How Crimson Education Uses Data To Decrypt What Universities Are Looking For

When considering whether to work with a college admissions consultancy, you may wonder: how do they know what exactly it takes to get in?

The reality is that no consultancy can, or should, guarantee admission. However, top consultancies, armed with mountains of data from working on thousands of applications can tailor their support to reflect the latest trends and developments in college admissions.

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Smart Data Science Teams Can Decipher University Priorities

Every year, universities make strategic decisions about the composition of their incoming class. Guided by departmental needs and overarching goals, admissions officers shape a student body that aligns with the university’s priorities — such as filling gaps in underrepresented departments or accommodating popular majors. For example, if a university boasts well-established Slavic Studies or Comparative Literature departments, they have a responsibility to enroll a certain number of students who will take advantage of what these departments and accomplished faculty have to offer.

While the best admissions consultancies may not know the exact enrollment goals of each university in a given year, they can often triangulate different data sources to infer departmental priorities. For example at Crimson Education, our data science team uses proxies such as faculty-to-student ratios to create proprietary major competitiveness indices by university, which helps us guide students towards the most strategic majors (a high faculty-to-student ratio is usually a leading indicator of lower major competitiveness).

The Larger the Consultancy, the Greater the Data Edge

As the largest consultancy in the world, Crimson Education is also able to leverage its own confidential data — thousands of data points from historical student acceptances and rejections — to best understand exactly what it took for their students to get into each university. Because Crimson students have received over 1000 acceptances to the Ivy League, we're able to quickly see, analyze, and predict shifts in the ever-changing admission’s landscape by analyzing successful and unsuccessful Common Apps and essays.

Such insights can reveal valuable details: the average number of AP courses taken by successful Harvard applicants from Massachusetts who are looking to major in STEM fields, the typical GPA or SAT/ACT score for Yale admits from Public Schools in California, or the specific Summer Programs and Competitions that feature most often in Stanford’s incoming class. These patterns and trends decoded over time are invaluable in our quest to serve competitive students aiming for the most selective schools.

Identifying and analyzing trends is key in any situation where optimizing the ability to predict results is paramount. Think perhaps of analysts who predict moves in the stock market or economists who are able to identify forward-looking trends in inflation and consumer spending. These are just some examples of how access to data can increase the chances of positive outcomes, and in the case of college admissions, an acceptance letter when notification day rolls around.

Of course no one but the institution is privy to internal departmental guidelines, priorities, and recommendations, but reliable, expert, data-driven consultancies — with access to over a decade of proprietary information and expert minds to analyze it — can significantly support their students in making the most of their hard work, determination, skills and experiences to give them a better shot at gaining admission to their dream colleges.

The Consultancy Advantage

To enhance your chances of admission to your dream school, Crimson Education offers various avenues of support. Whether you need assistance with essays, SAT prep, academic tutoring, or extracurricular recommendations, our team is here to help. We've been instrumental in aiding thousands of students in discovering and evaluating colleges that suit their academic and personal preferences.

Our admissions experts provide invaluable insights, guidance, and support throughout the college search and application process. With our extensive knowledge of various colleges, including small colleges, we can recommend institutions that align with your academic interests, extracurricular pursuits, and cultural preferences.

Beyond helping students discover their ideal colleges, our admissions experts offer additional services to streamline the application process. They provide guidance on crafting compelling applications, including writing strong personal statements or essays tailored to each school's unique characteristics. Additionally, they offer advice on navigating the financial aid process and assisting students in exploring scholarship opportunities, grants, and other forms of financial assistance.

For comprehensive admissions guidance, Crimson Education is your one-stop shop, offering assistance in every aspect of the application process.

Final Thoughts

At Crimson Education, we're dedicated to helping students find the perfect fit for their academic journey. Our team of admissions experts offers personalized guidance throughout the college search and application process, helping students discover and evaluate colleges that align with their preferences.

With our comprehensive approach to admissions guidance, students can confidently navigate the process and find their ideal academic home for future success.

To set up a free consultation with one of our admissions experts, click here.