Atlanta Invitational Case Studies

Instructions for Families

! Save this file to an electronic device or print a copy of the applications, profiles, and worksheet
for each participant. Extra copies will not be available at the event.
! Each student or family member should bring his or her copy of the applications to the case
studies event.
! Each participant should complete this worksheet and be prepared to discuss the four
applicants during a mock admission committee meeting.
Admission Committee Worksheet
Kevin
High School
Name and Location
GPA
Class Rank
Rigor of Curriculum
SAT Critical Reading
SAT Math
SAT Writing
Activities,
Accomplishments,
Employment,
Family
Responsibilities,
Leadership, Service,
etc.

Notes and Other

Factors for Admission
Consideration

Holden

Sarah

Jacqueline

Reading Tips for Examining the Applicants Files

Members of an admission committee carefully review information provided by the student and
the high school. To help you read your files, here are a few questions for each section of the
application. Please carefully read the admission cases and take notes on the admission
committee worksheet.
During the case studies, you will make admission decisions for two schoolsMillburn University
and Van Buren College. Familiarize yourself with the profile of each school. Think about the
needs of each. What are the institutional priorities? When you review the applicants, pay attention
to where they fit in each schools profile.
Personal Information
Is there anything about the students background or family information that stands out in relation
to the college to which they are applying? Are there any special circumstances that you should
consider when evaluating the more objective parts of the application?
Transcript
What kind of grades has the student received over the years? Is there an upward or downward
trend? Has the student taken challenging classes? What kind of program does the student plan to
take as a senior is it challenging or weak? What are the students academic interests? If available,
where does the student rank within his or her class?
SAT/ACT Scores
For ease of comparison, our applicants all have SAT results, but colleges gladly accept either the
SAT or ACT. What are the students scores? Are there areas that are significantly higher or lower?
How do the scores fit the score ranges on the college profiles? How important do you think test
scores will be in the evaluation process? Do the scores correlate with the students GPA?
Activities
What has the student done outside the classroom, both connected to school and out of school?
How much time has the student committed to those activities? How much depth is presented? Has
the student pursued leadership roles within those activities?
Essay
Does the essay tell you something about the student beyond the transcript? What did you learn?
What qualities or talents does the student reveal? Do you hear the students voice? Do you get a
sense of the student as a person? Have they done an effective job of telling their story? Is the
grammar, spelling, and punctuation correct?
Letters of Recommendation
What two or three things have you learned about the applicant through the recommendations?
What struck the teacher most about the student? How positive or enthusiastic are the
recommendations? Is there information that will help the admission committee determine how
capable the student is of meeting the academic demands of the college?

Millburn University Profile

Millburn University is a medium-sized institution with an undergraduate enrollment of 10,000,
located in the Midwest in a suburban area not far from a metropolitan center. There is a strong
alumni association that provides generous financial support to the school, and the school has an
active athletic booster club. Millburn University is a competitive school academically. The
university typically admits 40-to-45% of the students who apply.
For a school of its size, class sizes still tend to be relatively small especially in upper level courses,
and there is strong interaction between professors and students. It is a school that seems to attract
active students with a balance of academic and extracurricular interests, and in recent years it has
worked to diversify its student body economically and geographically. The student body as a whole
is well prepared academically and very motivated to succeed. The academic workload is considered
intense by many of the students.
The school is also recognized for the quality of its liberal arts and pre-professional programs. Many
of the students go directly from undergraduate school into medical, law, and graduate school
programs. In addition, one of the top departments in the school is the theatre program. Millburn
has an outstanding theatre faculty, has well equipped facilities including both a spacious
performing arts center and a new state-of-the-art black box theatre, and is recognized as one of the
better theatre programs in the country.
In addition to academics, there is growing momentum to use the athletic programs to support
institutional visibility and fund-raising efforts. Millburn University, a NCAA Division I institution
that offers athletic scholarships, has recently renovated its athletic facilities to support this
initiative, and it is making efforts to field competitive teams in all of its programs.
The average GPA and scores of admitted students for the most recent entering first-year class:
Grade Point Average
GPA middle 50%: 3.45 - 3.75
SAT
Critical Reading middle 50%: 590 - 670
Math middle 50%: 590 - 690
Writing middle 50%: 570 - 670
ACT
Composite middle 50%: 26 - 31

Van Buren College Profile

Van Buren College was founded in 1862 and is generally regarded as one of the finest liberal arts
institutions in the country. Van Buren is located in a small town in the Northeast. The
undergraduate student population of about 1,200 is made up of students from 49 states and 15
foreign countries. The top five most represented states are New York, California, Virginia, Ohio,
and Connecticut.
Particularly strong programs within the liberal arts include: the arts, both visual and performing,
foreign languages, political science, anthropology, economics, and creative writing. An
exceptionally competitive engineering program is built within the structure of the liberal arts; with
a new state of the art science building, students also have the opportunity for individual research.
Classes are small and most are seminar based. Close student/faculty interaction is encouraged,
both in the classroom and in theme-oriented residential colleges. 95% of students live on campus.
Van Buren College competes in NCAA Division III athletics with 26 varsity athletic teams.
Admission is highly selective, with approximately 20-to-25% of applicants admitted. 60% of
students are from public schools and 40% from independent or parochial schools. In making
decisions, the admission committee seeks a talented and diverse student body. Important academic
and non-academic factors include secondary school record (students grades and course of study),
standardized test scores, recommendations, character/personal qualities, essays, extracurricular
activities and talents, alumni relations, and volunteer and work experience. Interviews conducted
by admission officers or alumni are available but optional in the admission process. Alumni
connections are not strongly considered in the admission process. The following profile for
students is numerically based only and does not take into consideration personal qualities and
attributes, which are inherent in the final decision.
The average GPA and scores of admitted students for the most recent entering first-year class:
Grade Point Average
GPA middle 50%: 3.65 - 3.90
SAT
Critical Reading middle 50%: 640 - 700
Math middle 50%: 660 - 720
Writing middle 50%: 630 - 720
ACT
Composite middle 50%: 29 - 33

James Caldwell High School

265 Westville Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006
Students Name: KEVIN STEVEN COLEMAN
GRADE 9 SEMESTER 1
Theatre 1
English 9
World History
Algebra 1A
Physical Education
Science 1
Spanish 1

AB
AB
A
AA-

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 9 SEMESTER 2
Theatre 1
English 9
World History
Algebra 1A
Physical Education
Science 1
Spanish 1

A
A
A
B
A
AA

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 10 SEMESTER 1
Advanced English
World Cultures
Geometry A
Physical Education
Biology 1
Spanish 2
Photography 1

ABB+
A
B
B
A-

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 10 SEMESTER 2
Advanced English
World Cultures
Geometry A
Physical Education
Biology 1
Spanish 2
Photography 1

A
A
AA
BB+
A

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 11 SEMESTER 1
Creative Writing
U.S. History
Algebra 2/Trig Honors
Chemistry 1A
Spanish 3
Advanced Photography

A
B+
BB
C+
A

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 11 SEMESTER 2
American Classics Honors
U.S. History
Algebra 2/Trig Honors
Chemistry 1A
Spanish 3
Advanced Photography

AB+
C+
C+
BA

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 12 SEMESTER 1
Precalculus
English Masters Honors
Physics 1A Honors
Economics
Advanced Photography

BABB
A

5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00

GRADE 12 SEMESTER 2
Precalculus
Shakespeare
Physics 1A Honors
Psychology
Advanced Photography

IP
IP
IP
IP
IP

Cumulative GPA:

3.51

Millburn University Athletic Department

To:
Alice Franklin, Dean of Admission
From: John Pauling, Mens Soccer Coach
Re:
Kevin Coleman, applicant
A few weeks ago I received an athletic recruitment form and videos from Kevin Coleman, and
subsequently I have had several conversations with him and his coach. Based on what Ive seen
and what his coach has told me, I believe Kevin has the ability to have an impact on our program
with the potential to start his freshman year. He has become one of my top recruits. However, I
am recruiting two other players at his position who are even more talented. I may lose one to a
peer institution with a larger scholarship offer, and the other student is deciding between Millburn
and Northwestern. Right now, Id like to place Kevin Coleman near the top of my recruitment
list, pending the decisions made by the other two candidates.
I may move him up to my number one spot, but Ill have a better sense of my support for Kevin in
another week or two. Thanks for your consideration and patience.

Detroit City Public High School

Student Name: Clayman, Holden
Grade 9
Semester 1
English 1 Honors
Spanish 1
Natural Science 1
U.S. History 1
Computer App
JROTC 1

Semester 2
English 2 Honors
Spanish 2
Natural Science 2
U.S. History 2
Algebra 2
JROTC 2
Health

B
B
B
A
A
A
A

B
B
B
A
A
A
A

Semester 2
Chemistry 2 Honors
English 4 Honors
Geometry 2
Independent Sports 2
JROTC 4
Spanish 4
Government

A
B
B
A
A
A
A

Grade 11
Semester 1
AP Chemistry 1
Biology 1 Honors
English 5 Honors
Global Studies
Algebra 3
Piano 1
Spanish AS

A
B
A
A
A
A
A

Semester 2
AP Chemistry 2
Biology 2 Honors
English 6 Honors
Geography
Algebra 4
Piano 2
Spanish AS

A
B
A
A
A
A
A

Grade 12
Semester 1
AP Spanish Language
AP U.S. History
English 7 Honors
Pre-Calculus
Physics 1
Introduction to Engineering
Intramural Sports 1

IP
IP
IP
IP
IP
IP
IP

Grade 10
Semester 1
Chemistry 1 Honors
English 3 Honors
Geometry 1
Independent Sports 1
JROTC 3
Spanish 3
Economics

B
A
B
B
A
A

Semester 2
AP Spanish Language
AP U.S. History
English 8 Honors
Pre-Calculus
Physics 2

C umulative GPA: 3.75

North High School

TRANSCRIPT
Sarah Jane Hartford
4302 Fair Oaks Drive
Evanston, IL 60201

Grade
P
P

Credit
0.5
0.5

P
P

0.5
0.5

Spanish II
H English I
Concert Band
Keyboarding
H Geometry
H Chemistry
N PE / Band

A
A
A
P
B
A
P

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Spanish II
H English I
Concert Band
Keyboarding
H Geometry
H Chemistry
N PE / Band

A
A
A
P
A
A
P

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Grade 10

Spanish III
H English II
H Intl Studies
Symphonic Band
H Algebra II
H Biology
N Drivers Ed

A
A
A
P
B
A
A

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Grade 10

Spanish III
H English II
H Mod World History
Symphonic Band
H Algebra II
H Biology
N PE II

A
A
A
P
A
A
A

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Grade 11

H Spanish IV
H English Lang AP
H US History AP
Symphonic Band
H Pre-Calculus
H Physics
N PE / Band

A
A
B
P
B
A
P

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Grade 11

H Spanish IV
H English Lang AP
H US History AP
Symphonic Band
H Pre-Calculus
H Physics
N PE III

A
A
B
P
B
A
A

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5

Grade 8

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 9

Course Title
Spanish I
Algebra I
Spanish I
Algebra I

Grade 12

Grade 12

Course Title
Grade
H Spanish Lang AP
H English Lit AP
H US Gov AP
Symphonic Band
H Calculus AB AP
Psychology I
N PE / Band
Peer Leaders

H Spanish Lang AP
H English Lit AP
H Economics
Symphonic Band
H Calculus AB AP
Criminal Justice
N PE IV
Peer Leaders

Credit
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.0

0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.0

Weighted GPA: 4.03

Class Rank is 6 of 526

H = Honors
N = Non-academic

!Charlotte Academy"
Charlotte, NC
Academic Transcript
Student Name: Jacqueline Kelley Tucker
Address:
1235 Wooden Valley
Charlotte, NC 28202
Parents:

Timothy and Jennifer Tucker

Course Title
English 1
European History
French II
Mathematics I
Physical Science
Computer I
Physical Education

Level
Honors
Honors

English II
Government/Economics
French III
Mathematics II
Chemistry
Physical Education

Honors

Grade 11

English III
U.S. History
French IV
Mathematics III
Biology
Drama
Environmental Issues

Honors
Honors
Honors
Honors
AP

Grade 12

English IV
Art History
College Algebra & Trig
International Issues
History Elective
Computer III
Computer VI
Psychology
Ceramics

Grade 9

Grade 10

Honors

Honors
Honors

Final
A
AB+
B+
B
B
A

Credit
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
0.5

B+
B+
B+
BC
A

1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5

AB+
B+
B+
B
A
B

1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
0.5

AP
AP

1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
GPA: 3.44