on campus
admissions
10
COLLEGE
ADMISSIONS
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Applying to college can be stressful,
especially when looking at several schools with
distinct admissions processes. The University of
Georgia realized the confusion these differences
create and decided to set some of the most common UGA admissions urban legends straight.
We’ve taken their findings and expanded upon
them to help you figure out what questions to ask.
1. quotas
Universities admit a quota of students per year from
your county, zip code, state or school. There is no set num-
be r of students permitted to a university based on these, or any other,
characteristics. Acceptance varies depending on the pool of applicants
for that specific year, and the most competitive applicants are admitted.
Think of it in terms of the NFL draft—a team isn’t going to turn away
the nation’s top players just because there are others from the same
school already on the team.
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2. minimum test scores
There are minimum test scores and GPA requirements
for admission. ACT, SAT and GPA requirements vary from school
to school. When trying to gauge your student’s chance of acceptance,
compare his or her qualifications to the previous year’s class. While
most universities have minimum requirements, the applicant pool
may exceed these set requirements. UGA, for instance, hasn’t used a
minimum GPA or test score in over 15 years.
3. ACT/SAT TEST SCORES
ACT/SAT scores are the most important factor for
admission. Standardized test scores have become more important
at some universities according to sources such as U.S. News & World
Report and Forbes. Because the application process has become easier,
students are applying to more schools, which means standardized test
scores become a fast, easy way to narrow down the applicant pool.
However, curriculum choice and academic coursework still remain
key factor. The best way to know where a school places emphasis is to
ask the particular school’s admissions office.
By Abby Basinger
www.potentialmagazine.com