s, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the appl

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. The college admissions process can be overwhelming, and because it’s constantly evolving (and each school uses different criteria for evaluating admissions!), it would be difficult for anyone to master the process.

To take some of the guesswork out of admissions, we decided to get the latest on the process from those in the know. Kerry Rosen, Director of Admissions for Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, and Susan Hertz, Associate Director, Marketing of American University, shared advice and information for high schoolers preparing to apply to college.

What is the most common mistake you see applicants make to hurt their chances of getting accepted into a college or university?

ROSEN: They submit late or incomplete applications, or don’t check to see what is required, such as how many letters, an essay vs. a graded writing sample, etc.

HERTZ: Or they don’t check to make sure that all the required parts of the application have actually arrived.

What is the approximate weight given to grades, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the appli

uesswork out of admissions, we decided to get the latest on the process from those in the know. Kerry Rosen, Director of Admissions for Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, and Susan Hertz, Associate Director, Marketing of American University, shared advice and information for high schoolers preparing to apply to college.

What is the most common mistake you see applicants make to hurt their chances of getting accepted into a college or university?

ROSEN: They submit late or incomplete applications, or don’t check to see what is required, such as how many letters, an essay vs. a graded writing sample, etc.

HERTZ: Or they don’t check to make sure that all the required parts of the application have actually arrived.

What is the approximate weight given to grades, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the appl

hared advice and information for high schoolers preparing to apply to college.

What is the most common mistake you see applicants make to hurt their chances of getting accepted into a college or university?

ROSEN: They submit late or incomplete applications, or don’t check to see what is required, such as how many letters, an essay vs. a graded writing sample, etc.

HERTZ: Or they don’t check to make sure that all the required parts of the application have actually arrived.

What is the approximate weight given to grades, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the appl

don’t check to see what is required, such as how many letters, an essay vs. a graded writing sample, etc.

HERTZ: Or they don’t check to make sure that all the required parts of the application have actually arrived.

What is the approximate weight given to grades, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the appl

s, test scores, extracurricular and community activities, essays and recommendations? What other factors do you like to consider?

ROSEN: We place a lot of emphasis on the academic record because we offer a very challenging program and we want to be sure that the applicants have what it takes to be successful here. We look at test scores, the strength of the classes taken, grades, and also require a graded writing sample so that we can see the how well the applicant is able to communicate in written form. In addition to academics, we are interested in what the applicant does outside the classroom – school and community involvement, employment experience, honors and awards. Letters from teachers, counselors and people in the community tell us a lot about the student’s character, motivation and level of compassion.

HERTZ: This information is found in most guidebooks. At AU, we look at grades in conjunction with the difficulty of the courses selected and test scores; essays and recommendations; and then activities.

Can you give us an example of a few applicants whose grades or test scores were below the average for your admitted students but who were admitted for other reasons?

ROSEN: We sometimes take a chance on a student with a less than stellar academic record if they have demonstrated an extraordinary level of character