The document provides information for students on different types of college admissions options and requirements for various competitive colleges. It discusses regular admission, rolling admission, early action, early decision, restrictive early action, deferred admission, waitlisted, need blind admission, and open admissions. It provides details on factors considered in admissions like GPA, class rank, test scores, course rigor, recommendations, essays, extracurriculars, demonstrated interest, awards, and state residency. Tables show typical admissions statistics for highly selective universities requiring top GPAs and test scores down to more moderately selective and open admission schools. Overall considerations like legacy status, minority status, demonstrated interest, and merit-based achievements are also noted.

1. Ocean City High School Guidance
Department
Admissions 101

2. •Specialized Institutions (art, music,
culinary arts, etc.)
•Community Colleges
•Junior Colleges
•Four Year Public and Private Colleges

3. •Size of School
•Location
•Distance from home
•ActivitiesAthletics
•PublicPrivate
•Coed/Single Sex
•Entrance Requirements
•Majors Available ( What is the school’s commitment?)
•Cost (Net Price Calculator)

4. •REGULAR ADMISSION Students must submit an application by
a specified date to be considered for admission. Students may apply to
other schools without restriction.
•ROLLING ADMISSION* Application are reviewed as they arrive
(and are complete), rather than according to a set deadline. Applicants
are then notified as the college finishes the review of the application.
•EARLY ACTION A prospective student applies for admission by an
early deadline (before the regular admission deadline) and receives
notice of acceptance, denial, or deferment with no obligation to the
university to enroll, if accepted for admission.

5. •EARLY DECISION* Similar to Early action, but differs
in that it constitutes a binding commitment to enroll; that is,
by applying early decision, the student commits to enroll in
the school if accepted. If offered admission under an early
decision program the applicant must withdraw all other
applications to other institutions and enroll at that institution.
•RESTRICTIVE EARLY ACTION Similar to an Early
Action plan; however institutions with restrictive early action
plans usually place limitations on an applicant’s application
to other early plans (check with your choice college for
details). If an applicant is admitted under restrictive early
action, the applicant is not obligated to accept the offer or
submit an early deposit.

6. •DEFERRED ADMISSION A category of admission used in
conjunction with early (action, decision, notification, or acceptance)
plans to indicate that a student has not been admitted early but will
remain in the applicant pool for reconsideration during the review of
applications for regular admissions.
•WAIT LISTED An applicant is put on the waitlist when an
admissions officer or committee decides to offer the applicant the
opportunity to enroll in the institution only if there is space available
in the incoming class after fully admitted students have responded to
their offers to enroll.
•NEED BLIND ADMISSION the admitting institution does not
consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission.

7. OPEN ADMISSIONS Some colleges will admit all students
who apply as long as they’ve completed high school (or passed
the GED).
Such colleges are said to have an open admissions policy. They
usually offer remedial courses for students who are not ready for
college-level work.
Many community colleges are open admission schools.

8. •GPA (all high school subjects) / May be recomputed
•STRENGTH OF COURSES
•ADMISSION TEST SCORES (SAT I, SAT II, ACT)
•RANK IN CLASS
•ESSAY OR WRITING SAMPLE
•COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION
•TEACHER RECOMMENDATION(S)
•INTERVIEW
•EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES INCLUDING
EMPLOYMENT
•“DEMONSTRATED INTEREST”
•PERSONAL AWARDS & RECOGNITION
•STUDENT’S STATE OF RESIDENCE

9. What Does
It Take
To Get In?

10. •RANK: TOP 10% •PRINCETON
•SAT: 1400+/2100+ •HARVARD
•ACT: 31+ •UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA
•GPA: 4.3+ •DUKE UNIVERSITY
•18+ ACADEMIC •GEORGETOWN
UNITS REC UNIVERSITY
•10- 25% accepted
•SAT II required

11. •RANK: TOP 25% UCLA
•SAT: 1300+ WAKE FOREST
•ACT: 30+ UNIVERSITY OF
VIRGINIA* (most sel)
•GPA: 3.8+ UNC CHAPEL HILL*
•16-18 ACADEMIC (most selective)
UNITS REC NEW YORK
•30-40% accepted UNIVERSITY
•SAT II required BUCKNELL
UNIVERSITY OF
RICHMOND

12. •RANK: TOP 40% •BOSTON UNIV.
•SAT: 1200+/1890+ •AMERICAN UNIV.
•ACT: 27+ •COLLEGE OF NEW
JERSEY * (academic
•GPA: 3.3 - 3.7+ schedule)
•16+ academic units •ST. JOSEPH’S UNIV.
•40-50 % accepted •RUTGERS
•SAT II may be •PENN STATE
required •VILLANOVA

13. •RANK: TOP 60%
•SAT: 1000-1140 +/
•TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
1650+
•UNIVERSITY OF
•ACT: 22-24+ CENTAL FL
•GPA: 3.0 - 3.5+ •RICHARD STOCKTON
•16 ACADEMIC •RAMPO COLLEGE
UNITS
•50-60% accepted
•SAT II not required

14. •RANK: 70% •CABRINI COLLEGE
•SAT: 950+ / 1500 •CHESTNUT HILL
•ACT: 19+ •RIDER UNIVERSITY
•GPA: 2.8-3.2+ •MONTCLAIR STATE
•16 ACADEMIC UNIVERSITY
•WILLIAM
UNITS
PATTERSON
•75%+ acceptance UNIVERSITY
rate
•SAT II not required

15. •HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMA OR •COMMUNITY
GED COLLEGES
•NO MINIMUM
GPA •SPECIALIZED
•NO SAT OR ACT INSTITUTIONS
REQUIRED
•IN-HOUSE
TESTING

17. •NEW JERSEY •LARGE PUBLIC
PUBLIC IVY
•NEW JERSEY •PUBLIC, YET
PRIVATE FUNCTION LIKE A
•PENNSYLVANIA PRIVATE ELITE
PUBLIC
•SMALL PRIVATE

18. Is Donald from North Dakota…
or a minority…. a legacy…last name is
Trump…plays the Tuba…majoring in linguistics,
emailed the head of the English Department and sat
in on a class….a merit scholar, valedictorian,
national champion.