Luck and College Admissions

Luck and College Admissions January 29, 2012 Andrew Luck, the presumptive #1 overall pick in this years NFL draft, needed no luck to earn admission to Stanford. But luck can sometimes play a role albeit a very small role in admissions. And the key word is sometimes! Photo credit: John Martinez Pavliga. Luck and college admissions. Is there luck involved in college admissions? The short answer is yes. Of course theres an element of luck involved in college admissions (though there doesnt have to be). If youre a student with straight As, near-perfect SAT scores, and are a recruited 610 basketball player who was coveted by the likes of Coach K and Tommy Amaker, there is zero element of luck necessary for you to gain admission to the highly selective college of your dreams. But the fact is, most students arent 610 recruited athletes with perfect grades and near-perfect SATs. Will luck get these students admitted to the college of their dreams? Absolutely not. If youre a B student with subpar SAT scores and no unique talent, youre generally not going to earn yourself a spot at Yale. Are there exceptions? Yes. Development cases are, as an example, at times an exception. But lucks not going to help the vast majority of college applicants. Knowing the ins and outs of the college admissions process will help. As an example, showing interest in a school is in an applicants best interest as colleges want students who want them (it all comes back to their US News World Report ranking). The numerous college essays are another example where you can stand out in your application, to help your case for admission to a highly selective college. We can go on and on. But even after you submit the strongest possible application, one that truly will make you stand out from the pack, there is a certain element of luck involved. Is it a big element? No. But it does indeed exist. As an example, if youre a water polo player from Southern California and you happen to be interviewed by an alumnus whos also a water polo player, chances are good youll hit it off and that alum will submit a strong recommendation on your behalf. Or what about if the admissions officer evaluating your application sees herself in your application? That kind of luck can indeed help your case for admission. And it often does! But, keep in mind, luck has very, very little to do with college admissions decisions. Were simply asserting that there is a small element of luck involvedsometimes! Not even all of the time!