Given that we are all university students, we have all experienced the process of college applications. Senior year was truly a grueling time period where everyone was unsure of their next step in life. Handling multiple applications to different institutions was burdensome both physically and mentally. It becomes even more complicated when some universities make it so that students have to apply directly through their undergraduate admission website. An example would be Georgetown University. However, most of the universities in this country use two platforms for a convenient application process: CommonAPP and Coalition. While experiencing the college application process personally, there were a few things that surprised me, even while using platforms such as CommonAPP and Coalition.

Firstly, it was shocking that there were still universities that required a type of standardized testing. Of course, standardized testing is a great way to show a student’s standing on an international academic percentile. But at this point, it has already been discussed and studied through social experiments (for many years) that the SAT and ACT are no longer a suitable way to test a student’s true intellectual aptitude.

Secondly, I was utterly shocked to find that some colleges openly announced their applicant preferences to their potential applicants. Of course, a college must seek out a student that suits their standards and academic lifestyle. However, publicly setting a standard of their “bare minimum” in the type of students that they accept completely contradicted their “holistic review process.” A holistic review should really be pursued by more and more institutions, however, it should not be mistitled in this way. Colleges should not be allowed to publicly hint at their non – required application style preferences via the internet, yet claim that every component of the application is equally important.

Third, Colleges should become more transparent about the competition that students face while applying to their school. Some universities have begun to show different acceptance rates per college so that students are aware of the competition that they face. Colleges expect students to throw in their all and risk rejection, while many students are unaware of the school’s acceptance system. Colleges should release more statistics on their actual acceptance rates and process in order to increase transparency. This is especially directed to the top twenty-five schools in the country. Being prestigious and successfully producing multi-millionaire alumni is commendable, however, this “mysterious” and “selective” image should not be milked.

Overall, the college application process seems thorough and organized, yet there are so many unspoken parts that lead to a student’s acceptance or rejection. I definitely think that the standards should be readjusted and that universities overall should become more clear and honest about their application review process.