The Hidden College Admissions Data That Can Change Your Application Strategy
August 26, 2024 | By Daniel Strom
The Common Data Set.
Have you heard of it? My guess is you haven’t, primarily because colleges don’t exactly want you to know about this data. However, they are required to publish it each year.
And it’s incredibly important.
Think about your dream college for a second. Wouldn’t it be great to have access to data that shows exactly how many admitted students to that college scored below 1300 on the SAT? Or how about how many admitted students decided not to submit test scores? I’m sure you’re also wondering whether this college even cares about applicants’ demonstrated interest.
All of this is covered in each college’s Common Data Set, which you can find by a quick Google search.
For example, if you are interested in applying to New York University, Google “NYU Common Data Set”.
And there you have it.
Below, I will post screenshots of the most critical data that can be gathered from NYU’s Common Data Set from 2021-22.
What do you notice about this data?
Perhaps you noticed that NYU recommends high school students take four years of all academic core courses (including foreign languages) to be a strong candidate for admission. You may also notice that they don’t require nor “recommend” visual or performing arts courses. However, this does not mean that admissions officers are discouraging you from taking these courses. The importance of this will vary based on which major you decide to apply for, and the overall theme of your application.
Yes, we’ve hit the motherlode! These are the criteria that NYU admissions officers consider when making decisions. You probably have a few questions:
What do they mean by “rigor of secondary school record”? Will I be penalized if my school doesn’t offer many honors courses?
Colleges value students who challenge themselves academically. Taking honors, AP, or IB courses demonstrates intellectual curiosity, a commitment to learning, and the ability to handle college-level work. However, not all high schools offer many advanced courses, and admissions officers are mindful not to penalize students who have limited offerings at their high school. For example, if Student A attends a small rural high school that only offers 2 AP courses, while Student B attends a large suburban high school that offers 15 AP courses, admissions officers cannot expect Student A to take as many AP courses as Student B. Hence, their applications will not be compared to each other in the same way that two students at the same high school would be.
But I thought NYU was test-optional! Why do they say test scores are very important?
Yes, they are test-optional, and as you can see in the screenshot below, only 32% of admitted students submitted SAT or ACT scores.
HOWEVER, remember that NYU has one of the most flexible requirements for submitting test scores, as they also allow applicants to send in a variety of other scores in lieu of the SAT or ACT.
3. How do colleges know about my character/personal qualities?
You’ve likely poured dozens of hours into your college applications, and if you’ve done a solid job following your Application Brand, your character will shine through organically. Through all of your essays, free-response answers, honors/awards, and recommendation letters, admissions officers will develop a reasonable sense of who you are and what you can contribute to their university.
4. How do I know if I should submit my SAT/ACT scores?
Below are the score distributions for admitted students. I typically don’t recommend submitting scores if you are under the 50th percentile, but this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Again, it’s all about the context of what type of high school and background the student comes from, and the resources available to them, among many other factors.
5. How do I show “demonstrated interest”?
Excellent question. Read my blog on this topic.
By understanding and utilizing the Common Data Set, you can make more informed decisions about your college application strategy and increase your chances of admission. Take the time to research and analyze the CDS for each school you’re interested in – it’s a valuable tool that should not be overlooked.
About Daniel Strom
Daniel Strom co-founded Elite Scholar Advising, which provides tailored advice to college applicants worldwide. He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and the Kellogg School of Management, where he also developed admissions experience through his role as an admissions representative. In addition, he also served on the Northwestern Alumni Admissions Interviewing Council. Daniel has helped hundreds of college applicants across the world realize their full potential by gaining admission to their dream schools.