The Admissions office is known for the rehearsed answers when it comes to the universal “Will I get in?’ question. When you say there is no weight for scores alone, students will believe you. When you tell them that no score is too low, they will believe you because that is what they want to hear.
When you say that an application is an amalgamation of the scores, the LOR and essays, you are probably being entirely honest. But, the truth gets modified too. So, when an applicant wants to know if 1000 is a good SAT score, you say, “You know, there is nothing like a cut off for scores. If your LOR and essays are really good, then you can get in. it is all about the impression the whole applicant makes. In fact, last year we had a kid from Little Rock, Arkansas, who had a score of 900, but his application was compelling and he got in. Now he is doing real well in his business major.”
Well, what you conveniently left out was that the kid from Little Rock was the hero of his community, was the best kid in school, was a state level basket ball player, helped raise his 2 little siblings while his parents worked at 2 jobs and received a bravery award for rescuing puppies from an abandoned home. Year after year new batches of students have been fooled by this classic tactic. But, with students applying to multiple institutes, two years in a row, parents comparing notes and high expectations floating around, this tactic could come crashing down on you resulting in an ugly open house.
So, if you know that there is a range, don’t hide it. You will be surprised how many applicants respect you for it and even strive harder to make the mark. And, if the big revenues are coming in from the $30-$50 application forms, then the issues lie elsewhere.
