From the Office of College Counselling
What Factors Do Admissions Counselors Really Look at in Applications?
What criteria are used by top-ranked foreign universities for recruiting
students? Let’s use the United States as a case study since it is a popular
destination with a complex college admissions process. The National
Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), an organization
comprised of university admissions professionals and high school and
college counselors, conducts a survey in American universities each year
on the factors that influence university admission. The latest survey
has outlined 17 important factors for the admission of international
Prior to joining Keystone Academy, Percy (Xiaobo)
students:
Jiang served as a college counselor at the Beijing
1. English Proficiency Exam Scores, i.e. TOEFL and IELTS
the development of the BNDS College Counseling 2. Grades in College Prep Courses
Project and built a professional counseling team 3. Grades in All Courses
using his expertise and college and university 4. Strength of Curriculum
resources. Since then, Percy has been actively 5. Admission Test Scores (SAT, ACT)
National Day School (BNDS). Mr. Jiang pioneered
involved in college counseling and has maintained 6. Essays or Writing Samples
professional connections with many prestigious 7. National School Leaving or Graduation Certificate
colleges and universities in the US and other 8. Counselor Recommendation (ranked 7th last year)
countries. He is also deeply connected to and 9. Teacher Recommendation
very much respected by the International ACAC 10. Subject Test Scores (AP,IB)
(Association for College Admission Counseling). 11. Student's Demonstrated Interest (ranked 6th last year)
Recently, Mr. Jiang trained local college counselors 12. Class Rank (if applicable)
in Mainland China with the Education USA China 13. Interviews
Office. He is one of the founding members of the 14. Portfolio (specific discipline only)
China Institute of College Admissions Counseling 15. Extracurricular Activities
(China ICAC). 16. SAT II Scores
17. Work Experience
Here is a detailed interpretation of some of these factors:
Firstly, the most important factor for international students is evidence
of English language proficiency because they are required to adapt to
challenges and succeed in an academic environment and daily interac-
tions with peers, professors, and everyone else in the community. If an
applicant fails to meet the linguistic requirements, it will be difficult for
them to become qualified.
Points 2, 3, and 4 examine the applicant's post-secondary course. College
prep courses, mainly chosen by the applicants within their academic
fields, are intended to prepare students for the challenging and demand-
ing curriculum in colleges and universities. Keystone's IB courses are one
such example. Some programs offered by Chinese schools include courses
The Keystone Magazine 94