The competitive college-admission process has many high school students in a frenzy over grades, activities, and testing. Jay Mathews' recent column in The Washington Post, 5 Wrong Ideas About College Admission, adds some needed perspective.
The myths he spells out give hope to the less-than-perfect student. Mathew's wrong ideas:
1. Colleges are impressed by a lot of extracurricular activities.
2. The more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes and tests, the better.
3. Every high school grade counts.
4. A student has little chance to get into a top school without an SAT prep course.
5. The harder a college is to get into, the more it will ensure a bright future.
For more detail on why these pieces of conventional wisdom are flawed, see Mathew's full piece here.
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