Myth-Busting: How to Get Accepted into Richmond

“How can I increase my chances of admission?”

It’s understandable that this is one of the most common questions we get – websites, consultants, and guidebooks would have you believe that there are hidden tricks that can significantly boost your odds of getting in…if you could just figure out what they are. The truth is, there is no golden ticket. There is no perfect combination of advanced classes, grades, or leadership positions. There is no specific essay topic that seals the deal.

At the risk of oversimplifying it, the best way to improve your chances of admission is to send a great application. At Richmond, and at many other highly selective schools, we practice holistic admissions. This means that we are using the whole application to consider the whole applicant. Certainly, some colleges look at your demonstrated interest, but that is only one piece of a much larger puzzle for those schools. Some colleges offer an opportunity for an evaluative interview, which may be a slightly larger piece of the puzzle. *Disclaimer – Richmond does not use demonstrated influence and does not offer evaluative interviews. I can guarantee you that for all colleges, most of the things that will influence your admission are contained within your application.

The reality is that, by summer and fall of your senior year, just about everything your application reports to us is already set. Think about it – your transcript is getting close to complete (three years of grades behind you, one to go); your senior schedule is set (if you’re a junior reading this check here); your extracurricular involvement is mostly completed; your standardized test scores (if you are choosing to have them considered) are in (or if you’re retaking an exam in the fall you may have one to go). Frankly, there’s not a whole lot you can do at this point to alter what’s in your application – and, thus, your chances of admission – for the simple reason that you’ve already done most of it.

So what can you do. First, keep your grades up. While most of your grades are set in stone, some of the most important ones (your first marking period and semester grades) are still underway. It’s critical that you keep these grades strong, if not stronger than previous years. Dips or slips are red flags to admission committees, and I can’t begin to tell you the number of otherwise excellent applications that our committee has turned down because of lackluster senior grades – applications that were, in many cases, on the verge of admission until those mid-year grades arrived.

Second, make sure your application is conveying your story in a compelling way. Remember, we use the whole application, so make sure each part sings. Use the activities list to its fullest, talk about yourself (your values and goals) in your essays, and strategically select your recommenders. You can look to other Admission Insider's Guide posts – like Crafting a Great Supplemental Essay and Crafting an Effective Activities Resume – to get more specific advice on how best to share your story with us. Put simply, the quality of content is just as important as the presence of content to the success of your application.

There is a third means of improving your chances that comes with a big asterisk. It’s how you apply. At many colleges, Early Decision plans have higher acceptance rates. If you're confident that Richmond is your top choice college, you may be able to improve your odds of admission by committing under an Early Decision plan. While our admitted student profile is nearly identical to other application plans, admission rates are historically higher within the much smaller Early Decision pool. Now the asterisk. *Early Decision is a binding decision plan so if you are unsure if Richmond is an academic, personal or financial fit, then it’s not for you. You should at least consider applying Early Action. It doesn't typically carry the same "boost" that Early Decision does, but it almost never hurts your chances, and it means you find out your decision early and you’ve met our December 1 deadline for our largest merit scholarship consideration.

I hope this post is helpful. I think, when most students ask how they can improve their chances of admission, they’re hoping to hear something other than just, "Keep your grades up and work really hard on your application." But, truly, those two actions will have more impact, proportionally, on your odds of admission than anything else you might do. Try not to spend your time looking for the golden ticket when we haven’t hidden any. If you have questions, reach out to us. I know the college admission process often seems opaque, but in a lot of ways it’s much more straightforward than many sources would have you believe.