Imagine the perspective of an admissions officer in a U.S. college—here’s how they review applications.
1. Screening & Application Sorting
U.S. college admissions emphasize a “holistic review.” This means that all materials and information submitted by the applicant—GPA, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, essays, interviews, background—are collectively evaluated. The application materials, usually compiled into one file via the Common App, are sent to the admissions officer responsible for that geographic region.
It’s important to note that for Korean students holding Korean passports, regardless of the school, the file is typically sent first to the officer handling international or Asian students. In other words, your competition isn’t just other Korean students but a broader pool of international students from Asia.
2. One-on-One Application Evaluation
After sorting the applications, a single admissions officer reads each file. During this process, they make notes on a summary sheet (often referred to as a “pink sheet”), which includes basic information such as GPA, SAT/ACT scores, activities, and courses, as well as memorable excerpts or standout points from the essays and recommendation letters. Generally, two or three admissions officers will review each application individually.
3. Committee (Group Evaluation by Admissions Officers)
Following the one-on-one reviews, the application is re-evaluated during a meeting by a group of admissions officers. Not every application reaches the committee stage—those that receive top marks in the individual review or fall significantly above or below the school’s average on academic or extracurricular criteria are usually decided without group evaluation. Typically, applications that go to committees are those where the student meets the school’s average standards in grades and activities but does not possess extraordinary credentials. In this stage, factors such as the student’s background (where they grew up, their economic situation, etc.), activities, and essays can significantly influence. If the officer who first reviewed your application was impressed, they will strongly advocate for you during the committee meeting.
4. The Final Decision
After the screening, one-on-one evaluation, and committee review, the admissions officers make the final decision: acceptance, waitlist, or rejection. For regular decision applicants, notification typically begins mid-March and continues into early or mid-April.
Paschar Manager’s Insight
Frankly speaking, aside from the essay, most elements of the application are already fixed by the end of 11th grade. Changes in GPA, SAT/ACT scores, AP/IB scores, or extracurricular activities are rare after 11th grade ends. This means that the only part of the application that can be changed after 11th grade is your writing—your Common App main essay, supplemental essays, and the activities section. With similar scores and backgrounds among applicants, what and how you wrote can be a slight difference that makes you stand out.
At Paschar, we are dedicated to helping students achieve that “little extra” in the U.S. college admissions process. While we specialize in essay brainstorming and editing, we also assist with college list selection based on a student’s academic and non-academic achievements.
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