A Look Inside the Admission Conclave This week, as the final college decisions are announced, The Choice blog is running a series of posts dedicated to the climax of the admissions season. This piece illustrates what happens behind the admissions door. - Tanya Abrams The Vatican is not the only institution undergoing a deep process of discernment and debate this month. Seniors from high schools across the country are waiting anxiously for the white smoke to billow up from the rooftops of college admission offices. From the outside, the college admissions process might seem random, impersonal and elite. While imperfect in many ways, the truth about what happens behind the closed doors of the ominous admission committee might be surprising. Behind the Admissions Door A window into the back room of many admission offices would reveal some of the finest educators and counselors in the profession, pumped full of sugar and caffeine, combing over the application files of thousands of candidates. As with the Roman Catholic cardinals, the list has already been culled based on established criteria. In many cases interviews have been conducted and references checked, and then the most meaningful work begins. When a college says that an application is in review by the admission committee, it can evoke images of a dark room with leather chairs and cigar smoke thickening the air as old college deans haphazardly determine an applicant's fate based on his or her pedigree. This could not be further from the truth, even at Ivy League institutions where admit rates dip into the single digits and application numbers rise exponentially every year. While this could have been the scene 50 years ago, today one would encounter professionals engaged in debate about an individual student's fit for the college and the unique contributions that each applicant offers. Late Nights in Committee Perhaps there is the perception that a dart is blindly thrown at the wall and that each application is stamped "admit" or "deny." In fact, admission officers often discuss individual cases at length, delving deep into a student's educational and personal background and exploring the traits that set him or her apart. Often, multiple readers comb through each file, and then hours are spent as each dean advocates for the students from their territory, while trying to remain sensitive to the many factors that affect enrollment management. From my days as a college admission officer, I remember the exhaustion of late nights in committee speaking on behalf of my applicants. As a high school counselor I am inspired by the care with which my admission colleagues review a student's file and the passion with which they seek to make the best fit for student and institution. I frequently take phone calls from admission deans hoping for more information on a student or digging for fodder in their efforts to argue an applicant's case in committee. Turning Away Qualified Candidates There is only one pope. Though there are many viable candidates, the cardinals must choose the individual who is right for the Catholic Church at this time in history. Likewise, colleges have evolving institutional priorities and must thoughtfully sculpture their incoming freshman class. The reality is that there are limited beds and insufficient financial aid available to accommodate the wealth of qualified applicants. This makes for painful decisions, not only for the applicant, but also for the invested admission officer who has shepherded an applicant through this process. Are there some schools that, because of the volume of applicants, rely primarily on numerical indices? Sure, but even some large universities have a very personal process that considers the whole student. There are as many committee models as there are institutions, each differing in composition and depth. As it is often said, college admission review is an art and not a science. Be they artist or scientists, rest assured that though imperfect, this is a well-intentioned process even if, in the end, the papacy will not be yours. Brennan Barnard is the director of college counseling at the Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H.