Read: 2026-04-12
Recommend: 3/10
I was surprised to learn how intensely colleges compete for students, using sophisticated marketing techniques like sponsored search to recruit applicants.
Here are some text that I highlighted in the book:
That’s why colleges typically weigh the score on the four-hour SAT (achievement) less than the grades earned over four years of high school (merit). Watching the reviews of applications and listening to admissions officers’ description of merit over eight months, I came to understand the term defines a mind-set they look for in an applicant, rather than a specific attribute. They’re looking for signs an applicant refuses to acknowledge a ceiling on her ability and keeps persevering at tasks. That’s why they scan transcripts for rigorous courses in a variety of subjects, appreciate when students collect a recommendation from a teacher outside of their major area (a pre-med student with a recommendation from an English teacher, for instance), and look for students who have committed to an activity for an extended period of time and seek out a leadership position.
For UW’s personal score, applicants are graded on a curve. They all start with a 3, a number assigned to the “typical” high school experience. From there, a point is added for exceptional extracurricular activities. Perhaps the applicant is captain of a sports team, was selected for all-state orchestra, chosen as an Eagle Scout, or earned a black belt in karate.
The admit pool in every class is still made up of applicants who don’t arrive with any admissions “hooks” and do everything right in high school: take the AP classes available to them, rank at the top of their class, score 1400s on the SAT, and have a deep and earnest commitment to a sport, student government, music, or the debate team.
When choosing a teacher to write a recommendation, consider the following among those you might ask: a teacher in a class where you had to work hard for a grade; a teacher outside the subject you want to major in to show your breadth of interests; or a teacher in a major subject area you had twice during high school to show your growth. Overall, admissions officers want to read a letter from someone who can adequately describe your weaknesses but also detail your potential.