How to Get Into a Good College

Applying to a college without knowing if you’re a good match to them is a no-no. It’s like trying to pursue a friendship without knowing if the feeling is reciprocal. The same is true when you’re looking for an internship or job. Colleges don’t accept you. They match with you. Once you understand this, you’ll start to verify that you are a match for the college as well.

How do you do this? Colleges tell admissions staff directly who they are looking for in their next year’s incoming student class. This information is rarely publicly available. The term used in the college admissions world is a directive. College directives are usually part of a document from the President’s Office that lays out the college or university’s plan, including the types of students that they want, as part of the class that they’re building. It’s so important that you understand this. From time to time, I hear from students about friends at school: one student with lesser credentials getting admitted over a student with better stats. The bottom line: the student with lesser stats fit more into who that college wanted on campus. 

If you read the post about What does an Admissions Officer Do, I discuss the suggested step of contacting your area representative. Doing so can give you an idea of who they are looking for. Also, you may be recruiting an advocate to promote your candidacy during the admissions decision roundtable. If you ask them, they may give you a broad response of who they are looking to admit. But don’t count on the full answer.

Ultimately, it’s your job to do the research and figure out what colleges look for. But there are so many clues and places to find the information you need. It’s easier than you think.

Here’s where to look:

The News section on the college’s website. You’ll want to go back at least six to nine months and see what’s been happening. What are the new initiatives, programs, and buildings. Who are the newest big donors or what existing donors have made a big renewal gift? When a college unveils something new, linked to money or donors’ wishes, there are hidden directives about student recruiting and class building priorities. For example, when Cornell announced a new public health program, my student Franchesca knew that they’d be needing public health students. She wrote her essay about her passion for the public health field as a result of her childhood trip to the Philippines. Cornell accepted her.

Check endowed scholarships listings Most colleges and universities maintain endowed scholarships. These scholarships are funded by individual donors connected to the school, such as a former student, to help support a particular student’s education. Endowed scholarships have specific criteria, such as the Evans Scholarship, offered by the Western Golf Association, endows scholarships at 17 colleges, including Indiana University, the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University, and the University of Chicago. The award is a total cost of attendance scholarship to a high achieving golf caddy. If you are a caddy, a high performing student, and interested in applying to any of the colleges, then your chances may be better.

Another example from Spelman College, where endowed scholarships  emphasize civic duty and community service. Another award is for students living outside of Georgia. The descriptions of the awards listed give criteria in which the college highly values. This is true across the board. For all the colleges on your list, look for an endowed scholarship list. The list will hint into who they are looking to attract into their incoming freshman class.

And if any of them speak to something specific that you fit, you probably have a good chance of admission. You will help them solve two problems: who to admit and who to award the scholarship.

Capital Campaign Marketing. Another great, hidden place to check for insight into what colleges look for is their capital campaign marketing. A capital campaign is a longstanding fundraising program. Above all else, you should know that colleges are nonprofits that must raise money to stay afloat. There are for-profit schools, but you should avoid those (here’s an article from Forbes on the 20,000 more reasons to never go to a for-profit school). Every so often, a college will launch a capital campaign to raise money for something big, like a building or endowment fund for first-generation students. If you can find marketing materials, usually provided to the school’s alumni, you can get some great clues about who they hope will benefit from the campaign.

Other ways to learn about a college’s capital campaign are setting up an informational interview with someone from the Alumni Services Department. Or try connecting with an alumnus or alumni of the school to grab any correspondence, such as an annual appeal letter, annual report, or monthly magazine. 

In summary, these three places described are good ways to find the types of incoming students the college is looking for.