Admission committees play a pivotal role in shaping the student body of an educational institution. Each committee serves a unique function, ensuring that the school meets its enrollment management objectives while maintaining its mission and values. Here, we explore three essential committees: the General Admission Committee, the “Risk Committee,” and the “Heads Admission Review Team.” Understanding the purpose and considerations for each group is crucial for anyone involved in the admissions process.
1. The General Admission Committee
Purpose: The General Admission Committee is the backbone of the admission process. Its primary function is to rate and evaluate students based on a predefined set of criteria. These criteria typically include academic performance, extracurricular involvement, personal essays, and recommendations. The committee ensures that the applicants are aligned with the school’s academic standards and community values.
Composition: This committee usually consists of admission personnel, division heads, and faculty members. In some cases, specialists such as learning specialists or counselors are included to provide additional insights into specific applicants.
Considerations: While this committee focuses on objective ratings, it may also consider compositional needs such as diversity in race, gender, or socio-economic background. Adjustments to ratings may occur to ensure that the student body reflects the school’s commitment to inclusivity. It’s important that the committee members are trained to recognize and mitigate biases during the evaluation process to maintain fairness and objectivity.
2. The “Risk Committee”
Purpose: The “Risk Committee” is tasked with evaluating students who may be marginally acceptable based on traditional criteria and present certain risks or challenges. These risks could be academic, behavioral, or related to social-emotional development. The committee’s role is to determine whether the school has the resources and capacity to support these students effectively. When students are sent to the risk committee, it is because there is something about their application that is of interest to the school – VIP, full-pay family, alumni, athlete, or whatever else is of utmost importance
Composition: This committee often includes specialists such as learning specialists, social-emotional counselors or psychologists, reading specialists, division heads, department chairs, and sometimes medical professionals. Their expertise allows the committee to make informed decisions about the potential challenges and needs of the students under consideration. Some schools may use a different committee when it comes to evaluating employees’ children, due to the sensitive nature of managing this group.
Considerations: The “Risk Committee” must balance the desire to provide opportunities to a diverse range of students with the practical limitations of the school’s resources. When admitting students who may require additional support, the committee should ensure that there is a robust plan in place to address their needs. This might involve coordinating with various departments to ensure the student receives adequate support and monitoring throughout their time at the school. The Risk Committee makes a decision about accepting or not accepting.
3. The “Heads Admission Review Team”
Purpose: The “Heads Admission Review Team” is responsible for making decisions about applicants who require special consideration due to their relationship with the school or their status in the broader community. This might include children of employees, siblings of current students, alumni children, or influential and affluent individuals.
Composition: This team typically includes the Head of School, the dean of enrollment, the director of advancement, the director of alumni relations, and division heads. The inclusion of these senior members ensures that decisions are made with a full understanding of the school’s strategic goals and long-term relationships.
Considerations: Special consideration by this committee may involve a more personalized approach to the admission process, such as a direct call to the family after acceptance or a reevaluation of an initial admission decision. This could involve over turning the initial decision of either the General Committee or the Risk Committee.
Conclusion
Each of these committees plays a vital role in ensuring that the admissions process is thorough, fair, and aligned with the school’s goals. By understanding the distinct functions and considerations of each group, admission professionals can work more effectively to build a student body that not only meets academic standards but also enriches the school community in meaningful ways.
