Undergraduate
How Decisions Are Made
Saint Michael’s College’s admission standards are competitive. We review every application closely according to the following criteria outlined below, in order of importance.
Overall high school record and strength of college preparatory curriculum (including the senior year of high school)- High school rank in class (in conjunction with the strength of curriculum elected and high school profile)
- Standardized testing scores (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with Writing)
- Application essay (required) and any submitted writing samples (optional)
- Letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, coaches and employers
- The applicant’s record of extracurricular interests, activities and talents
- Campus Visit (This could be a Campus Tour, Group Information Session, or an Individual Information Session. You can register for these on the Campus Visit page.)
Our students tend to be active, engaged members of our residential college community and they bring to the campus a commitment to work hard academically and to contribute to the life of the College. When an application is reviewed by our admission committee, several factors are taken into consideration. As listed above, the student’s high school record is treated as the most important factor in our decision process. We look closely at each applicant’s achievement in a well rounded, rigorous program taken throughout high school. Students who have challenged themselves by selecting honors or AP level courses or taking extra years of a foreign language, for instance, will be strong applicants, provided they are making successful progress. Accepted students generally rank in the top 25% of their high school class.
Other considerations include a student’s test scores (either SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with Writing scores are required) and how the scores relate to the student’s progress in class work. The middle 50% of accepted students for fall 2009 admission scored between 1570-1870 on the SAT. For more information on the SAT, visit collegeboard.com and for more information on the ACT, consult the American College Test Web site. Our Score Choice Policy for the SAT is to consider the highest section scores over all administrations of the test. We strongly encourage you to submit your scores (3757) each time you take the SAT.
Teacher recommendations are often helpful in understanding how well a student has handled the various aspects of high school work, from class participation to reading and writing assignments. We require one recommendation from a current or recent teacher. Additional recommendations from teachers, coaches, employers and other people who know you well are also considered. In addition, we will read each applicant’s essay as a required part of the application. If you choose to submit additional graded work, we will add it to your file.
Your extracurricular resumé is also a factor in our admission process. We seek to enroll students who will be active contributors to our community and therefore seek to admit those applicants who show strong qualities in leadership, character and involvement in activities such as commitment to a volunteer program, an interest in an unusual hobby, performance in the high school theatre productions or a part-time job.
