We're well into the Early Action review process here on December 6th, and while we have talked a lot about the academic portion of our review, our admission counselors spend just as much time carefully considering the subjective, non-academic pieces of each application. At PC, we feel lucky each year to have a very talented applicant pool, in terms of high school academic performance. What this means is that we see many more "qualified" candidates (students who we believe could succeed academically at PC based on their high school curriculum and performance) than we have space in our freshman class for. So, how do we make distinctions when considering students who look very, very similiar academically?

The answer is that we look beyond the transcript, and use the non-academic pieces of each student's application to get a sense of who that student is on the personal level, and also what they will bring to our campus community outside of the classroom. First and foremost, we want to enroll a strong academic freshman class... but, we also don't want to have 1,000 incoming freshman who sit in their residence halls or the library 24/7. PC has always been known for our vibrant, active, involved community, and to continue to have that type of environment on campus, the admission committee will select students who show us that they have been similiarly involved during their four years of high school.

What kind of involvement do we look for? All different kinds! We have over 70 student clubs and organizations; 19 Division 1 sports teams; an incredibly active and dedicated Campus Ministry organization; opportunities for actors, musicians, and dancers in our Smith Center for the Arts; and so many more ways to get involved. In other words, when we look at high school involvement, we don't see one certain activity as "better" than another. We are looking for a wide range of different activities to be represented by the students in our freshman class.

In the group of applications I've read so far, I have found 3-sport athletes, Student Council Presidents, students deeply committed to community service, students who work more than 20 hours per week during the school year... and many other kinds of involvement. Rest assured, regardless of what you are involved with inside or outside of your high school, these activities and/or work experiences will be strongly considered by our committee on admission.

One last note on activities... Remember, it's not the quantity of your involvement, but rather the quality that will make your extracurricular profile stand out. Dedication to two or three activities where a student has taken on a true leadership role often makes more of an impact than a student who is "involved" in 15 different organizations - but not necessarily committed to any of them. We're not looking for the students with the longest activity sheets, but rather the students who have shown true dedication, commitment, and leadership to the activities they have been involved in, and will bring those qualities to our campus community next fall.