A beautiful string of pearls is more than just one pearl. A forest is more than just one tree. These were two images used by international admissions officers from Hamilton College and Gettysburg College to talk about how college applications are reviewed during a session hosted by DGS last night (September 7).

Each pearl, each tree can represent a different part of an application: academic results, essays, recommendation letters, a club a student has started, or a project they have worked on. Students can easily become focused on the individual trees: another activity, another certificate,  another project or achievement to make my application stronger. But as our speakers reminded us with the saying “Don’t miss the forest for the trees” an application does not necessarily become stronger simply by adding more trees, what matters is the bigger picture. When all the pieces come together, when the pearls form a string and the trees form a forest, admissions officers should be able to see a clear, consistent, and authentic picture of who the student really is.

One of the highlights of the session was the Mock Admissions Case Study, where students and parents stepped into the role of admissions officers themselves. They reviewed sample applications and had to make the call: admit, deny, or waitlist. The experience brought the idea of holistic admissions to life and sparked even more questions from DGS students, giving them the chance to continue the conversation directly with the two admissions representatives.

These are the kinds of connections DGS hopes to create for our students. Having the opportunity to listen, ask their own questions, and engage directly with people who work in international university admissions can help students find answers to what is on their minds. More importantly, these conversations encourage them to ask better questions, reflect on what matters to them, and gradually make more informed choices about their own future.