College admissions abroad is complex & complicated process – it takes a high level of understanding of the admissions ecosystem to traverse through.
Just sample this – The USA alone has over 2,800 four year degree colleges, and yet most of our knowledge is limited to the top ranked 20, at best the top 40. One can explore so many more colleges that may not be on the “top lists or rankings” but are exceptionally good for you in terms of learning, fitment, culture, and beyond.
There are about 20+ different rankings that one can encounter & while the top list is pretty much the same, there are a whole lot of colleges & universities that are of very high quality – in terms of learning, campus & facilities, faculty, resources, industry connection and much more.
Top college globally have acceptance rate of 5-10%, and even lower for certain programs (Engineering, Psychology, Economics) and then also lower for international students. One critical factor is to make the shortlist of colleges one is applying to water tight – the best & right fit based on your academics, SAT/ACT scores, extra curriculars, overall profile – to ensure positive results.
You would have also heard many colleges and universities abroad use what is called “a holistic approach”. What exactly does that mean? How do you make sure you have “a holistic application”? Well, honestly, there is no single answer to this. Every college and university has their own set of criteria for admissions, and interestingly, these criteria may change year on year.
You have to understand and evaluate how each of these criteria works with your interests, strengths & aspirations to be able to make the right set of decisions for your college admissions.
