Reality Check from Real Ivy League Admission Expert on Tina Fey's Movie Admission

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Getting into college is harder than ever – and not just in the movies. Undergraduate admission rates at top-tier universities such as Harvard University are hovering around 6 percent; these rates are the lowest in history. Meanwhile, students and parents are grasping for information about how to get into top colleges.

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Dr. Rachel Rubin, head of elite college admission consultancy Spark Admissions, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, is a Harvard doctorate who has served on several admission committees at Harvard. In addition, Dr. Rubin has completed the most comprehensive study to date on how selective U.S. colleges make admission decisions. 

Dr. Rubin provides her reality check on Tina Fey's movie Admission for the benefit of college applicants and their parents:

• Accurate: When applying to college, you need to paint a clear picture of yourself. Admission committees try to imagine who you really are.  Give them details. In Admission, fictitious applicants appear in front of Tina Fey's character as she reads their files. As an applicant, that's how you want it to be. You are more than your SAT scores and GPA. Prove it.
• Accurate: High SAT scores and GPAs won't get you into a top school. But they will help you avoid immediate rejection. In Admission, a low GPA and poor academic performance resulted in one applicant's rejection from Princeton. Admission committees want to make sure that applicants can, unequivocally, succeed academically.
• Accurate: Tina Fey's character tried to persuade the admission committee that the unique strengths of one of her favorite applicants outweighed his perceived weaknesses. It didn't work, but it's a good approach: If you explain your strengths clearly, admission committees may feel that your unique assets outweigh major weaknesses.
• Misleading: One of the most important things you can do, as an applicant, is prove that you challenge yourself academically. Admission glossed over the importance of the academic transcript (meaning whether you take the most difficult classes available to you). Taking a rigorous course load demonstrates your willingness and ability to work hard and persevere.
• Misleading: Throughout the movie, the Princeton admission committee suggested several attributes that they seek in applicants, but some are definitely more important than others. The attributes to focus on include originality, passion, intellectual ability, and persistence. College admission essays are the main place to convey this information, along with the resume and interview.

"If there's one thing I think students and their parents should take away from the movie Admission," said Dr. Rubin, "it's that admission committees really are looking for that 'undiscovered gem,' and you should do everything you can to show them that it's you."

Spark Admissions is an elite college admission consulting firm led by Dr. Rachel Rubin. Spark Admissions works with students worldwide and offers college application and preparation packages that provide unlimited access to Dr. Rubin and her expertise. For more information, visit: www.sparkadmissions.com.

SOURCE Spark Admissions