Many American universities change admission criteria

Removing SAT certificates, raising IELTS scores or requiring applicants to know how to solve real-life situations are changes in admissions at many American universities.

At the seminar on studying abroad in the US on the afternoon of November 12 organized by SummitEducation Organization, with more than 15 years of experience in studying abroad consulting, Mr. Kuba Wrzesniewski, PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, and Ms. Le Dieu Linh, BA from Williams College (USA), said that compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic, many American universities have made some changes in enrollment.

Emphasize applicability

According to Mr. Kuba, about 10 years ago, if a candidate had an excellent GPA, combined many extracurricular activities, and could play a musical instrument like the violin or piano, their profile would stand out from the crowd.

However, through consulting and observing the students' results, Mr. Kuba found that the above criteria are not enough for the application to attract attention.

"If before, you just needed to focus on clarifying who you are and how excellent you are, now you have to show how you will use that talent to solve the problems that exist in your country or in the world ," said Mr. Kuba.

Mr. Kuba Wrzesniewski, BA from Harvard University, PhD from the University of California at Berkeley (USA), at the study abroad seminar on November 12. Photo: Minh Huyen — Mr. Kuba Wrzesniewski, BA from Harvard University, PhD from the University of California at Berkeley (USA), at the study abroad seminar on November 12. Photo: *Minh Huyen*

Agreeing, Ms. Dieu Linh gave the example of a student who had the ability to write and loved reading culture, and was admitted. In her application, she said that she had connected with a non-profit organization that had many activities to help develop thinking and use writing skills - to organize workshops for young people.

Another student who was good at programming saw that many Vietnamese people had difficulty learning their mother tongue. He connected with a Vietnamese professor in France and offered to digitize his project of a spelling book for Vietnamese people, helping the project reach more people.

"Academic scores and excellent certificates are not enough. Students must always update and understand how the times change, and how their abilities and strengths are meaningful and useful," said Ms. Linh.

SAT not required

Applications to American universities usually include SAT/ACT scores, English certificates, letters of recommendation, financial statements, CVs or portfolios summarizing social projects, and personal essays. Of which, SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is a test of natural, social, and logical thinking knowledge, which has been widely used for university and college admissions in the US for the past few decades.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, a series of standardized tests have been canceled. As a result, American universities have made the SAT an optional part of their applications. To date, thousands of schools still maintain this policy.

"You may not submit the SAT, but if you have this certificate in your application, you must have a high score to have a chance of being admitted to a top university in the US," Ms. Linh said. For example, with 8 Ivy League universities, admitted students often have SAT scores in the top 25% of those with the highest scores, ranging from 1,500-1,580/1,600.

Therefore, Ms. Linh advises candidates that if they feel it is too difficult to study and take the SAT, or have taken the test 2-3 times without satisfactory results, they should not submit the certificate anymore and spend time and money investing in other elements of the application.

Ms. Le Dieu Linh, a graduate of Williams College (USA), at the study abroad seminar on November 12. Photo: Minh Huyen — Ms. Le Dieu Linh, a graduate of Williams College (USA), at the study abroad seminar on November 12. Photo: *Minh Huyen*

Increase English certificate score

A few years ago, most American universities, except for a few top universities, only required international students to have a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent. But now, many schools have raised this threshold to 7, even 7.5.

"For example, the University of Connecticut used to require IELTS 6.5, now it's 7. The University of Rochester went from 7 to 7.5 IELTS," said Ms. Linh.

According to Ms. Linh, this requirement may stem from the fact that schools no longer require applicants to have SAT scores. Therefore, they need a clearer basis to assess applicants' English proficiency.

In general, Mr. Kuba believes that there is no specific formula to ensure admission to top American universities. However, understanding trends and changes will help candidates and their families prepare better.

"Achievement, sincerity, passion combined with awareness of the world context are what the profile needs," Mr. Kuba emphasized.

Thanh Hang

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