Selection Commitees: Any second-hand stories about what goes on in there?

[Rezzy S.]

After being both pleasantly surprised and disappointed with varous programs’ decisions and seeing others feel the same, I’m dying to know if anyone has heard from professors or others about what goes down “in the room where it happens” (any Hamilton fans out there?). Of course some programs look at stats, others the whole applicant, and so on. But how do they go from 40 perfect candidates to 20? Are there debates among comittee members, coin tosses, etc?

[magnetite]

If you're interested in a perspective from an astronomy department, the following article is a really good read:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/01/29/the-other-side-of-graduate-admissions/#.XH2CVVNKjOQ

[Aspire_to_Be]

My biggest goals in life, aside from being an SLP

 

1) be a university professor/lecturer

 

2) achieve higher positions within the SLP world

 

3) be part of an admissions committee

 

ill answer all questions when number 3 happens 

[Rezzy S.]

24 minutes ago, Aspire_to_Be said:

My biggest goals in life, aside from being an SLP

1) be a university professor/lecturer

2) achieve higher positions within the SLP world

3) be part of an admissions committee

ill answer all questions when number 3 happens 

lol I'll be here waiting ?

[SLPmb]

On 3/13/2019 at 11:43 AM, Rezzy S. said:

After being both pleasantly surprised and disappointed with varous programs’ decisions and seeing others feel the same, I’m dying to know if anyone has heard from professors or others about what goes down “in the room where it happens” (any Hamilton fans out there?). Of course some programs look at stats, others the whole applicant, and so on. But how do they go from 40 perfect candidates to 20? Are there debates among comittee members, coin tosses, etc?

I've wondered this myself and have spent a lot of time researching the decision process to understand what they look for. The truth is that not being accepted into a program does not necessarily mean you were not just as qualified as the admitted students (I hope everyone realizes this). After looking at GPA, Letters of Rec, GRE scores etc., the admissions committee is trying to create a diverse cohort. This is important to remember. They don't want every applicant to have the same background or same research/clinical interests. Your acceptance can really be influenced by the pool of applicants applying the same year as you. To be competitive, an applicant can attain strong grades, strong GRE scores, excellent statement, strong LORs, and clinical or research experience. What that same applicant cannot prepare for are the other factors an admissions committee at a particular programs needs that year. In sum, the committee is looking for fit. Not only fit with the program's need, but also how you fit with the other selected applicants.