Admissions Office Organizational Structure
In general, U.S. undergraduate admissions are centralized because high school curricula are similar, and the focus is mainly on a student's overall potential. Graduate programs are more specialized, with each field requiring different skills and qualifications, so admissions are conducted separately by each school and even by department within a school. Thus, the graduate admissions office is roughly divided into two parts:
1. The overall School/College Admissions Office
2. Each department's Admissions Committee
Processing Admissions Applications
About the Online Application
From the moment you begin filling out the online application, all the information you save is theoretically visible to the admissions office, so if you made a mistake, you can create a new account.
However, it is best not to submit the same application again after it has been submitted. If you discover an error, don't worry; simply send an email to the office requesting a correction, and it will be resolved. This will not have any adverse effect on your application, because the staff members making these changes—often called "admissions coordinators"—do not have final decision-making authority. But if you submit a new application, the duplicate will cause two versions of your application to appear in the system, which poses potential risks. For example, your GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL scores may be matched to the incorrect application, leading to incomplete information in your correct application and delaying processing.
Here is the process after an application is received, using my own office as an example. All your information is packaged and processed through a document handling system that processes each application in a streamlined way to ensure it is complete, valid, and meets all requirements.
Application Processing Flow
Step 1: Personal Documents
We verify that your Personal Statement (PS), CV, and two letters of recommendation (some schools require three) are included. Regarding PS, CV, and recommendations, although most systems support various upload formats such as doc, txt, pdf, etc., I personally recommend using PDF for your PS, CV, and recommendation letters for two main reasons:
First, a PDF looks the same on any device, but a Word document can change formatting due to system compatibility issues. When processing applications, I have often seen a one-page resume split into two pages because of formatting, with many elements misaligned.
Second, as mentioned, the admissions office uses a file processing workflow built on a system, and some formats are not well recognized by that system. If the format cannot be recognized, it creates unnecessary trouble. For instance, we may need to go back to your original application, retrieve the uploaded file, and convert it to an easily recognizable PDF, causing unnecessary delays and possible formatting deviations. So, it is best to prepare your documents in PDF from the start to reduce hassles.
Although content is paramount, format decisively shapes the first impression and cannot be overlooked in the application. Final decisions often involve subjective factors, and it would be a shame to miss out on your desired result because of a detail you could have controlled.
Step 2: Test Scores
We verify the applicant's official scores, including TOEFL/IELTS and GRE/GMAT. Here, it is worth noting that the GRE and TOEFL are administered by the same organization, ETS. ETS now sends score reports electronically to institutions. When sending, there is a Cycle Number; jot it down. If the school hasn't received your scores, you can provide the Cycle Number in your inquiry email to help the office locate your scores.
Step 3: Transcript Evaluation
We review and evaluate your undergraduate transcript. This step constitutes the largest portion of our office's workload.
Since U.S. schools are aware that some Chinese transcripts may be falsified, scrutiny of Chinese transcripts has become increasingly stringent in recent years. Once fraudulent behavior is detected, the impact on the applicant is extremely serious. Therefore, applicants should be truthful and can compensate for GPA deficiencies or undergraduate institutional background shortcomings with GRE, TOEFL, or other scores.
Applicants come from all over the world, so we must convert grades from every country into the U.S. 4.0 GPA scale using specific algorithms. So, if you entered a high GPA because your school's algorithm differs from the U.S. one, don't celebrate too early—what you enter is not used as the final basis. Conversely, if the school-calculated GPA is lower than expected, don't be discouraged; the standard algorithm might yield a higher result.
Students from schools that use only A, B, C, D without plus/minus grades may be at a disadvantage, because a B only counts as 3.0 while getting all A's is difficult, so some B's and C's easily drag down the average. Even worse, I have seen transcripts with only "Pass" and "Fail." Unfortunately, because "Pass" lacks differentiation, it can only be counted as 2.7.
Regarding course failures: Here is a point of great concern for many. Transcript evaluation also counts the number of failures. Every transcript is scrutinized for the number of failed courses, which are prominently marked. One or two failures are acceptable if your overall GPA remains high. Five or more failures, however, significantly diminish your chances.
How Failures Are Counted:
On a percentage scale, any score below 60 is considered a failure. If a Chinese transcript indicates a retake at 60 or shows the same course twice with the first attempt at 60 and no credit earned, that is counted as one failure. A "D" is not counted as a failure unless the transcript specifically indicates otherwise; in letter-based systems, only "F" is failure. The "Fail" mentioned earlier is also counted as a failure.
We also refer to each school's transcript legend for evaluation, and if something is unclear, we contact the school for help. The caliber of your undergraduate institution is also considered in the transcript evaluation and assigned a corresponding rating. This rating list varies from school to school based on institutional priorities: some value STEM, others value humanities, so the rankings used differ.
Overall, transcript evaluation is not particularly tricky; students with better grades and from stronger institutions naturally stand out more. However, with the WES and CDGDC dual credential verification system now validating and standardizing student grades before our review, the admissions workload has been significantly reduced.
Step 4: Summary
Overall assessment and verification. First, we double-check all requirements to confirm your file is complete. Then, all the information gathered about you—including standardized test scores and calculated GPA—is compiled into a report, which serves as a summary of your application. This report, along with all your original documents, is forwarded to the relevant department's admissions committee for review.
The review process varies by program, but the most important factors remain GPA, TOEFL/IELTS, and GRE/GMAT, as these are quantifiable and can be ranked. Applicants with outstanding scores are given priority; after all, to advocate admitting a student, one must justify why that student over others, and academic performance as a proxy for learning ability becomes the strongest rationale.
However, applicants with relatively lower scores are sometimes admitted:
First, your essays can express your motivation and explain any shortcomings in your academic record, providing the committee with sufficient reason to believe in your learning ability.
Second, a bit of luck: if there are too many stronger candidates—thousands of applications each year—not every strong application will be discovered and favored.
Ten Things You Must Know About College Applications
Based on a decade of interviews with hundreds of admissions officers, The New York Times compiled ten insights to help you gain admission to your dream school.
Admission decisions are not entirely about you.
When selecting applicants, admissions officers juggle competing goals, such as increasing diversity, meeting international enrollment targets, fulfilling local commitments, maximizing revenue, and more. They seek students who fit a multifaceted institutional need, which is why some valedictorians with straight A's and piles of awards get rejected. So don't assume rejection is solely a personal shortcoming.
Grades and test scores still matter most.
Schools often claim they want to know the real you—a student with rich experiences, unique interests, and outstanding talents. But only when your academic performance (and the rigor of your courses) meets the threshold will you become visible to the admissions reader and have a chance of admission.
You are more than data on a page.
Many admissions deans have noted that after identifying a large pool of academically qualified candidates, differentiation becomes key. Through essays, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and other evidence, they look for qualities like leadership, risk-taking, emotional intelligence, intellectual passion, initiative, critical thinking, curiosity, empathy, optimism, grit, resilience, perseverance, and more.
Show your authentic self through varied formats.
Amid an ocean of polished and self-promotional essays, universities yearn for genuine insight into applicants—their real experiences, passions, and goals. Some admissions officers believe that alternative formats such as videos, photos, audio clips, or certificates can provide a richer picture. For example, a student could submit a video demonstrating leadership and impact on others. Top schools like Yale and the University of Chicago have recently introduced such options. Submitting non-traditional materials may work to your advantage; whenever there's a way to enhance your candidacy, it's worth trying.
Diversity is valued.
Many schools emphasize diversity and actively seek to enroll students from a wide range of backgrounds. Therefore, highlighting your background and how your personal narrative intersects with your academic record in essays and interviews can be effective. Admissions officers are increasingly considering socioeconomic factors, such as the quality of your high school, to better understand the opportunities you've had and the challenges you've faced.
But money still matters a great deal.
At many institutions, financial circumstances are a factor in admissions. The ability to pay full or partial tuition is a plus. Some otherwise qualified but financially disadvantaged students may be turned away simply because of insufficient funds.
Geography can partly determine your fate.
Many selective colleges aim for geographic diversity and want students from all over the country and world. However, there are disparities: some colleges demonstrate a clear urban-rural gap. A number of institutions have attempted to bridge this by paying extra attention to strong applicants from less densely populated areas. Generally, all else being equal, schools may favor students from highly urbanized areas, very remote regions, or out-of-state locations.
Legacy status does not guarantee admission.
Being a legacy applicant does help, but selective schools also reject many such candidates. Don't assume that connections alone will secure your spot.
Do good.
Schools are paying more attention to applicants' daily conduct, especially actions taken to help others and the behaviors they exhibit. Admissions officers are increasingly skeptical of short-term or one-off charitable activities. Volunteering weekly as a tutor at the library is more impressive and meaningful than flying to another city for a brief charity project.
Schools want to be your first choice.
About one in five colleges considers demonstrated interest quite important. Engaging with admissions via email, visiting the campus—these actions show genuine enthusiasm. Applicants who exhibit strong interest, are clearly committed to a first-choice school, and are less concerned about financial aid can gain an advantage in early decision.
How to Become the Type of Student U.S. Admissions Officers Love?
Many parents and students still fixate on rankings and scores when applying to top U.S. colleges. But American higher education emphasizes quality education, and admissions officers favor students with distinctive traits.
Here are the qualities admissions officers value most. Do you possess them?
PASSION
In China, where society obsesses over scores, it is rare to see children persistently pursue their true interests and achieve meaningful results. Instead, schools pragmatically chase college admission rates, parents pragmatically chase rankings, and children are forced to abandon hobbies deemed "useless."
We constantly label children's interests—this is acceptable, that is not. For example, playing video games is often forbidden. Yet American universities, especially elite institutions, highly value whether a student is passionate about their chosen field: first, whether they stick with it, and second, whether they have the ability to persist. If someone becomes the national or world champion in a game, who can say that person lacks ability?
ADVERSITY QUOTIENT (AQ)
We often hear about IQ (Intelligence Quotient)—a measure of general intellectual ability across various tests.
EQ (Emotional Quotient)
EQ, or Emotional Quotient, refers to one's emotional intelligence—the ability to manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others.
What top colleges truly look for is a student's AQ—Adversity Quotient.
Although IQ and EQ are often discussed, AQ is the most critical because it determines whether you can push through pressure, overcome difficulties, and turn crises into opportunities. Without AQ, even a high IQ and EQ may go unused as willpower fades.
Simply put, AQ is the courage and determination to start over after falling down.
Renowned STEM institutions like MIT seek to cultivate students with the potential to become scientists. No scientific experiment succeeds on the first try; what matters is the ability to persist through thousands of failures, like a desert rose that blooms after enduring the harshest conditions.
CREATIVITY
A survey jointly conducted by the China Youth Research Center and Beijing Normal University's Department of Education found that among students who raise their hands to ask questions during class, only 13.8% are elementary school students, while among middle and high school students, this figure drops to just 5.7% and 2.9% respectively! This data came from a survey of 3,737 students across 10 provinces and cities in China.
In other words,
The more students attend school, the lower their imagination!
Chinese families are well aware of this, so when creativity is mentioned, parents immediately send their children to learn painting, music, or other arts. But creativity is not confined to the arts; it more often reflects originality—the ability to quickly and simply devise the cleverest solution, fueled by a passion for seeking knowledge.
Many U.S. universities do not prescribe a core curriculum for freshmen—Brown University, an Ivy League school, is a prime example. Starting their very first year, students must design their own curriculum, which increases academic freedom but also places greater responsibility on students for their own learning. How they choose courses becomes one of their first major tasks.
CURIOSITY
Curiosity and creativity go hand in hand. Many have heard the Western adage "Curiosity killed the cat." As a result, from an early age, many children are stopped from exploring, ostensibly "for safety's sake."
Compared to curiosity, China seems to place a higher premium on students' memorization skills. An assessment by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) of 21 countries found that Chinese students ranked first in calculation ability but last in imagination and fifth from the bottom in creativity. Furthermore, only 4.7% of Chinese elementary and secondary students believed they possessed curiosity and imagination, and only 14.9% wished to cultivate these traits.
HONESTY & COMPASSION
On the topic of honesty, U.S. universities place exceptional weight on it. They believe that a capable and promising student is built on a foundation of being an honest and kind person.
Perhaps some universities in China have loopholes that lead students to take chances, but in the U.S., any attempt to take shortcuts can result in severe consequences. American universities impose extraordinarily strict penalties for cheating and any form of academic dishonesty; they consider it a very serious offense. For example, simply glancing at a neighbor's exam during a test could lead to expulsion.
The same applies to applying to U.S. universities. Let alone the authenticity of grades, the genuineness of application essays is equally vital. Many students—or agents they hire—use templates and hope to get away with it. But an admissions officer typically reviews 30 to 40 applications a day and usually has over ten years of experience. Such shortcuts only create obstacles for your application.
