You might have heard about the holistic admission process mentioned by most colleges. Almost every selective college these days in United States uses this approach while selecting the candidates. And the number is increasing every year. So are you aware of what this actually means? Find out now.In simple terms, a holistic admission policy means that an applicant is not just judged by his grades and numbers but by his overall performance as a candidate. So the admission committee will be looking at the whole person, his capabilities and what he can contribute to the school. Besides the test scores the other important criteria include extracurricular activities, leadership skills, experience, teacher recommendation and college interview. Sports and musical skills are considered very important but different college have different perspective in the subject. You should understand that your general essay, supplementary materials and the way you present yourself to the admission committee is also very important. In summary, a college with holistic admissions approach looks for well-rounded students.
You may have heard of many cases where the applicant has a perfect GPA and SAT scores but is not accepted by all the colleges he had applied to. This is because the holistic approach has made the difference. If the application process was solely based on the numbers the applicant would have no problem getting into the most selective colleges. However the holistic approach provided a chance to the other students: students who may not have achieved excellent test scores but have excelled in other activities and could prove valuable to the college. Therefore, don't get surprised to see students with 3.7 GPA getting accepted to Harvard when students with 4.0 GPA fail.
To find if a college uses holistic approach you can simply check their website. Most colleges specify that they will be looking for a well-rounded students. The use of essays and supplementary materials indicates the college uses this approach. Also every member college of Common Application use this policy. So, if a college is a member of Common Application you can know it uses holistic admission policy. Just for the note, the very purpose of the Common Application is to provide holistic admission.
