Cultivating a List for Applications

There is a balance between art and science in the admittance process. We send a questionnaire to both student and parent(s) to aid in the process.  And yes, we ask the parents because both you and your student need to be on the same page. 

Will the student be happy.  This is the goal.  Maximizing the odds of achieving this goal is paramount to us.  So we like to ask questions.  Why do we ask?  Happiness.  But to give an example, we factor in freshmen retention rates.  There are often known reasons why students leave particular institutions at higher rates.  It is often due to a personality mismatch.  For example, one well known, well regarded college in a major city has a retention rate lower than one would expect.  This isn't because of the school per se. but it is the culture.  Students here need to find their own crowd and activities.  You can feel anonymous easily.  If you aren't one to leave your room, find an activity and seek out friends, you may leave.  

While we encourage students to apply to a "long reach" school or two, the focus needs to be on neither overshooting (and facing a litany of rejections) or undershooting (was a higher ranked college attainable).  GPA, course load rigor, standardized test scores, class rank, leadership and activities are all factors that must align with a college's acceptance data.