Author: Rick Clark

Rick Clark is the Executive Director of Strategic Student Access at Georgia Tech. He has served on a number of national advisory and governing boards at the state, regional, and national level. Rick travels annually to U.S. embassies through the Department of State to discuss the admission process and landscape of higher education. He is the co-author of the book The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together, and a companion workbook published under the same title. A native of Atlanta, he earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.Ed. from Georgia State University. Prior to coming to Tech, Rick was on the admissions staff at Georgia State, The McCallie School and Wake Forest University. @clark2college

College Admission is about Celebration!

On three giant Post- It notes on the wall outside my office we have the words: CELEBRATE YOUR WINS. 

This is our tangible reminder to pause, reflect, and acknowledge when you accomplish a goal or see success. 

College admission is often described as a “cycle,” and for those who do this work, it is an endless one. You work to recruit a class, review applications, make decisions, convince students to choose your school, and it can easily spin and blur together.   

At Georgia Tech, we try to find logical points to stop and celebrate; to consider what it has taken to achieve goals; and to high five or fist bump in recognition of our collective wins. 

If you are a senior in high school (or an adult supporting one), I’m encouraging you to do the same. As I’ve said many times, the college admission search, application, and selection is not a “process” as journalists or others would have you believe. Instead, it is an experience. It should be a time of exploration, growth, challenge, and yes… CELEBRATION!   

Celebrate Submission

After each application you submit, I hope you will take a deep breath, a big drink of water, allow yourself to smile, and appreciate what you have accomplished.  

Think about everything you included on that application- four years of classes and grades, testing, extensive involvement outside the classroom, and your essays and supplemental responses. Man- that is a lot! Now is not the time to question if you’ve done enough or worry about how it will be received on the other side. Instead, THIS is a time to CELEBRATE!  

What makes you really smile? What brings you joy? Whatever that is, do that now. A meal, a movie, a new jacket, a run, or a hike? You do you! But DO NOT just move on. Do not just go back to class or head to the next practice without intentionally celebrating.   

Parents and supporting adults always ask, “What should be our role in college admission?” or “How can I best support my student?”  This is it, people. Now is not the time to secretly wish their essay had been on a different topic or that they hadn’t applied to your alma mater’s biggest rival. Now is the time for full support and celebration. You know them best, so make it happen.  

Celebrate Submission!  

Celebrate Admission 

I hear too many students get into a college and say, “Yea. But it is just the University of X.” C’mon, man. You applied there. You worked hard to assemble an application– and you paid to send it in. Now you’ve been offered a spot. AMAZING!

That school wants you. That community could be a great home for you. This is an invitation and an opportunity. Trust me- there are thousands of kids who wish they could go there.  

And look- the entire goal here is to have choices and options. YOU just got another one. That is awesome. I’m proud of you and you should be proud of yourself too. Don’t let a school’s ranking or admit rate diminish your excitement. When you get into any college, whether it was your “first choice” or not, you celebrate. Honestly, I can’t believe I even have to write this. Who doesn’t want a chance to get excited about something?!  

Celebrate Admission! 

Celebrate Foundation (best I could come up with, but here’s a list of “ion” words, if you find something better). 

Every time you hit submit and send in an app or get into a college, be reminded that you did not get there alone. Somebody drove you to school and practice. Somebody taught and coached you. Somebody paid for stuff and made sacrifices along the way on your behalf. You are great, YES. But you have been made great by a collective effort and consistent investment. The support that enabled your admission needs to be recognized and valued. 

Take time to look around and say thank you. Perhaps that is a teacher, a coach, a parent, a relative, a boss… or all of the above. This is not text time, friends. I’m going to challenge you to step it up here. Think about writing an actual note or making a phone call to these people. Can you imagine the surprise of your 4th grade teacher when you show up and tell her that you’ve realized she’s a big reason for the opportunities you have now? 

Celebrate Foundation!  

College admission is not something you have to do. You get to do this! CELEBRATE. YOUR. WINS!!  

College Admission: 3 Messages You Need to Hear

Recently, our family has been watching the TV Show “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” Not sure what it says about us that this is the one program we can all agree on, but that’s not what this blog is about.  

In the show, former athletes, reality TV “stars,” actors, and other famous to moderately well-known contestants go through a battery of grueling physical and mental tests to see if they have the attributes necessary to be in an elite military unit.  

In most cases, the answer is NO. And the Directing Staff (DS), who are all former special force operators, are quick to tell them. When the DS questions participants, comments on performance, or instructs during  exercises, it can sound harsh because it is so direct. But their goal is to push recruits to help them achieve their maximum potential and to see things clearly and honestly.  

Well, that is where we find ourselves today. As a grizzled veteran, I am in a DS mood, people. So here are three messages students need to hear about college admission, to help you understand the reality. 

  1. Admission Math. It’s the same as regular math. Applying to 5 schools with a 20% admit rate does not give you a 100% chance of being admitted. That’s just not how math works. Do I think you are smart? Absolutely! After all, you are reading this blog. 😊 But at Georgia Tech (admit rate: 16%) we deny thousands of smart students every year. In fact, last year our denied SAT average was over 1400–the top 5% of global test takers.  Most those students had also taken calculus and are doing important things outside the classroom too.

So when someone tells you that your chances of being admitted to an Ivy League (it’s an athletic conference in the Northeast that nobody really cares about when it comes to realignment/NIL), are higher if you apply ED, they’re kind of right in that the admit rates for those schools are above those of Regular Decision. BUT your chances are still not very good. Most of those schools have ED admit rates in the teens. Since that’s where Georgia Tech is overall, I can tell you that you cannot have a high level of assurance of being admitted, regardless of your academic or extracurricular background.  (If you prefer less direct and more snarky, check this out.)

2. Adulting is hard at times. I was standing outside the door of one of Tech’s “DS” the other day and heard her tell a student, “Adulting is hard.” Honest. Direct. Not what he wanted to hear as a prospective transfer student who did not have a competitive GPA and was really too far down the road at his current institution to make transferring to Tech a viable option. The truth is we all need to make tough decisions based on reality rather than on hope.  

This is particularly true when it comes to paying for college. In our recently published book, we wrote an entire chapter about how to have honest and healthy conversations about this, because it is challenging but critical. While parents or supporting adults should be the ones to initiate discussions around how much they can pay or are willing to pay, often that does not happen, OR it happens too late, I.e., after admission decisions have come back.  

If you are a junior or a senior and you have not had these conversations with your family, NOW is the time! Are there conditions, limitations, and expectations you need to know about before you apply or as you wait for financial packages to come back? How does your family feel about loans, working during college, or other practical and likely “adulting” that will come into play? In the spirit of brevity and channeling my DS, I’m not going to delve deep into this right now, but instead leave it on you to do more work here. Check out these blogs or this podcast on facilitating necessary conversations about money and paying for college. 

3. Admission is not fair. People complain that college admission is not clear or transparent. I disagree. Admission decisions are incredibly easy to explain and understand. They come down to two fundamental driving principles: supply and demand and institutional mission.

Most colleges in the U.S. admit most students who apply. In fact, currently the average admit rate for four-year colleges is well over 60%. In the years ahead, due to the declining number of domestic students graduating from high school, as well as the international competition in higher education, it will be easier rather than harder to get in. Those are the facts.

At many colleges nationally, they make formulaic decisions where an equation determines admission—this could be test scores + GPA, or just grades. Even in those cases, admission is not fair. We all know that standardized tests have bias. We know that access to tutoring and preparation is not equitable. We know you can pay to improve your score. We know that grades get inflated more at certain schools than others. We know that it is easier at some schools versus others to get higher grades, even if you are learning less. All of that is fact. So even formulaic admission is not fair.

But what really pisses people off is that schools that say they use holistic admission… actually ARE. They say all along that they are not making decisions based solely on your grades or test scores. They say they do not put kids on an excel sheet and draw a line. BUT just like in Special Forces, people don’t like to hear that. They don’t like to hear that because you are from a certain state (or you are not); because of your major; because of the combination of both of those and other institutional priorities/mission, (in combination with supply and demand) you were not admitted.  

If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 3 or less, expect unpredictability. Don’t get mad about it. You chose that. More here. 

If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 4 or less, expect turbulence along the way, including deferral and waitlist decision. Don’t get frustrated. You chose that. 

If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 5 or less, go back and read #1. A balanced list does not mean you have 12 schools on your list that each have a different admit rate, but they’re all under 2o%.    

College admission, like the show Special Forces, has the potential to teach invaluable lessons. Both can help you clarify who you are, what you want, and how you deal with challenge and disappointment. This “process” IS an opportunity to grow, discover, and learn lessons that you can apply well beyond this experience. BUT none of that is possible if you are not honest with yourself or realistic about basic facts: admission math is the same as regular math; adulting is hard; and admission is not fair.

Dismissed! 

 

 

College Application Submission, 3 Final Checks

I fly a lot. Not “consultant a lot” or “pilot a lot,” but monthly or multi-monthly for sure. Over time I’ve gotten pretty good about tuning out the safety video that precedes take off. Recently, however, I saw one that caught my attention. Instead of a flight attendant walking down the aisle of a plane or vested and scarved employees’ predictably demonstrating seat belt tightening techniques, this one took place in a theater with ushers, a stage, and an entirely different context for how to discuss the same topics. It caught my attention. I watched the entire production. And, for the first time ever, confirmed I actually had a flotation device below my seat.   

It’s October. You may have picked up on that based on the cooler weather, the preponderance of pumpkins, and possibly… just possibly Christmas music playing in a shop. Do I think they should be fined? YES. Is that what this blog is about? NO. Do I think Christmas is the global warming of Holidays? YES. Do I understand even mentioning global warming may be a way to lose readership/followers/applicants? YES. Do I care? NO. 

Anyhoo… it’s October. This is a huge application submission month, since many colleges have EA (Early Action) and ED (Early Decision) deadlines on or around October 15 and November 1. Over the years, I have come to understand and appreciate through writing books and blogs that we all want some security, comfort, and peace in knowing that we are done and ready to hit submit, aka to “take off.”

So, if you are a senior who is logging in multiple times to your Common Application to be sure everything is saved; if you find yourself going down YouTube rabbit holes about “essays that worked;” or if you find yourself obsessively re-ordering your Activities list, here is your pre-flight safety video, aka pre-submission final checklist, designed to give you some solace and confirmation that you are set and clear.

Final Checks

  1. Look over your entire application. Flight attendants walk the whole plane checking to be sure seats are in their upright position, tray tables are locked, and all bags are stowed securely under the seat in front of you (Told you… multi-monthly). You should be disturbed and disconcerted if they only check first class or shrug their shoulders disinterestedly if an overhead bin is open with a 30 lb. dumbbell teetering on the edge.  

My point? Too many students obsess about their essay, but they do not have anyone read their entire application for them. Do this! Have a parent, a friend, or another supporting adult you trust “walk the entire plane.” The question they should be asking is “What is missing?” We established last time that while super form-y, the application is actually YOUR STORY. So have them look for what details or interesting parts of the plot, or instrumental character development is either absent, buried, or needs to be revisited.  

After you receive feedback and make your edits, convert your entire application to a .pdf. and both save it and print it out. First, this is how colleges see your application- in .pdf format. And it does look different from how you see it on the screen. Second, you will inevitably see something in that different view which will help you make final adjustments. And third, having a saved .pdf on file will provide you additional solace, and possible back up, if there are issues or questions later. I’ve seen this be a huge benefit to students for a variety of reasons in the past.

2. Sleep on it. I’m guessing you have sent hurried texts, snaps, or emails in the past to the wrong person, or having left out word (see what I did there?), or with an illogical .gif (not going to debate pronunciation).  

Before you submit your app, I want you to take at least 1 day-and ideally two- away from working on it. A final look with fresh eyes and hopefully some good rest in between will help you catch mistakes, make valuable edits, or be confident that you’ve said what you want to. You want a well- rested, fresh- eyed pilot flying your plane, right?

Don’t be “that guy” who calls asking about time zones on November 1. Technology fails, credit cards don’t go through, and sending anything in around 11:59 p.m. just sounds like an all around bad idea. We’re trying to fly a plane here, people. Let’s be professional.

3. Confirm your destination. Recently, I was on a plane that was still parked at the gate. The pilot announced over the PA, “We are set for an on-time departure. The weather looks good the entire way up to Detroit. If you don’t want to go to Detroit, now is the time to deboard.” It was humorous, and seemingly ridiculous given all the ID and boarding pass checks it now takes to get onto a plane, but apparently those mistakes still happen.  

Before you hit submit, ask yourself if you would go to each of the schools you are applying to. Does that sound as dumb to read as it does to write? Do it anyway! Every year kids with high grades, tough classes, and good test scores, apply to schools where when they get in, they ultimately say, “They admitted me, but I was never really interested in going there.” So, look your list over. If you are on the plane to Detroit and you do not want to go there, please get off. Don’t waste their time or your money. You should be excited and sincerely interested in every school on your list! 

This is your captain speaking… 

After you have gone through these final checks, my hope is you will feel confident and excited, rather than nervous or anxious about getting airborne (i.e., hitting submit). And once you do, sit back, relax, and enjoy your senior year. You only get one, and it’s not worth wasting unnecessarily by expending energy worrying about things you cannot control that may or may not be happening in committee rooms hundreds of miles away. Instead, commit yourself to being a positive influence and a meaningful contributor in the rooms you walk into each day- your living room, classroom, etc.   

Fly well, my friends!  

 

The College Application is NOT a Form. It’s YOUR STORY!

Over the years, I have tried to shine a light on what people often misunderstand in the college admission experience. This has ranged from explorations of waitlists to examinations of deadlines to explications of supply and demand and institutional missions. (I’m sure if I thought hard enough I could come up with other verbs starting with ex and how admission issues are connected.)

Recently, I have also come to appreciate the massive disconnect between how students approach and complete the application and how it is actually read in admission offices.

Students see the application as a form. And I get that because it starts the same way most forms begin- asking for biographic information like name, address, family details, date of birth, etc. It also looks a lot like other forms they have seen in high school— job or driver’s license applications, sport and club registrations, and so on.

Report your test scores, tell us which high school you attend, etc. It’s definitely form-y. Even after the standard details, college applications include sections with lots of lines and boxes that ask you to provide details about what you have done outside the classroom. These are extremely prescriptive in their character counts and instructions. Form-ish for sure. On the Common Application, which I’m guessing if you are a senior you are using for at least a few of the schools you are considering, you need to quantify exactly how many hours a week and weeks per year that you have worked, played sports, volunteered, etc.

So, yea, when you log into an online platform and begin entering and saving information, this all seems like a standard and basic form. But the truth is that at schools using holistic review where essays and supplemental responses are required, once you hit submit, the person on the other side is not “reviewing” your form. They are reading YOUR STORY.

Think about it. Colleges post jobs for “application readers.” There are videos about reading season. And you’ll inevitably receive email bounce backs from schools in the winter that basically say, “Yea. Not going to reply anytime soon— I’m READING.”

If you view the application as a story, it will change the entire way you approach applying to college. And it will greatly reduce some of the stress you feel along the way. Win-Win.

Telling a story is an opportunity. Completing a form is a task. When you login to your applications this fall, I’m hopeful you will think about conveying rather than completing. You are not “working” on your application, which is what most students say. Instead, you are simply telling your story. Poll 100 people and ask them to list the Top 10 things they do for fun. “Complete forms”—not on the list. Telling, reading, watching stories, however. Different…well…story. Similarly, when you finish, you are not “submitting.” Forms get submitted. Sending in your story, on the other hand, is exciting. It is something you can and should take pride in. And if you will let it, it may even be the F word– FUN.

Stories are read. Forms are processed. Holistic admission is human. People with their own kids, hopes, worries, DNA, Instagram, and food preferences read your application. If you think of your application as a story, it changes how you approach this. Think about it. Nobody buys and opens a book hoping it sucks. Nobody pays $17 to go to a movie and another $24 for popcorn, candy, and a coke in anticipation of a boring or lackluster experience. Instead, as people, we always start with the desire to see something good. So that is your job on the application. That is your job with your story. Tell them what is interesting about you. Give them a full sense of your character- what interests you, what excites you, what do you hope for, and how have you arrived at this point. The same way authors and directors create compelling characters in their movies, novels, or video games.

If you look at your application this way, it will help you know where to start on your Activities section. It will help you figure out what you WANT to write about in your essay. Not what you SHOULD or what they want to hear, but what you genuinely NEED them to know about you as a fully developed character, aka applicant.

Stories are fully reviewed before publishing. We just published a book on college admission, so I can tell you that typing the last word or page does not mean you are done. Instead, there are multiple phases of review. In the editing process, we had to go back over each chapter, each piece of data, and each table, figure, and image to confirm, check, and verify. We also had an outside editor read over the entire book to provide insight and feedback.

In my experience, students are apt to have a parent, counselor, coach, teacher, or another trusted adult or friend read their essays and perhaps their supplemental responses. In other words, they do ask for feedback on what they have written. BUT most students do not have anyone read the way admission readers do- from beginning to end. So, before you hit enter and send up your prayers for stable technology and a kind soul on the other side of the interwebs, have at least one other human read your entire application from beginning to end.

Ask them to write down what they think you have left out. Have you undersold something you’ve been investing in at home, school, or in your community? Give them the chance to relay how your story reads and if there is any opportunity they see to provide more context, information, or insight into who you are, what you have accomplished, and how you would likely contribute and enhance a college campus.

Peace

One of the reasons students struggle to ultimately send in their applications is because they know that letting go means signing up for weeks or even months of uncertainty. I’ve been there friends, so I get it. Not easy. However, my hope is that changing your perspective from completing and submitting a form to sharing your story will help. Ultimately, when you are sitting in class or driving home from school wondering what is happening in some distant office or committee room, you will not dread the review of your form, but instead be excited for someone to read your authentic and unique story. (Trust me- I try to think this way every time I post one of these blogs.)

Ultimately, you can’t control if a school you apply to gets 4000 more apps this year and their admit rate drops as a result. You cannot control if a college decides that they are going to reduce the number of students they admit and enroll from your state or in your major this year. But you can control how you tell your story; think like an admission reader; review and seek feedback on your entire application; and choose peace and confidence.

TELL YOUR STORY. AND ENJOY DOING IT!

What is Success in College Admission and YOUR Senior Year?

In my office, I have a lots of paintings from my daughter, a few awards, diplomas, and certificates, as well as a number of books, pictures, and admittedly some random other décor I’ve picked up along the way. Most of the time, since I am in there so frequently, I don’t really stop and pay attention to most of them.    

But there are four pieces that I intentionally look at and consider regularly, because of how they impact and inform my work.   

The first is on the window sill behind my desk and is entitled “The Man in the Arena” from Teddy Roosevelt. 

This is my regular reminder that people- both on and off campus- are inevitably going to oppose and disagree with my decisions, priorities, and leadership (or blog topics/opinions), and that I am going to make mistakes. But at the end of the day, I am the one doing the work and it’s important to keep the weight of their voices in check. Effectively, this is the early 1900s version of “haters gonna hate.”   

The second was given to me by a colleague, because it is one I can recite verbatim and have shared in staff meetings over the years. Often attributed to Emerson, it is entitled: “What is Success?”

As you can imagine, much of my work and goals are quantifiable. We have a target overall class size each year. We are attempting to increase our yield rate (percentage of students who say YES to our offer of admission), enroll more Georgians from more of our 159 counties, increase our number and percentage of first-generation and Pell eligible students, and so on. Numbers matter. They matter a lot. But I keep this quote on my desk because it reminds me to keep a big picture view and perspective on my job and life.   

Another is right next to my computer screen so that I see it multiple times each day. It is a simple board with just four words: Humble, Available, Honest, Clear 

Ultimately, a big part of my success is the success of others. My role is to create a vision and set direction for my team. If I can empower them, I am confident they have the skills and talent to help us reach the metrics and numbers we are expected to deliver. These words help me stay focused and grounded on how I should conduct myself and approach my work. 

And finally, I have picture from the North Georgia mountains with the first verse of Psalm 121.

I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Again, perspective and big picture vision. I am very cognizant of the fact that my time, my energy, and my knowledge are finite. This image and message help me on a weekly basis to remember that my identity, hope- and ultimately my success- is not all about quantitative results or outcomes. 

Intentions for Senior Year and College Admission

If you are a senior in high school applying to college right now, I wonder if you have considered what success looks like for you this year. How are you going to maintain perspective, especially when you cannot control all outcomes or when things don’t go as you had hoped or planned they would? What do you want your senior year to look like academically, relationally, socially, and beyond? If you have not taken time to pause, reflect, and consider these questions, I’m encouraging you to do so before you finalize your essay or submit your apps.   

When this spring rolls around, how will you measure success? I know it’s uncommon to use paper and pen, but I am challenging you to actually do that. Put away your phone and write this down.   

Whether it is a paragraph, a few sentences, bullet points, or even a letter to yourself, articulate how you hope your senior year will go and how you want to feel about your college admission experience in April of 2024.  

I know you don’t read this blog for more homework, but I think you will find this helpful to revisit periodically, particularly when you are about to submit applications, you are waiting on decisions, notifications from colleges arrive, and when you ultimately are making your final choice.  

Pause, Reflect, Consider, and Revisit

After watching this cycle of college admission repeat itself for over two decades, I hope you will take a broad view of success, seek perspective, gain identity from character built not results achieved. 

In the year ahead, where will your hope, strength, confidence, and identity come from? 

Does not getting into your first choice, or even one of your top three schools, change anything about who you are or your belief in your future and potential?   

Should you even have a “first choice” or a “top school” in mind?

How will you celebrate your friends and classmates, particularly when you are dealing with uncertainty or disappointment?  

What are your goals this year for how you will impact and influence your team, co-workers, classmates, family, or friends- particularly knowing you will likely not be with them physically a year from now?  

Regardless of college outcomes, what is your plan for thanking, celebrating, or honoring those who have provided opportunities for you and helped you to this point?

College admission generally includes a lot of waiting- on decisions, on financial aid and scholarships, on your housing assignment, and on your class schedule. While you are in inevitable periods of limbo, how will you view yourself, treat others, and focus your mind and time? 

How will you communicate with your parents this year about tough topics like money, deadlines, or the minutia of completing forms and other logistics? 

How will you conduct yourself on social media?  

I believe the college admission experience is an opportunity to prepare for college and life well beyond. Ultimately, we wake up each day with a choice about how we show up. We get to determine what drives us, what gives us peace, where our identity comes from, and how we treat those around us. 

When you are sitting at graduation this spring, regardless of where you may be going to college next fall, what is success? It’s an important question. Your answer matters. Take five minutes now. Yes, seriously. I want you to do that now. Check in periodically along the way to see how you are doing- and revise as necessary.

Spoiler Alert

If you are reading this blog, you are going to “get in” to college- likely multiple, in fact. So, a year from now you’ll be waking up in a bed somewhere and putting your feet down on the floor. You’ll walk to the mirror and stare into it. My hope is you will be more proud of the person looking back at you than the name of the college on your shirt. How will you ensure that is the case? I look forward to hearing some of your answers and experiences this year.