What Kind of Students Do American Universities Want?
A College Admissions Guide for Parents of High School Students in the United States
Hello, parents. One of the most frequently asked questions by parents raising children in the United States and preparing for college admissions is: “What exactly do American universities look for in students?” Today, as we enter college admissions season, I’d like to provide you with comprehensive information—covering everything from A to Z—about the type of students American universities truly seek, drawing from my 23 years of experience as a college admissions counselor.
The Reality of American College Admissions
First, we must face the facts. American college admissions are not determined solely by grades. With top-tier universities like Harvard and Stanford having acceptance rates of only 3-5%, even students with perfect SAT scores or 4.0 GPAs frequently face rejection. This happens because universities evaluate students based on a comprehensive assessment of various factors beyond academic performance.
American universities have adopted what’s called “Holistic Review.” This means they select students by considering all aspects including academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership, character, and special talents. Therefore, parents should help their children develop as students with multifaceted capabilities, not just excellence in one area.
Academic Achievement: The Foundation
GPA and Course Rigor
What American universities value most is still academic achievement. However, this doesn’t simply mean maintaining a high GPA. Universities carefully examine whether students chose challenging courses and showed consistent growth throughout the process.
Taking high-level courses such as AP (Advanced Placement) classes, IB (International Baccalaureate) programs, and Honors classes is crucial. For example, universities often value a student who earns a B+ in one or two of their many AP courses more highly than a student who earns an A in regular courses. This demonstrates that the student challenges themselves and is prepared to handle college-level academics.
Standardized Test Scores
SAT or ACT scores remain important indicators. However, with many universities recently adopting “Test-Optional” policies, the importance of test scores has somewhat decreased. Nevertheless, if you’re aiming for top-tier universities, it’s advisable to target SAT scores of 1550 or above, or ACT scores of 35 or above.
What’s important is that test scores should align with the student’s overall profile. Maintaining a high GPA while simultaneously achieving good scores on standardized tests demonstrates consistency in academic capability.
Extracurricular Activities: Depth and Meaning Are Key
Quality Over Quantity
Many parents try to involve their children in as many extracurricular activities as possible. However, American universities value depth and consistency over the number of activities. They prefer students who have deeply engaged in 3-4 meaningful activities rather than those with 10 superficial ones.
For example, a student who has consistently volunteered at one organization for four years, planning programs and leading other students, is far more impressive than a student who briefly volunteered at multiple places just to accumulate service hours.
The True Meaning of Leadership
When people think of leadership, they often picture positions like student body president or club president. However, true leadership isn’t about titles. The leadership universities look for includes these characteristics:
- Initiative: The ability to identify problems and find solutions independently
- Influence: The ability to bring about positive change in others
- Persistence: The ability to achieve goals without giving up when faced with difficulties
- Collaboration: The ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
Connection to Intended Major
It’s even better if extracurricular activities are connected to the student’s intended major. A student interested in medicine can demonstrate their interest and passion through hospital volunteering, medical research, or participation in health education programs. However, this isn’t absolutely necessary, and showing the student’s diverse interests and abilities is also valuable.
Individuality and Diversity: Your Unique Story
Unique Background and Experiences
American universities place great importance on diversity. This means not just racial or ethnic diversity, but diversity of experiences, perspectives, and talents. Therefore, if a student has unique backgrounds or experiences, they should actively highlight these.
For example, experiences overcoming cultural differences as a child of immigrants, stories of overcoming special hardships, or unique hobbies and talents are all elements that can appeal to universities.
The Importance of Authenticity
Above all, authenticity is crucial. College admissions officers review countless applications and have developed the ability to distinguish between genuine passion and artificial packaging. Therefore, it’s important to help your child find areas they’re truly interested in and explore them deeply.
Character and Personality: As a Member of the Community
Cooperation and Consideration
American universities carefully consider whether a student can contribute positively to the campus community. This means students who are not only academically excellent but can also get along well with others and make ethical judgments in difficult situations.
They evaluate students’ character through volunteer work, roles in team projects, and how they handle conflict situations. Therefore, it’s important to educate your child from an early age to be considerate of others and develop a sense of community.
Resilience and Growth Mindset
College life involves many challenges and difficulties. Therefore, universities prefer students who have resilience—the ability to learn from failure and overcome difficulties. A student who has experienced failure and grown from it can be more attractive than a perfect student.
Special Considerations by Major
STEM Fields
Students hoping to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics must have excellent grades in math and science subjects. Research experience, participation in science olympiads, and relevant internships are also helpful. Recently, there’s a trend toward valuing liberal arts knowledge and communication skills even in STEM fields.
Humanities
Students hoping to major in fields like English, history, and philosophy must demonstrate excellent writing skills and critical thinking abilities. Having extensive reading experience, participating in debate activities, writing competitions, and school newspaper activities are helpful.
Arts
For fields like music, art, and theater, portfolios or auditions are very important. However, academic achievement cannot be ignored alongside artistic talent. Balanced development is necessary.
Application Writing: How to Express Yourself
The Importance of Essays
Personal essays are the only opportunity to hear the student’s voice directly. Sincere and distinctive content is more important than fancy vocabulary or complex sentences. The key is to honestly express your own experiences and thoughts.
Utilizing Recommendation Letters
Recommendation letters from teachers or counselors are important materials that evaluate students from an objective perspective. Therefore, it’s important to maintain good relationships with teachers and actively participate in class.
The Role of Parents
Supporter and Facilitator
The role of parents is not to pressure their children, but to support and help them find their own path. Excessive expectations or pressure can actually hinder your child’s growth.
Maintaining a Long-term Perspective
College admissions are just one process in life. Whatever college your child attends, once the decision is made, please encourage them to do their best and grow in that environment.
Practical Advice
Systematic Preparation Starting from 9th Grade
It’s best to start college admissions preparation from 9th grade. However, this should be a plan for your child’s holistic growth, not just for admissions.
- 9th-10th grade: Building foundational skills, experiencing various activities
- 11th grade: Taking challenging courses, preparing for standardized tests, taking on leadership roles
- 12th grade: Writing applications, final review
Balanced College List
It’s important to balance your selection of ‘reach schools,’ ‘match schools,’ and ‘safety schools.’ Don’t insist only on prestigious universities; please help find universities that truly fit your child.
Conclusion
The students American universities want are not perfect students. What they’re looking for are students who have their own passions and talents, continue to grow, and can contribute positively to the community.
Please help your children achieve balanced growth not only in academics but also in character, leadership, creativity, and other areas. Most importantly, believing in and supporting your child so they can find and walk their own path is crucial.
College admissions are not a destination but a new starting point. Whatever college your child attends, please support them so they can build meaningful experiences and grow there. Through healthy admissions preparation, I hope your child grows into a more mature and responsible adult…
For more detailed consultation: 📧 www.eliteprep.com/contact-us
We’ll provide specific strategies tailored to your child’s situation through personalized consultation.
Thank you.
Andy Lee / Elite Prep Suwanee powered by Elite Open School
1291 Old Peachtree Rd, NW #127
Suwanee, GA 30024
website: eliteprep.com/suwanee
email: andy.lee@eliteprep.com
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