The student’s grades and test scores say more about him or her than he or she may think. a director of admissions at a major mid-west university  ,pointed out, and if the admissions staff sees a student with 1500 SATs but a C average, that usually means he or she isn’t trying.”

Extra-curricular activities are becoming more important to the admissions process.  These after-school activities demonstrate the student’s leadership, teamwork, and commitment to a given pursuit.  Colleges don’t value one activity more highly than another.  They’d rather see students who maintain a high level of commitment to one activity than those sporting a list of twenty they only dabbled in.

These extra-curricular activities could also be the ticket to scholarship money if the school values your student’s attendance because he or she will participate in similar activities there, thus enhancing the school’s programs. Sports, leadership, performing arts, language and community service–don’t underestimate the power of after-school activities.   The question is, of course, what’s important to the school your student is applying to?   Find out.

Personal qualities are the hardest to define.  Through the essay, letters of recommendation, and interviews, the admissions committee draws their