But an Admissions Officer Said So

“But an admissions officer said so” is a common refrain we hear from parents and students alike.

You know how for a long time you couldn’t walk into a coffee shop in America without hearing Adele’s “Hello” playing — constantly? It’s a good song certainly, maybe a little sad if you ask us, but to hear it ad nauseam could be a bit overwhelming. Hello, are you there? Anyhow, back to college admissions because you’re not here to read about Adele. You’re here to read about highly selective college admissions. One phrase we were ad nauseam from prospective clients is: “But an admissions officer said so.”

But an admissions officer said so. “But an admissions officer said their school really is need-blind.” “But an admissions officer wrote in a blog that one of the supplemental essays was optional and it wouldn’t adversely hurt students not to answer it.” “But an admissions officer said they don’t discriminate against Asian American applicants.” “But an admissions officer said my high school’s competitiveness won’t be a factor in my admission.” But an admissions officer said…nonsense.

You get the idea. If you’re still there. Hello, are you there? It’s us, Ivy Coach. We do hope we make you smile from time to time. It can be quite dry to write about college admissions every day and variety is the spice of life, they say. But the point is…don’t listen to quite a bit of what admissions officers at any highly selective colleges happen to say. Because they quite often don’t tell it as it is. That’s right. Admissions officers do, sometimes, lie. There, we said it. Gasp. Mic drop. Hello?