University Shortlisting: the ‘good fit’ factor

I once mentored a student who later got admitted to a PhD program in Statistics at Harvard University,while he was rejected by Michigan State University for the same program. Then, someone accepted into an undergraduate program in Columbia University was rejected by University of Texas at Dallas for the same program. On the one hand, I have encountered average students who choose Universities based on US news ranking and select the top 10 universities to apply to, while on the other hand, there are those with above-average profiles looking for mediocre Universities. In both cases, most of the times,they have faced outright rejections. What do all these case have in common? Well, if you think intuitively, you may say that something about these applications was amiss. And you are right! The rejections were a resultant of profile mismatch. This leads us to think of the importance of a ‘good match’ or a ‘good fit’, as some Universities abroad like to call it, as a major consideration for University

shortlisting.To begin with ‘fit’ can be thought of as a lock and key model wherein the lock to the University gates(read admit) open up only if you serve as the right key. This essentially means that your background-academic and otherwise- meet the University’s requirements while your learning objectives and goals align with what the University has to offer. Even though this sounds simple, if you read between the lines, you would notice several components to the seemingly innocuous concept. So let us break the entire idea down to simpler components for further understanding.

Firstly, you need to evaluate your own background and compare it with that of high achievers you know around you. This includes your academic profile and achievements, your class position, extracurriculars and some such factors. The evaluation should always be an indication of your own achievements but this should also be in comparison with others around you. Come to think of this, even when you think you are academically well placed, are a great swimmer and have shown some achievements through Olympiads and MUNs, please do consider that there will probably be a 1000 other applicants who might have done the same or similar activities. How do you outshine them? Well, that is another topic, and is in relation to customized profile building, but first the question needs to be addressed in your mind.

Then there is the consideration of a class type that each University overseas maintains. This is in sync with their infrastructure, faculty profiles and individual philosophies. And they want you to fit in like a glove into their classes. As to whether you would fit in or not is determined greatly by your profile again.

As an example, some University might be academically as well as athletically oriented and usually encourages students who are high achievers in both categories. They would not the really entertain a profile that speaks of decent academic grades and outstanding writing skills. This makes sense, right? So you see, you need to have a profile and preparation that is in parity with all the other students accepted into the program. After all, if you stick out like a sore thumb, you would not want to continue into the program later as well, would you?

Well, that was about what you have to offer, and next we move on to considering what the University has to offer. You will be the best judge of this by first understanding what your career goals are. Have you set a short and long term goal for yourself yet? For example, someone might consider taking up Computer Science with a clear focus of becoming a proficient software programmer working in Google or Microsoft within the 5 years of degree completion and be an entrepreneur developing applications for the music industry within the 10 years that follow. Naturally, this student would be looking for a course that has core courses and electives that offer insights into not only programming languages but

also understanding the software industry, app development and if possible, some allied modules on entrepreneurship and music as well. This would align the course with the career objectives of the individual and make the University want to accept this student. After all, they want you to be a part of the program out of your keenness and not as a compulsion and infact, this very mindset sets universities abroad apart from those in developing nations.

You might have heard of ‘essays’, ‘statement of purpose’, ‘personal statement’, statement of intent’ and the various avatars of these. Well, they seek the kind of clarity as given above. Their sole intention is to understand whether you fit in by means of your preparations and also whether what the University offers would serve your purpose. If these conditions are met, voila!!!, you have an admit. The student admitted to Harvard University fit in well in their intellectual environment owing to his scholarly nature and academic achievements matching that of other PhD students in the cohort as well as a compelling justification on how Harvard would help him achieve his career goals. The same applies for the others.

As a result, the fact that the ‘good fit’ factor is the single-most important consideration in your choice of Universities is clear. You can achieve this by DIY approaches or take help from experienced experts in the field, its your choice. But consider it as your roadmap to success with admissions. Having said that,are you not supposed to have a ‘dream’ school? Of course you are and provided you start early, oftentimes there are ways to orient yourself towards the requirements, but that again is a separate topic worthy of detailed discussion.