Colleges Tell You EXACTLY What They’re Looking For; A guide to leveraging the common data set

Originally posted: May 2023

Did you know colleges tell you exactly what they’re looking for in their future students? Not only details on what types of students they admit but precisely the criteria they use to weigh different parts of applications?

Maybe you did know that, or maybe you didn’t. Either way, are you maximizing that knowledge? Or are you struggling to apply that to your family's specific admissions strategy? For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, many colleges post their "Common Data Set" after each admissions cycle. The Common Data Set provides information on acceptance rates, average GPA, whether students submitted test scores or not, and many more sneak-peaks behind the college admissions curtain.

But even though it gives away all that information, and is a cheat code to success, we hardly see families leveraging it to support their own admissions. That’s why we created this video. We cover all things Common Data Set and how your family can understand it to hopefully gain dream school acceptances

Check it out here:

Watch: Sneak Peak (Parent Q&A): The 'Common Data Set' is a Cheat Code to Understanding Admissions Criteria
Time: 8:20
For: Families confused about how colleges weigh applications, families who want to take their application to the next level, or just families curious about the application process

To your college planning success,
Jack Delehey
Founder, CollegeConsulting.us

P.S. - Have a high-performing high schooler w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny.  Seriously.  College admissions isn't rocket science...but it is a science.  And we've cracked the code...year, after year, after year.  You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.

P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!"  The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).