Q&A With Erin: How the College Admissions Process Has Changed

Erin: Elite colleges have always prioritized strong academic performance, and that remains the same despite other changes in the admissions process. Challenging coursework, a 4.0 GPA, and top test scores communicate to admissions officers that a student is prepared for the rigors of collegiate coursework, which is the baseline for admission into a prestigious university. You should convey through your academic profile that you haven’t taken it easy in high school, but actively pursued opportunities to challenge yourself and expand your knowledge.

At the same time, because top colleges are receiving so many applications from highly qualified students, admissions officers have to see more than just top grades and test scores. In particular, they are seeking to admit students who will contribute something to campus that no other student could, whether it’s an unusual combination of academic interests, a compelling personal story, or a remarkable commitment to a particular field or cause. Your application should clearly articulate what unique qualities or perspectives you will bring to the university community.

Finally, applicants who excel in the process are those that leave a lasting impression—you want admissions officers to be thinking about your essay or unique extracurricular involvement days after reading your file. And often, what makes an applicant memorable is the intersection of their interests and identities—the aspects of their background and passions that are deeply authentic to them.

Erin: There are two opposing but equally persistent myths that I have seen amongst parents and students I have worked with. The first is that students need straight A’s to get into an Ivy League school. While strong grades are absolutely important, admissions officers look at the whole picture—your course selection, intellectual curiosity, and engagement beyond the classroom. This means that a student who earned B’s in a couple of classes is not ruled out solely on that basis—particularly if they have shown improvement over time.

On the other hand, some families assume that perfect grades, a transcript full of AP and IB classes, and a well-crafted essay will guarantee their student an acceptance. The admissions process is an art not a science, and there is no formula for the amount of leadership positions, extracurriculars, or awards that equate to a golden ticket into the Ivy League. You truly cannot game the system.

That being said, students should keep in mind that human beings—not algorithms or AI—are reading their applications. What matters is not any one component but how all of their materials coalesce into a compelling and cohesive narrative that makes admissions officers invested in their candidacy and potential as a member of the community. They want to see that students are passionate about their niche interests—not just getting into a particular college.

Erin: Every university has its own system, even within the Ivy League. For example, Harvard ranks applicants on a scale of 1–6 based on various criteria, while Columbia doesn’t assign numeric scores. However, what’s true across the board at highly competitive universities is that admissions officers are afforded very little time to evaluate applicants, and it is therefore important for students to make a meaningful impression in a very brief period of time.

Based on my experience at Columbia, applications are evaluated by “territory managers” who specialize in specific geographic regions. Each application from a given region is reviewed by the same admissions officer, who evaluates applications in the context of the local schools and communities. Initial readers quickly sort out students whose grades disqualify them, meaning they have D’s and F’s (they don’t typically rule students out on the basis of test scores, because we understand that not every student is a great test taker).

Given the sheer volume of applications—officers often read 25 to 30 in a day—each application is reviewed for roughly ten minutes, and admissions officers can usually tell within the first three whether a student has a strong chance of admission.

The strongest applicants, those with unique talents or niche skills, and those who are borderline but worth further discussion are brought to committee, where a group of admissions officers come to a decision mutually. Admissions committees typically consist of three or more officers who deliberate on the final decisions.

Erin: The best applicants go above and beyond in every aspect of their application. They take the most challenging courses available, take standardized tests even if the school is test optional, pursue leadership in the clubs that matter to them, and create dynamic passion projects that benefit those around them. This motivation to excel should be evident in your application materials—an admissions officer can tell if you waited until December to start writing your essay.

Students should start as early as possible to draft, revise, rework, and polish every component of their application. The last thing you want is for a great story to be overshadowed by the typo in the first sentence of your essay. Finally, standing out doesn’t mean being the best at everything—it means being the best version of you that you can be. Cover your bases and show your stellar proficiency in your core area of interest.

Erin: This varies by university, but in most cases, admissions officers don’t actively search for applicants on social media. Given the volume of applications an admissions officer reviews each cycle, it’s simply not feasible to do an in-depth search of each applicant’s internet presence, and many admissions officers don’t want to bias the process by doing so.

That being said, if an applicant mentions a significant extracurricular or award that intrigues their reader, an admissions officer might do a quick Google search to verify it and learn more. With this in mind, I always recommend that students conduct a “social media audit” before they submit their applications. Google your own name and look through any public accounts you have online to ensure that there isn’t anything that you wouldn’t want an admissions officer to see.

Erin: First and foremost, Command Education Senior Mentors know what admissions officers are looking for because they have embodied it. Our mentors have successfully navigated the process, so they are keenly aware of what admissions officers are looking for from the student side of things—and building an eye-catching admissions profile is a very different experience than evaluating one. They come from an array of backgrounds and bring varied skill sets to the table as they guide students of different interests and ambitions.

But most importantly, what sets Command Education apart is its unique emphasis on emotionally intelligent mentorship and the cultivation of a student as a holistic person. This is the reason that I joined the Command Education team. More than anything else, admissions officers are looking for students who are genuine, passionate, and curious—they want students who are who they say they are. Those are not qualities that can be manufactured, nor can they be facilitated by a college consultant who works with students on their application for three months before the deadline.

Those characteristics are cultivated over time, through personal relationships with mentors who patiently invest in a student’s academic and personal growth to help them become the best version of themselves. Command is the only firm in the business doing anything like that.