## Key / Hard Facts ### College Admissions in a nutshell [[College admissions is a business]] [[College admissions is more about the college's needs than your value]] [[College admission is inherently uncertain and unfair]] ### Admissioners' perspective [[Most college applications are highly similar]] [[What are college admissioners looking at & looking for?]] ### "Don't matter that much" [[Brandnames & selectivity don't matter that much]] [[The college you go to doesn't matter, that much]] [[Success in college is about how you go, not just where you go]] [[College is an experiential & emotinal good about people and memories]] ## Advice [[Broaden your college search and don't just focus on the first page of US News]] For parents -- Stop using the college where you want them to end up as a trophy for your parenting. In your essay: Provide key details, unique voices, demosntrate your deep & consistent devotion into a certain area ### Selingo's Advice 1. Worry about what you do in high school, and a little less about standardized tests. 2. Make the initial college list about your needs and fuss with the names later on. 3. Think about each application individually, rather than all of them collectively. 4. Focus on what fits you rather than how good the sticker looks on the back of your family’s car window.