College Planning for Dummies suggests nearly all colleges use a scoring system to rank applicants. When Michigan State admissions counselors can pick from 21,000 applicants for 6,400 openings, they want winning candidates to demonstrate at least a 3.48 grade-point average and show a transcript loaded with meaty courses. Jim Cotter, MSU associate director of admissions, said top high school candidates will have accumulated four years of English and three years of mathematics, including completion of intermediate algebra. They will have three years of social science with at least one year of history, two years of college preparatory sciences and two years of a single foreign language. MSU studies show those with a high degree of academic preparation are more likely to hold up to the rigors of a Big Ten university amid 43,000 other students.
Universities help train the next generation for the demands of the workplace.
They seek a balance within the institutions, a balance between men and women, a geographic balance, diverse culturally and ethnically. They may seek special talents for programing on their campus. Keep in mind, this criteria could shift from year to year. The Center for Creative Studies, a private arts and design college in Detroit, wants to see at least a 2.5 grade-point average and a healthy spread of courses, in addition to a serious portfolio. We focus on the portfolio, which should contain at least 10 pieces.