The 3,000-plus colleges and universities in the U.S. each have a unique mission. As a result, these colleges and universities look for different things when evaluating applicants. Some colleges are very difficult to get into; others accept all applicants for admission assuming they have completed secondary school or its equivalent. Given the wide array of admission standards the prospective applicants often wonders, "What really counts when I try to get into college?"

The College Board provides a good framework for understanding the differences in college selectivity. The College Board describes three different selectivity levels on its Web site:

Less selective
Less-selective colleges focus on whether applicants meet minimum requirements and the number of students they can accommodate. Acceptable grades are often the only requirement beyond an interest in college study. The SAT^® I or ACT may be required, but test scores are usually used for course placement, not admission.

More selective
More-selective colleges consider coursework, grades, test scores, recommendations and essays. The major factor may be whether you're deemed ready for college-level study. You could be denied admission because of a weakness or a lack of interest in higher education.

Very selective
At the very selective schools, as many as 15 or more students may apply for every available seat. Admission officers look carefully at each aspect of a student's high school experience, from academic strength to test scores. Since many applicants are strong academically, other factors -- such as your essay and counselor recommendations -- are critical. Although they receive a great deal of publicity, only a small number of colleges (fewer than 100) are this selective. ^[1]

Less-selective colleges include a group of schools that operate under what is known as "open admission." These institutions accept students, on a space-available basis, if they have successfully completed high school or earned a high school diploma through an approved General Educational Development (GED) testing program.

If I am considering a more-selective or very-selective institution, what really counts?

These institutions will evaluate all aspects of a student's secondary school experience including those occurring outside of the classroom. While a specific college may be looking for a specific skill set, most colleges consider the items listed below when evaluating a student for admission.

High school performance
More-selective and very-selective institutions pay considerable attention to the student's performance as recorded on the high school transcript. Colleges and universities look at the grade point average achieved by the student, the type of courses completed (e.g. regular, honors or advanced placement), the distribution of courses across the basic disciplines (e.g. English, social sciences, foreign languages, mathematics and the sciences), the grade pattern (did the student's performance improve or deteriorate as the student moved from the freshman year to the senior year), and the student's rank-in-class (i.e. the individual's performance relative to other students in the same graduation year.)

Very-selective colleges often select students with B-plus or better averages obtained in advanced courses (honors and advanced placement) when such courses are available in the school and who rank in the top 10 percent of the graduating class

Standardized test scores
Many colleges strive to have the highest possible standardized test score average in each freshman class. Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT) that place the student in the top 10 percent or higher of test-takers nationally are typical for students admitted to the most selective colleges. Many selective and highly colleges also require the student to submit scores from two or three SATII subject tests. Generally speaking, the higher the student's score on these tests, the more competitive the student's application.

Activities in- and out-of- school
Colleges and universities are communities that function well when students are involved in out-of-class activities. As a result, college admission officers carefully evaluate what the student did with their out-of-class time. They look for students who demonstrated commitment to their school and the communities in which they live. In evaluating these extra-curricular activities the college admission officer is impressed with the quality not the quantity of the activities. Despite the importance of out-of-class activities, such activities cannot offset a marginal record of academic achievement.

Recommendations
Admission officers pay particular attention to what your counselors and teachers say about you and your suitability and preparation to undertake college-level studies. These people know you and the demands of college life. They can give the admission committee insights about your candidacy that may not be apparent from the application itself.