2019 Lessons Report

Applicants and parents care most about how colleges evaluate their personal profile.

Every admissions insider we interviewed shed light on the attributes that impress them the most. But the large share of questions pertaining to what admissions insiders want to see indicates that applicants want more personalized advice on what they specifically should do. The also sizable share of school-specific questions points to the fact that college hopefuls often have their sights set on specific institutions and may not spend enough time exploring options.

Applicants and parents are most likely respond to name-brand schools. These subjects mentioning Stanford, Duke, USC, and Ivy resulted in the largest share of email opens in 2019.

Through our interviews with insiders at online colleges, trade or art schools, and military schools, we aim to open applicants’ minds to non-traditional forms of higher ed. While we’ve garnered interested in those subjects through insider personal stories, stories from big-name institutions still attract more reads. The cost? Possibly very suitable colleges are overlooked.

Not all featured interviewees read or decide on applications. When it involves a name-brand school, readers find value in a variety of insider perspectives, including, in this case, parents of admits, current students, and alumni interviewers. All three of these institutions admit fewer than 35% of applicants. Stories from individuals affiliated with these schools, not just admissions professionals, are hard to come by. Angles from non-professional insiders like students and alumni are therefore similarly valued.  

Note: We ranked popularity by ranking the highest share of clicks on the interview link.

Applicants and readers care about the Ivy Leagues.

Stories about current events of college campuses have been least popular, signaling readers’ hyperfocus on getting their resumes prepped and apps submitted, but not on what life might look like after they get into college. Concentration is important, but applicants might be overlooking real, timely snapshots of campus culture that could sway their decision to matriculate or even apply. 

Note: Voting was introduced in September. Prior issues are excluded from this ranking.

From Northwestern to CMU to AU, all admissions directors are telling us the same thing: they don’t want perfection — they want flawed dynamism. Among consultants, parents, and applicants, this message often gets buried under the media frenzy, enrollment marketing materials, and peer pressure to be perfect. The most dynamic individuals are the ones truest to themselves.

Ironically, given our data from the DearSocrates advice column, readers still tend to reverse-engineer admissions by first seeking what admissions officers want to see, then acting accordingly. This mismatch is tough to balance out because applicants don’t want to waste time doing something fruitless toward their end goal. However, applicants might be overly stressing themselves trying to plan backwards. Getting into the right college (or deciding not to attend altogether) should be an organic by-product of pursuing lifelong growth.