Senior Guide_SY22-23

WHAT DO COLLEGES LOOK FOR WHEN
SELECTING STUDENTS?
Colleges look at the “total student” when making admissions decisions, but they also have
some minimum criteria they expect candidates to possess. Listed below are some areas that
are considered. Check the college catalogue to find out what the specific colleges you are
looking at expect of you.
High school grades/courses/class rank
Schools look not only at your grade point average (GPA) but also at the type of courses you
have taken. Many schools have minimum requirements for entrance, such as math through
Algebra 2 and foreign language. Some schools only count major subjects when calculating
a GPA. Some schools also look at your class rank (how your GPA places you in comparison to
other students in our class). Are you in the top 5%, 10%, 25%?
Standardized test scores
Many schools require that you take one of the college admissions tests and use your scores
as a predictor of how you will do in their college setting. Check the college handbooks,
catalogues or with your counselor to find out what the average SAT’s or ACT’s are for the
schools in which you are interested. There is a school for everyone, no matter what the test
score, but you should not apply to some schools if your scores are way “out of the ball park.”
Prince George’s Community College will accept any high school graduate and does not
rely on these admissions tests. If you do not score well, perhaps you want to start at a local
two-year community college and then transfer to a four-year college (which will then not
look at test scores but only at your grades in college level courses)
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
What is the SAT and how is it structured?
The SAT is a standardized, multiple-choice test used by most U.S. colleges and universities for
admissions and placement decisions. SAT scores can also be used to determine scholarship
eligibility. The test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and given
nationally seven times a year.
The SAT is a seven-section, three-hour exam. Three of the sections are Verbal, three are
Math, and one is experimental. The experimental section, used by ETS strictly for its own
research, can be either Verbal or Math and is not counted toward your final score. The
seven sections appear in a slightly different order every time the SAT is administered.
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