Following is an explanation of some of the things that college admissions boards look at in deciding if a student is to be accepted.  

While high school grades remain one of the best predictors of success in college, a new trend is evident: admission bodies are taking a closer look at the RIGOR of academic preparation; the kinds of courses a student takes. Major colleges and universities want to know why a student chooses NOT to take honors courses if they were offered at the student's high school or why a student did not retain a rigorous academic schedule in the senior year.

Too often students of past years, attempting to achieve a higher GPA, elected lighter programs in the senior year, having fulfilled college entrance requirements earlier. Sloppy work habits carried over into the first year of college, and some students dropped out. For these and other reasons a good number of colleges and universities have recently raised their subject matter requirements for admission when evaluating a transcript. They also give extra points for college prep courses taken beyond the minimum entrance requirements.

Many admissions boards have devised formulae to weight grades in Honors and Advanced Placement courses. This practice encourages students to take the more challenging courses because it increases their chance of admission.

How important are SAT scores?A basic rule of thumb is, large schools tend to have decisions made by a computer while smaller schools tend to look at the entire application. A computer can't read an essay or letter of recommendation; the computer looks at GPA, SAT score, class rank. Smaller schools will look at the essay, extra-curricular activities, letters of recommendation and other specific qualities. Use this information to your advantage when choosing a college.

Extra-curricular activities are still very important on a student's record but not to the exclusion of academic requirements. The intensity of interest in a single activity seems more impressive than a smorgasbord approach.

Colleges have increasingly looked at a student's service to the community. Colleges want students to render such service while in college and emphasize it should begin in high school. Students who have been involved in service activities while in high school should be sure to include that information in the application.

The importance of having a family member who is a graduate of a college. While this is certainly not true of every college, statistically a student who has an immediate family member who is a graduate will increase the likelihood of admissions by 40%. Not only that but a letter of recommendation written by a teacher who is a graduate helps as well. 

SEVERAL STUDENTS HAVE ASKED ABOUT SUSPENSIONS:
Many colleges now ask counselors to report if a student has been suspended from school for any reason. Students should understand that counselors must respond fully to all such requests. While this does not happen often, it is a possibility.