Admission Criteria

Most students who are applying to college fall into a general candidate category.  These are students who have no alumni/ae connection to the school or who not would merit special consideration for other reasons.  Admissions committees judge applicants by fairly standard criteria:

- Grades

- Course of study (subjects, honors and advanced placement courses)

- Recommendations

- Involvement in outside activities

- Interview, essay, application

- Standardized test scores (if considered)

The last three criteria vary in order of importance at different colleges.  The admissions committee wants to be sure that an accepted student will be successful in their institution.  Some students who may receive special consideration:

A Highly Competitive Student:  Students with a solid A average in the most rigorous curriculum (i.e., AP and honors courses), SAT scores over 1400, and significant involvement in activities and/or athletics.  This student may be admitted to several highly competitive colleges and may receive special scholarship consideration.

Special Talent:  A student who possesses a special talent and a sound academic record may have an advantage when considered for admission to a particular college.  For example, if the lead cello player in the school’s music ensemble is graduating, the music faculty will tell the admissions office that they would like a new cello player.  If you have a special talent, share that information with your college counselor and the admissions office when you visit or apply to colleges.  Caution:  Talent without a solid academic record cannot be counted on to get you into a college.

Athletics:  If you are a varsity athlete and are particularly skilled in a sport, you may want to consider playing competitively in college.  While most Portsmouth Abbey students are generally not Division I athletes, many can compete at Division III schools. Your skills may give you a slight advantage in admissions, but you should discuss this with the athletic director and your coach. Ask them to assess your talent and to help you identify colleges that might be interested in you. Do some self-assessment as well. Are you prepared to make a commitment to college athletics? When visiting colleges, you should talk to the coach of the sport in which you are interested and have tapes available to send to the schools where you are applying. Caution:  When choosing a school where you can play a sport, ask yourself if it is a school where you will be happy should something happen and you cannot participate in athletics. Understand that coaches contact a lot of players and encourage them to apply to their college. In the final analysis, they are probably going to support a handful of players who also fit the academic profile defined by the Admissions Office.  Unless you are an exceptional athlete, this is not the doorway to a top tier college for most students.

Arts: If you plan to pursue the arts in college and have a recognized ability in art, music, drama or creative writing, talk with your teacher and the college counselor in your junior year.  Work out a plan to develop a portfolio of your work to send to colleges. This is also an area that requires reflection. Are you prepared to make the commitment to have this be the focus of your college experience or would you prefer it be just a portion of it?

Legacy or "Inside" Candidate: Some colleges will give special consideration to children of alumni or applicants with a strong family legacy at the school.  Also being a child or close relative of a major donor often merits special consideration.  As colleges become more competitive and the number of qualified applicants increases, often these considerations are only a nod (such as wait-list) if the candidate is not academically qualified.

Under-represented Groups: Most colleges and universities strive to create a diverse student body that reflects many traditions and beliefs. International and minority students may bring different perspectives to the community.  Women applying to engineering programs may receive special consideration.  These considerations do not diminish the expectation of solid academic achievement.