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Too often there is a disconnect between what families and colleges understand to be important in college admissions. I want to inform families about the college’s point of view and its impact in the review of applications and determination of admission decisions. I also think it is wrong to place blame with parents or families who, themselves, are in part reacting to all the noise, news and unknowns out there.

Confusion stems from the fact that there are many different stake holders and players in the college admissions process. Each views things from its own vantage point and paradigm and is not positioned or inclined to consider impacts beyond its own purview. Each has its own agenda and unwittingly places its own demands on the process without consideration or understanding of the impact on each other, students and families, society and the bigger picture. Confusion for students and families trying to understand and consider the opportunities for an education, the student’s needs and interests, and the differences between colleges too often ensues.

[Stakeholders include colleges, the College Board, the Common Application, high school guidance counselors, educational consultants, the news media, publications like U.S. News and World Report, the test prep and tutoring industry, students, parents, and others. Furthermore, one can consider that the stake holders of "colleges" could be represented variously by admissions representatives, admissions directors, vice presidents of enrollment, presidents, and boards of directors.]

I think that a huge source of the stress experienced by families, parents and students alike, is the result of the market place dynamic at play in college admission. Partly in the name of chasing after rankings and in what has been referred to as an "arms race", colleges are going to great lengths to attract and appeal to a broad range of applicants.

Students and parents often think that admissions decisions are based primarily on assessment of the qualifications of the applicant. Families are unaware of the institutional imperatives and objectives that must be realized and that may supersede the review of individual applications. Little do families understand how hard colleges work to enroll a full class and how deeply they worry about yield. Families don’t know about the impact of ability to pay, what "need sensitive" means, and that early decision plans are advantageous to institutions since they enable them to increase their yield and control enrollment and are a critical part of their enrollment management strategies. Families don’t always know the importance of "demonstrated interest" and that visiting a campus can be interpreted by the college as a proxy for "likely to enroll" if admitted. Families mistakenly conclude that the marketing materials that may fill their email and mail boxes are signs of colleges’ targeted and informed interest in the student. And students and their parents worry incessantly about whether another 50 points on a standardized test or a different phrase on a college essay will render a completely different admissions decision.

Families are also unaware of the counseling role that good college admissions representatives play and often do not understand how available college representatives are to serve as resources. Students often don’t know that they can enter into a dialog, pose questions and expect to receive informed and enlightening responses.

I encourage colleges to more fully consider the perspective of students and families who are trying to make sense of the myriad opportunities for an education and the differences between colleges. That would do a lot to relieve some of the stress they experience and that too often defines and clouds the college search and application process. And I encourage students and parents to become well informed, recognize what they have control over, and focus on educational values, the student’s needs and finding the best college for the student.