What is a ‘holistic’ admissions process? And why do so many US Universities use this process?

Most US Universities employ a ‘holistic admissions process’. That means that they go beyond your academics and look assess you in terms of the full range of academic and personal achievements, viewed in the context of the opportunities and challenges you have encountered. This doesn’t mean that academics are not important – what it does mean is that strong academics alone with not guarantee you a place at your short-listed universities. In fact, at most competitive universities the majority of the applicants have strong academics and hence admissions decisions are ultimately made on factors other than academics. When the admissions officer of the University of Chicago was in India recently he mentioned that the University of Chicago rejects 50% of applicants with perfect scores.

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What SAT score do I need to apply to a top undergraduate program in the U.S.

There is no ‘minimum’ SAT score you your need to get. To get a sense of what you should be aiming for, you should look at the statistics at the colleges you are considering – for example look at the average score or what the ‘middle 50%’. The average SAT score amongst top undergraduate programs is between 2100 and 2200. So why should you look at the middle 50% – well because it gives you a sense of the range of the average admitted student.
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What is a liberal arts education?

A liberal arts education focuses on providing a “well-rounded” education. As such liberal arts colleges encourage and often require their students to take a substantial number of classes in topics which may not directly relate to their vocational goals. A liberal art curriculum focuses on that imparting general knowledge and develops the student’s rational thought and intellectual capabilities, unlike the professional, or technical curricula emphasizing specialization. As a result you will find that liberal arts colleges do not offer a bachelor in business. Of course even in a liberal arts education you also undertake advanced work within a special area of concentration Liberal arts colleges, like universities, come in almost unlimited varieties. Some small liberal arts colleges are part of major universities, while others are independent. Most Ivy League Universities offer a liberal arts education at the undergraduate level.
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What are the top undergraduate universities for a Bachelors’ in Business Administration?

Since most of the Ivy League Universities offer a liberal arts education at the undergraduate level, you cannot pursue a Bachelors in Business at these Universities. A key except is University of Pennsylvania, where you can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Economics at Wharton. Even at Wharton about 40% of the undergraduate curriculum is outside the field of business – so that students get a great combination of a liberal arts education and a business education. Cornell University, the other exception, offers an undergraduate degree in applied economics and management.

The latest Bloomberg BusinesWeeek rankings show that the top undergraduate business programs in the US are:

1. University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
2. University of Virginia (McIntire)
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
4. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5. Cornell University

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Should I retake the SAT Reasoning test?

If you feel that you can get a stronger score on the SAT then it may well be worth retaking it. You may want to retake it if your overall score is below the average of the universities you are applying to. If your overall score is good, but you did not score well on one particularly section you may also want to retake it. Check the SAT policy of the schools you are applying to – you may have everything to gain and nothing to lose by retaking the SAT. Some schools look at all scores, however others may only look at the highest score on a given date. Some schools will take your highest sections scores across different test dates and add these scores together.
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Can I take the ACT instead of the SAT?

Yes, most colleges and universities now accept either the ACT or the SAT and do not given one test a preference over the other. Many universities will accept the ACT with optional writing instead of the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT subject tests.

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Are there any US Universities I can apply to that do not require the SAT?

Yes, there are now over 800 colleges and universities that are SAT optional. That means it is optional to submit the SAT. If you have taken the SAT and scored well, you may still want to submit your score. If you have not taken the SAT or have taken it but not scored well it doesn’t matter – it is not mandatory to submit your score. 32 of the 100 liberal arts colleges in the US have gone SAT optional
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Do admissions officers at undergraduate programs in the US use Facebook to check up on an applicant?

A study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that 25 percent of college admissions offices admit to using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN to research potential students and that 20 percent look for the same information on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
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What factors are important to transfer from one US undergraduate college or university to another?

Over 1 million students transfer to another college or university every year in the US. In fact, the transfer admission process affects one-third of students beginning at postsecondary institutions. According to a new report by the National Association for College Admissions Counselling, many aspects of the admission decision process for transfer students are similar to first-year admission decisions, but some important differences should be noted. In both cases, grades are the most important factor, but for transfer students, grades in the postsecondary institution are far more important that high school grades. Standardized admission test scores also are less important for transfer admission decisions. The analysis of transfer admission decision factors also revealed that certain colleges (private, smaller, and more selective) attribute a higher degree of importance to a broader range of factors outside of the top factors, which also is similar to the patterns seen with first-year admission decisions. At most selective universities the transfer acceptance rate is much lower than the first year admissions acceptance rate.
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Should I pick the science stream in Class 11 if I want to apply to a leading undergraduate university in the US?

In general, you do not need to pick science as your stream in Class 11 if you want to apply to a leading undergraduate program in the US. Of course, it is always a good idea to see if any specific universities you are looking at have specific requirements. You should also look at the requirements for the major(s) you are considering to make sure that you are meeting those requirements. It is advisable not to drop Mathematics in Class 11 as most colleges and universities want to see that you continued English and Mathematics though High School. Further, if you drop Mathematics in Class 11 could restrict the majors you are can apply for.