Increasing holistic review in graduate school admissions is leaving many top college seniors questioning if a 4.0 grade point average will be enough to gain admittance.

In hopes of avoiding the weak job market, more college seniors are finding increasing value in a master’s degree.  In 2009, the number of graduate school applications received by colleges and universities increased 8 percent from the year before, according to a report released in August by the Council of Graduate Schools.  The Council is a national organization of master’s and doctorate degree institutions that support graduate school education and research in Washington D.C.

As a result of the growing applicant pools, graduate school admissions committees are relying more on holistic review of applications as another way to distinguish students from one another, beyond GPAs.

Lisa Davis, the external relations chair of the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals, said there has always been holistic consideration, but the applications are being scanned more carefully now.

NAGAP, based in Lenexa, Kan., is an organization devoted to providing networking and support opportunities for graduate admissions and recruitment officials. 

“You have so many applicants,” she said.  “You can really pick the cream of the crop, and it creates more competition for admission.”

Growing Contention

The increasing competition requires all applicants demonstrate more than just a 4.0 GPA.Even though GPA indicates a student’s commitment to academic work, not every student with perfect grades gets into graduate school, said Christoph Guttentag, the dean of undergraduate admissions at Duke University.  Although the odds are always better with good grades, a 4.0 is no longer sufficient evidence of a student’s capabilities, he said. 

“Admissions committees will always ask further questions of an excellent student’s life outside of school,” he said.

Therefore, all applicants have to prove they have done more than study in college, and can adjust to and perform in their graduate program

Audrey Fisher, a senior at St. Edward’s University, plans to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and thinks she is capable of much more than just studying. Throughout her undergraduate career, she has been a member of various student organizations and has worked as a research assistant.

“I don’t think a 4.0 GPA…is detrimental in applications, so long as the applicant retains some semblance of well-roundedness,” she said. 

The Importance of Well-Roundedness

Well-rounded students tend to do better in graduate school because they are used to multi-tasking and juggling priorities, said Ramon Gomez, director of community affairs at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Some 4.0 students don’t do as well because they don’t know how to rely on others,” Gomez said. “They sometimes lack that social aspect…the ability to collaborate, share responsibility and be flexible.”

Davis agreed and said if business school applicants, for instance, have very good grades but lack the personal skills that are developed through involvement in other activities, they may not be a good fit for the program.

Anna Alkin, admissions coordinator in the Center for Academic Progress at St. Edward’s University, has witnessed the pressure this additional need creates. She said students with high GPAs often have an overwhelming fear of “Am I doing enough? Do I need another five activities to add to my application?”

The Graduate School Application

Graduate programs require students to complete extensive applications and submit supplement materials so committees can look at every piece, said Nathan Neely, director of admissions at William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Neely said most programs require six components: an application, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a resume, an official transcript and test scores.

“GPA, then, is just one sixth of all those different things,” he said.

Applications are set up to find out what students do outside of class, since student aren’t only doing coursework but are involved in internships, jobs, clubs and other activities.

Eun Lee, a senior at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., is relying on the value of involvement.  As she applies to graduate school, Lee hopes her involvement will make up for the fact that she doesn’t have a perfect GPA.  Lee has been a residential assistant, a member of the Bonner Leader service-based scholarship program, a member of the

Diversity Council and has also maintained a part-time job.

“I know there are plenty of students out there who will have 4.0 but I bet they are not as well-rounded or involved as I am,” she said. “My application will probably contain more of my personal life experiences.”

Different Institution, Different Program, Different StandardsThe specific institution as well as the degree program, changes the way applicants are evaluated. Graduate programs in business, computer science, medicine, engineering and law are known for their focus on GPAs and test scores like the GRE, the GMAT and the LSAT.

Gomez said these programs may put more emphasis on numbers because they are more relevant to the students’ abilities than other parts of the application. But he said other programs, like social work, are more concerned with the student’s involvement. 

“All test grades and GPAs tell us is if the student studied hard or not, or if they are good test-takers or not,” he said.  “For our applicants, it’s not just about academics. It’s about what their passion is, what brought them to social work and the things they’re doing, so it’s the personal narrative, the resume and the letters of recommendations that really give us insight into the student.”

He said students with 4.0 GPAs and near perfect GRE scores have been rejected because their commitment to social work was lacking in their application.

But Alkin also said for most top-tiered universities, like Stanford, Harvard and Yale, it almostalways comes down to the numbers. Although admissions committees will claim they review their applicants holistically, she said this goal is an aspiration but not actual.

“Harvard, as an example, prides itself on the high scores of its admitted students, and they need to keep those numbers high to maintain that status,” she said. “They’re still going to tout those GPAs and GRE scores.”

The average GPAs for accepted graduate students is 3.8 at Harvard medical school, 3.9 at Yale law, and 3.6 at Stanford business school, according to their respective Web sites, implying these schools do value high GPAs in their applicants. 

And because the practices and policies of admissions committees are hard to change, prominent universities and reputable programs that have always relied on numbers may continue to, despite other schools shifting to more holistic review, she said.

At the End of the Day

“There is still no determined formula for the admissions process though,” Neely said. “There really is no rhyme or reason as to what makes a successful student in graduate school,” he said.  “Most programs are looking for good students, not to fill vacant seats with just anyone.”