Giving Essential Schools the Seal of Approval

Through the efforts of the Coalition’s Admissions Project, the presidents and chief admissions officers of the colleges below – chosen because most participated in the Eight-Year Study in the l93O’s (see above) – have signed a statement supporting and affirming the work of educational reform under way in schools across America. “Ours is a time which calls for the ambitious redesign of schools,” the statement reads, “and we recognize that institutions of higher education must be partners in bringing forth the changes so urgently needed. We applaud these schools involved in endeavors which emphasize rigorous independent thinking and the direct engagement of students in serious work, and we commend their efforts to find effective means to restructure and improve education at all levels. We welcome applications from students at such schools.”

  • Amherst College
  • Bard College
  • Bennington College
  • Brown University
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • Columbia University
  • Connecticut College
  • Dartmouth College
  • Fashion Institute of Technology
  • Hampshire College
  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • Lafayette College
  • Lehigh College
  • Mills College
  • Simmons College
  • Smith College
  • SUNY at Binghamton
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Denver
  • University of Wisconsin
  • Wesleyan College
  • Williams College
  • Wellesley College

Admissions Strategies for Essential Schools

  • Be passionate and articulate about your schools and its work.
  • Begin early. Don’t wait until the crunch of folder-reading time to speak with admissions people.
  • Involve college faculty and admissions people in your school’s work: student exhibitions, curriculum, committees, and admissions visits.
  • Be an advocate. Be willing to distinguish between students, to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Even without grades, you can convey to colleges the information they need to make an appropriate match.
  • Present summaries of portfolios, not the portfolio itself.
  • >Provide information in a clear, concise manner. If necessary, list concepts covered in interdisciplinary courses (especially math and science), books, and primary documents.
  • Avoid jargon. Many admissions officers are recent graduates who do not have an extensive background in educational theory and practice.
  • Revise transcripts and student profile forms. If they look the same, colleges will assume you are doing business as usual.
  • Help students discuss their educational experience in both written and oral forms.