The College Admission season is in full swing and it brings it usual stresses.

However in the world of intergenerational planning, it’s a unique opportunity for families to discuss their core values and the development of their kid’s personal narratives.  It is chance for families to collaborate on a life changing decision around the kids future- a process in which the engaged kids have a vested interest! Finally, it’s often the first instance where kids experience the judgment of their personal narratives by the outside world.

To help us dive deeper into this concept, I’m going to speak with LINDSAY TANNE

Lindsay is the Founder and CEO of LOGICPREP.

As a leading College Admissions Advisor, Lindsay helps students around the world develop and tell their stories and identify their best-fit schools. Over the past decade, she and her team have helped thousands of families successfully navigate the college application and higher education landscape.

There's been so much news coverage around college admissions and how last cycle was the most competitive one ever. Is it really as crazy out there as it seems? 

Yes and no...More applications for the same number of spots - which means lower acceptance rates are a realityImagine you were applying to Columbia 2 years ago - you were one of 40,000. Well, last admissions cycle, you’re up against 60,000 other students. At MIT, for example, applications were up 66%Simply put, at highly selective schools in particular, the pond expandedIt’s not that you’re a smaller fishIt’s just that the pond got biggerBut there’s one thing in particular I want to point: only 2.4% more students applied BUT applications were up 11%Basically, this means that the increase came from students applying to more schools rather than more students applying overall Less data available Transcripts were less reliable in this last admissions cycle as education moved onlineAdditionally, during the pandemic, almost every school had to go test optional - meaning they wouldn’t require the SAT/ACT - as a temporary accommodation since the tests kept getting cancelled As a result, students did not feel constrained by test score ranges and more students were open to the possibility of applying to highly selective schools than ever beforeIn a sense, it’s like the lock on the front gate appeared to be loosened at the most competitive universities - since test scores no longer stood as a barrier to entry -more students felt emboldened to applyUltimately, not as full of surprises as people might think (90% acceptance rate for LP to 1 of top 3 schools)Why? The criteria for evaluation hasn’t fundamentally changed, but the weight assigned to each category has More subjective, less quantifiableTest scores were optionalTranscripts were less reliable - online school, pass/fail Plus, with limitations on extracurriculars, there were even fewer avenues to demonstrate leadership and passion

What actually counts in the college application process? How do you help your child stand out? 

Basically, the college admissions process is founded upon three pillars: Academic Record - transcript and its rigor, what classes you take and your grades Standardized Test Scores - SAT/ACT Personal Narrative - your activities, how you spend your summers, teacher recommendations, what it is what makes you who you are2020, of course, was an unusual year - but things are changing slightly….These pillars still stand (though some might be shakier than others) However, the weight or emphasis, of each of these pillars has been challenged 

So what is the impact on the test-optional trend on college admissions? 

First, let’s define: what is test optional? SAT/ACT not required; considered if submittedWhat is test blind? SAT/ACT not evaluated at all; very few schools fit into this category, though it does include the UC systemThe 2021 admissions cycle has really been an extension of 2020 - more schools offering test optional admissions a tem...