Relections on "Prospectives from Dartmouth Admissions"

I recently came upon this blog hosted by the Dartmouth admissions staff that is constantly updated with insightful reminders crucial to the sanity of anyone working or applying for college admissions.

An Assistant Dean gave the following synthesis of the process through a college's eyes, and I believe these are sincere attempts to explain the process honestly.














She seeks the approach that most students want to believe - that admissions isn't all about the numbers, but does so in a new light. Rather than vaguely bumbling out phrases such as "holistic view" or "character", Caroline breaks it down in to five important questions she asks before reading a Dartmouth application.

As I read your application, I am thinking about five basic questions:

1. What opportunities have been available to this applicant?
2. What are the things that matter most to him/her?
3. Given these two, what choices has he/she made?
4. What are the applicant's successes?
5. How has he/she had an impact on others?

This is a refreshing call to action for students to analyze their own applications objectively according to the criteria suggested in Caroline's questions. One key word - objective - implies a new clarity to the situation that will greatly help students assess their chances for admission and become stronger applicants.

The blog can be found at:
http://dartmouthperspectives.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-can-i-improve-my-chance-of.html