Certain Uncertainty
While we desire certainty, sometimes we have to embrace the opposite.
Throughout the history of our organization, one of the most common questions from counselors is, “Do you have a list of schools that use you?”
When we first started, it was easy to respond because there were only one or two, and we could answer without thinking about it. However, in a matter of months, it was 50+ schools using us, and the question became a bit harder and more nuanced. Now, instead of attempting to hand out a list, we think it’s more important to shift how one thinks about the question.
This was our recent email response to the “Do you have a list?” question:
Hi [NAME REDACTED],
I know that this won’t be the answer that you’re looking for, but we’ve pretty much given up on trying to provide a “list” of colleges that use us. We can now comfortably say that most of the top colleges use us to some degree, but even then, we are not able to definitively guarantee in each case (even when we are on the website!). We do have a technical integration with most top colleges, but other than the fact that the institution set it up, we are not able to see what they do after they receive materials. And even for those schools that don’t have the integration set up, many receive our materials via their documents email.
I wish that colleges were more definitive, but in our experience, in selective admissions, you’re just typically not going to get colleges to confirm how they use optional materials. Each cycle, we even hear about interns manning the front desk saying one thing while we hear something completely different from the VP.
As we joke, the only thing we can guarantee is that colleges won’t see your Glimpse1 if you don’t send it.
I can, however, tell you what we—Gloria and I—told our own kids: We basically said that if they were happy with their InitialView materials, then they should send them everywhere. We also focused on the Virtual Stars, and we even think having kids send follow-up emails (“You’ll note that I gave you one of my Virtual Stars”) is a good idea given how hard it is to stand out during Regular Decision (we know in many cases the Stars make a difference, but we only hear these stories after the fact, unfortunately).
And now we have ECHOs, so make sure to have your students find someone to do them as well.
I hope this helps! As you may know, many IECs use Glimpse on the front end of their own process, as part of the “get to know you” onboarding. That keeps the first draft of the Glimpse low-pressure and gives you important information about students early on. And this hopefully makes it easier when it comes time to submit Glimpses.
At the end of the day, admissions offices want to preserve flexibility for themselves. There’s no way that they are going to box themselves in with definitive language to potential applicants about how they use materials in the process. And, in the defense of admissions offices, they often receive apps in ways they didn’t anticipate. They’ll see a jump or decline in a certain area of their applicant pool and have no idea why. They know that there are some levers they can use to impact their app numbers, but they don’t know the degree to which such levers will be successful. Despite this uncertainty, their senior administration will be focused on app numbers and will be looking for explanations right after the app numbers are tallied.
Since admissions officers won’t know what they’re working with until after deadlines, they want to ensure maximum flexibility—i.e., the maximum amount of tools at their disposal—that will help them craft the class to meet their other goals, like increasing selectivity and yield, satisfying various institutional priorities, and optimizing financial aid.
It’s helpful to understand this dynamic because it explains why the “Does X school use you?” question might not be productive. Instead, we think the applicant should focus on what they can control, and this means trying to be as compelling as possible using the tools at their disposal. “Compelling” should be defined by the student, with perhaps some input from the caring adults and educators in their lives. But once the student thinks they’ve created something compelling, then they should send it everywhere—and forget about it.
While the uncertainty may not be pleasant, it is real life.