Counsellor resource: Understanding the role of character in US college applications

This year, I have become especially interested in how to help students understand the role that character plays in US admissions.

This comes out of the 2023 NACAC survey, where 65 per cent of 185 universities said that “positive character attributes” are of “considerable” or “moderate” importance as a factor in a holistic admissions process.

However, character can be an unclear area for students. So I wanted to find ways to help them see this factor from the other side of the desk: to see how universities decide what traits they might want to focus on, and where they look for them in an application.

To assist students in comprehending the significance of character in US university admissions, I devised a presentation that offers a broad view of how universities evaluate character traits in applicants. This activity aims to help students gain insight into the qualities universities value, as well as how to showcase these attributes effectively in their applications.

Brainstorming character traits

Students begin by brainstorming a list of character traits a university might seek in potential students, such as curiosity, kindness and honesty.

These traits are then categorised into four quadrants: ethical (civic and moral) and academic (performance and intellectual) qualities. This helps to provide a structured understanding of character attributes.

This way of looking at character attributes comes from Harvard’s Making Caring Common work on university admissions.

Understanding university priorities

We then discuss how a university cannot look for all of the qualities listed by the students, and that each school will have its own focus areas – especially given different institutional priorities.

We also provide an example of a tool that one university uses to rate a particular quality numerically during the admissions process, and tell students where in an admission file the university will look for these qualities. (I was able to do this presentation with a university rep, who explained that their institution tends to focus on the “intellectual” qualities when discussing applicants in committee.)

Role-playing admissions officers

Students engage in a role-playing activity, in which they act as admissions officers for their own school, based on its mission statement.

In small groups, students have to decide on two character traits from among the many choices they feel most closely align with the school’s mission and school community, fostering consensus-building and critical-thinking skills.

Analysing mission statements and admission websites

Students examine the mission statements of several different universities, to identify the character attributes valued by each institution.

We place emphasis on linking a university’s mission to the qualities sought in applicants, promoting a deeper understanding of institutional values.

We also share examples of universities’ admission websites that state the kind of qualities they look for in applicants (Swarthmore and Georgia Tech are useful examples). Finally, we ask students to look at where universities share clues as to what they’re looking for. For example, some universities – such as Bryn Mawr and Amherst – have honour codes. We encourage students to dissect these honour codes, and to find examples of character attributes to match them.

Highlighting character attributes in application materials

We ask students to consider how character attributes might be reflected in the various components of an application, such as personal statements, supplemental essays and teacher or counsellor recommendations. Sample supplemental essays are especially illuminating, as they can be used to reflect the values of the college – but the choice of essay itself also says something about the students. Dartmouth, Colgate, Texas Christian University and Northwestern are good examples to use here.

When looking at counsellor and teacher recommendations, we also provide several sample letters for students to read, so they can see what the adults have chosen to illuminate for each. We discuss with students what they can control in the application process (personal statements, supplementals) and what they can’t (recommendations).

Remembering the value of authenticity

The activity concludes with an emphasis on the importance of authenticity in university applications. Above all, we encourage students to remain true to themselves throughout the process.

By the end of the activity, we hope that students not only develop a more nuanced understanding of the role of character in admissions, but also enhance their ability to align their qualities with institutional expectations. We believe that this equips students with the tools to navigate the complex landscape of university admissions more effectively.