Many students dream of pursuing higher education and attending their dream school. In most cases, an aspiring college student’s dream school will be a top-ranked university, meaning they’ll need to work significantly harder and improve their GPA/test by wider margins to gain admission.
Fortunately, 65% of colleges admit more students than they reject, and 94% of applicants get into one of their top three schools. However, many students fail to attend their dream school because of financial difficulties, less-than-satisfactory ACT or SAT scores, or subpar grade point averages. With a relatively high likelihood of being waitlisted or rejected, except by colleges that accept low GPAs, students should utilize all available resources to gain admission to their top-choice school, such as the admissions calculator by CollegeData.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to improve your college admission chances. Take your fate into your own hands by utilizing a college admission calculator that yields many benefits, including the following.
- Helps you determine the chances of being enrolled
As students look to apply for college, an influx of questions and concerns will flood their brains. What if you get waitlisted? What if you don’t gain acceptance into any of your top-choice colleges? Is it worth it to apply for an Ivy League institution with less-than-stellar test scores?
Many college applicants will check their dream school’s most recent admission rates to relieve these anxieties and eliminate any uncertainties. Before accepting defeat, realize that this admission rate doesn’t necessarily convey a student’s chances of gaining admission. This posted data simply displays the number of applicants who applied to the school compared to those enrolled.
Remember, every student has a unique chance of getting into a specific school, depending on various intersecting factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, GPA, ACT/SAT score, etc. Instead of relying on cryptic admissions rates, use a college acceptance calculator for a more accurate representation of your admission chances.
College acceptance calculators consider every aspect that contributes to your chances of getting into an individual college. While test scores and GPA are essential contributing factors, other factors like extra-curricular activities, whether you’re out-of-state or in-state, and your major also play a critical role. It gives you an insight into how you compare against applicants that a college previously admitted, rejected, or waitlisted.
When looking into your chances of getting into a specific school, it’s vital to research how you compare with rejected applicants. Sometimes, you might have higher scores than several students that were accepted. However, if a whopping percentage of students with higher scores than yours get rejected, it may imply that non-academic factors like club memberships, sports, and volunteering are essential for admission.
- Generate a realistic list of colleges you should apply to
A college acceptance calculator can help high school seniors and juniors gauge if they have a chance of getting enrolled in the colleges of their interest. This knowledge allows them to compile a balanced and well-informed list of reach, match, and safety schools to increase their college prospects.
While you could get into your reach schools, prepare for the worst-case scenario to prevent a crushing sense of defeat. With match schools, expect that you’ll have average odds. On the other hand, safety schools are a shoo-in and a near 100% guarantee.
- Increases your chances of gaining admission
After using a college acceptance calculator, suppose you discover your prospects of getting admitted into your dream school are relatively low. In that case, you can begin working on improving your chances of admission. Acceptance rates vary from school to school, so it’s good to know your prospects early when you still have time to make any changes and shift your course-of-action. This way, you can avoid missing application deadlines for other match or safety schools.
Although students can’t drastically improve their GPA during their senior year of high school, they can make huge strides towards their dream school by retaking the ACT/SAT and scoring higher than their first attempt. High SAT/ACT scores put students in a better position to gain admission because test scores are an essential aspect under consideration by an admissions board. If inputting an ACT score one to three points higher into the admissions calculator bumps-up your odds of enrollment, retaking the SAT/ACT will be worthwhile.
A personal statement can compel the selection committee to favor your application, so it’s paramount to develop a compelling, technically-refined, and grammatically-correct essay. Ensure that your parents, counselor, and teachers read through your paper and give comprehensive feedback to make sure you make the necessary changes before submitting your essay.
Letters of recommendation play a similarly valuable role in showcasing your talents and abilities, so request them from teachers and mentors who know you well. Ensure that you have solid relationships with these faculty members and authority figures, as a glowing letter can give your application an added boost.
- Get insight into financial aid awards
The inability to pay for college tuition deters many students from applying to college. However, specific college acceptance calculators will give you insight into the types of merit-based scholarships students like you were eligible for, pointing you in the direction of scholarships and loans you qualify for and encouraging you to pursue higher education.
As an additional benefit, these college admissions calculators give you an inside look into how your test scores and GPA compare to students that received merit-based financial aid. You can also gain insight into need-based aid such as loans and grants for different colleges using these tools.
Wrap-up
Earning a college degree gives you a firm foundation for your adult life, so you should strive to gain admission to your top-choice college. During the application process, consider a college admission calculator. This resource is convenient to use and provides critical information to help you improve your admission prospects.
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