{"id":11783,"date":"2024-06-10T18:50:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T18:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/?p=11783"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:31:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T13:31:33","slug":"tips-and-tricks-from-an-admissions-counselor-application-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/tips-and-tricks-from-an-admissions-counselor-application-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips and Tricks from an Admissions Counselor: Application 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hi y\u2019all! My name is Caitlin Kirby and I\u2019m an Admissions Counselor at Furman! Being in this role for two years now, my eyes have read over thousands of different applications that have filtered through our office. As a first-gen student myself, I know that the application process in college admissions can be tricky and has many grey areas of confusion. It is my hope that, throughout this blog, I can share some tips on how to send the strongest possible application to all the colleges you are interested in. Let\u2019s dive into it!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Transcripts and Test Scores<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The piece of your application that holds the largest impact in your acceptance is your transcripts, grades, and test scores. Admissions Counselors will be looking for applicants who have maximized their educational opportunities in high school when selecting those who may be admitted to their institution. This means that students who have taken the highest-level courses (AP, IB, Honors, or Dual Credit) offered at their school, have succeeded in those courses, and have continued to show interest in their educational pursuits will have a stronger chance of admission than applicants who may not have. With that in mind, I encourage you to push yourself to get involved with these higher-level courses if it will not negatively affect your grades or personal mental health. While these higher-level courses are strong for an application, weak grades in them can prove to discredit your eagerness to be in those courses to begin with. It\u2019s important that you find that balance of good grades in the highest-level courses that you can succeed in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond that, test scores can also play a large role in your application to a college. Some institutions offer a test-optional\/test-free policy where you will not have to submit them in your application. If not required, the decision-making process in submitting those test scores may be a difficult one. I would encourage you to check in with the individual admissions teams of the colleges you plan to apply to so that you can find the most up-to-date information on what their test score policy is and, if optional, what the range of test scores submitted for students who were previously accepted looks like. For a reference as you reach out to other colleges, this is where Furman stands on those metrics as of 06\/2024:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n