4 College Admission Myths


Wednesday, April 28, 2021

How true are some well-established conceptions as regards college admissions? Discover if you are mistaking truth from myth.


Find out how much some aspects like grades, tests and your resume matter for those who review the applications.

When it comes to starting worrying about college and college admissions particularly, many students approach this process in the wrong way because they think they know which are the things that matter the most. There are some misconceptions associated with college admissions and what really matters to admission experts, and it is important that these misconceptions are clarified so that students can make sure they are doing the right thing and not losing precious time.

Sure, grades and scores on the SAT and ACT are important, but just as important is the fact that college admission experts are also focused on performing a holistic assessment of students, which allows students to show their best qualities and really be able to demonstrate the reasons why they should be admitted.

There are more misconceptions associated with college admissions that college-bound students should bear in mind so that they don’t worry excessively about it:

Myth #1: You must have all A’s. It is the most important thing

It is obvious that your grades matter, but the level of importance they are given depends on the selectivity of each college. Plus, there are other things students should also worry about, including extracurricular activities and recommendations and even their personality.

Because of the pandemic, some things change in favor of students. For example, some admissions officers will be forgiving to those who didn’t get letter grades because the quarantine made it impossible for them to receive them.

Plus, students should consider that having straight A’s in some courses is more impressive than in others. For that reason, there needs to be a balance between your grades and the other requirements. 

What we want to do with debunking this myth is to make sure you aren’t discouraged if your grades aren’t that high early in high school. 

Myth #2: Only Test Scores Matter, They Can Make or Break Your Chances of Getting In

Even though test scores are important, they aren’t all that matter either. In many cases, admissions officials have denied students with perfect test scores because they didn’t have much else to offer or set them apart from other students.

Why is this? Because admissions officers recognize that some intellectual abilities and academic strengths students may have cannot be reflected in test scores. 

Myth #3: The more extracurricular activities on your application, the better

It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. This may be obvious, but it is important to point it out. Plus, it is important to not just participate in clubs and other extracurricular activities, but to excel and show leadership and other qualities that admissions officers will be looking for.

Myth #4: Only get recommendations from teachers who gave you an A

No matter who gives it to you, a recommendation is a recommendation. And, since we already established grades are not all that matter, there may be other aspects that make you worthy of a recommendation, such us being able to work in teams, leadership, communication skills and many other aspects that will make you stand out more than only A’s.

These are some of the misconceptions associated with College Admissions, and you should take them into consideration to avoid worrying about them all the time.



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