We also have a staff of about 20 admission counselors, and they are responsible for evaluating eligibility and transfer credit, as well as assisting with outreach. The outreach staff and the admission counselors all read applications in the selection process. Our Systems and Policy Analysis Group handles application data processing and records maintenance, and they research and analyze data from various sources to provide our readers with important contextual information for the review of each application. Give us an overview of the application and evaluation process. First of all, we do not use an academic index score or formulaic method for selection.
Every single application is read and scored independently by at least two readers.
Each reader reviews the entire file once to rate and score academic performance, then reviews the file again to determine a comprehensive score. The remaining 50 percent are selected based on a review of academic and personal achievement and qualities. We consider all achievement, both academic and personal, in the context of an applicant's circumstances and opportunities, and the ways in which he or she has responded to them. If there is a difference of more than one point between the read scores of the first and second readers, then the application goes to a third, more experienced reader who is unaware of the scores provided by the first readers. We can't overemphasize the importance of the personal statement in giving students the opportunity to really tell us about themselves or things that we would not understand through reviewing the rest of their application.