Moving from "Standard Strong" to Outstanding!
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
April 24, 2026
I recently attended a webinar that gave college counselors a “behind the curtain” look at how admission officers (AOs) review college applications. It was held by a consortium of current and former AOs from a variety of colleges, including both large and small, public and private universities.
The takeaways were insightful, and if implemented, can help make your student’s application go from “standard strong” to outstanding!
It was also a good reminder that each college has its own set of institutional priorities when seeking its incoming freshman class, and that these priorities are both complex and arbitrary. Having a school-by-school strategy is imperative, as major-based admissions has become a necessity for many schools looking to balance their academic programs.
We heard multiple times that AOs are looking for evidence for why a student should be admitted, contrary to the predominant theory that they are looking for “no’s.” Admissions officers do not need to justify a “no,” they need to justify the “yes.”
Here are the components that are integrated into most colleges' ratings rubric, in addition to their review of a student’s transcript and any standardized test scores:
Intellectual curiosity
Service to others
Leadership/initiative engagement
Collaborative efforts
Consistent engagement
Introducing Lit(eracy) Up
Because it can be difficult for high schoolers to find opportunities to meet the above qualifications, I am launching Lit(eracy) Up: Igniting Minds Through Literacy, a student-led literacy initiative designed to help students build meaningful experience for their college applications in the above areas.
Lit(eracy) Up will aim to connect students and communities through literacy by empowering high school leaders to collect, share, and celebrate books. We will strive to foster a love of reading, expand access to books, and build meaningful connections across generations. The goal will be to work with local libraries, pre-schools, elementary schools, and shelters.
This volunteer engagement is perfect for all high schoolers, with leadership opportunities guaranteed for students in 11th and 12th grade.
Please reply to this email if you or your student is interested in learning more!
Passion Projects for High Schoolers
I’m also exploring the idea of working with a Passion Project Coordinator to support 9th and 10th grade students who want to start building their college applications early. This would help students identify and develop a meaningful project of their choice outside of school—something aligned with their interests that can grow over time and demonstrate intellectual curiosity, leadership, and commitment.
If this is something your student might be interested in, we’d love to hear from you and gauge interest as we shape the program.
Important Communication Update
Going forward, these newsletters will come directly from the College Access Counseling website instead of my personal email. If you’d like to keep getting updates on college admissions news, important deadlines, and opportunities for students, just click the link below to opt in. Because of email regulations, you’ll need to sign up to stay on the list - I’d love to keep sharing these updates with you!
Best,
Tami
