403: AP, IB, Honors, Oh My! How Admissions Officers View Your High School Courses, Rigor, and School Context w/Susan Tree

In today’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) and Susan Tree (a college counseling and admissions legend with 40+ years of experience) chat about all things related to the academic part of a student’s college application— which, at many selective colleges, is seen as the “foot in the door” of their selection process.

This is part 1 of a series we’ll be doing around students’ academic background and interests and how they factor into the admissions process. Part 2 is all about “intellectual curiosity”: a quality that many colleges actively look for in students, yet is a little more ambiguous and nuanced compared to mapping out a high school course plan.

On the episode you’ll hear Susan and Tom discuss:

• Why taking five solid academic courses (English, math, social studies, science and language) each year of high school gives students the broadest range of exciting college options
• How advanced course rigor (including Advanced Placement/AP and International Baccalaureate/IB courses) is evaluated by colleges
• The potential danger of “overspecialization” in an academic subject too early
• The value of demonstrating self-directedness in your academic journey— and where do to that in an application
• How admissions officers evaluate and contextualize your transcript and high scho0l profile when making admissions decisions1

Why these episodes?

• According to the 2018-2019 National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Admission Trend Survey, students’ grades and strength of curriculum are the top two application components that are of “considerable importance” to colleges
• During CEG’s Applying to Highly Selective Colleges & Universities Course, the section on academics received the most questions out of all other application components— and elicited the most confusion!
• While we aren’t able to give all students and families who come to us for support individualized guidance about their particular high school (though we do offer comprehensive college counseling at CEG!), we wanted this podcast to provide the most comprehensive advice possible around academic choices

Play-by-play

• 5:33 - So… Why are we talking about planning your HS Academic Journey?
• 8:28 - What are the benefits of planning your HS experience early?
• 10:39 - What do colleges expect from students?
• 11:08 - How do you check a college website for their required HS coursework?
• 12:48 - How is it different at more competitive universities?
  • 13:14 - What if your HS doesn’t offer opportunities for the classes you want to take?
• 14:44 - What is the value of self-directedness?
• 15:06 - How do I better understand how my school is viewed by admissions officers?
• 17:19 - What do admissions officers want to know about the school as it relates to your academic record?
• 19:24 - Why you should be looking at your transcript and school profile side-by-side
• 21:32 - Thinking like an admissions reader 
  • 22:26 - Transcripts vs. report cards
• 23:38 - How being aware of what colleges have access to can help you be strategic 
• 25:44 - How do you put your academic experience into perspective?
• 27:18 - What students often don’t realize about their application evaluation 
• 29:50 - How important is it to tell your own story
• 31:28 - HS Counselor Tip: Your School Profile
• 32:56 - AP (Advanced Placement) course considerations
• 35:11 - How will colleges view XYZ  courses? Which course is better?
• 42:24 - Why are some independent schools getting rid of AP (Advanced Placement) course offerings?
• 44:00 What does Susan think about IB (International Baccalaureate) Curriculum considerations?
• 47:50 What if my high school doesn’t offer AP or IB course options?
• 49:58 Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode