Parents being illegal immigrants, poor grammar, misspellings, inconsistent or missing information, resident aliens w/o a TOEFL score, and a host of other things a college might consider a red flag.
Here is my video response to the question.
You have worked hard in high school and gotten good grades. As a senior, you are planning to kick back and have a good time. You may want to reconsider this plan as admissions officers are quick to notice a student who puts their academics on autopilot during the senior year. This will be a definite red flag. The curriculum in your senior year should show a deep commitment to rigorous course work. Pay special attention to courses that align with your college interests. For example, if you plan on majoring in English consider taking an extra course in English that is of special interest to you. Another good option, is to consider taking courses at the local community college. You are going to have to wait until after graduation for your rest and relaxation. Senior year is the time to show colleges that you are a serious student.
It can be a problem when an applicant chooses a highly selective major but does not have the academic background to support that major. Colleges will look for high-level prerequisite courses and strong grades before they admit a student to a selective, competitive program. Students can also avoid red flags by participating in an internship, summer or after-school program that will allow them to investigate and demonstrate their interest in a special subject. And finally, it’s a good idea for students to write a convincing and passionate essay about their interest in their major of choice.
A student, who has strong test scores but poor grades or vice versa, sends a very clear message to a college admissions office; he might be perceived as a “bright underachiever” or a “grade grind” without real intellectual abilities. Having a consistent profile can be key to having a successful outcome. For a student, with a high GPA to have any D’s or C’s on their transcript would indeed be a “red flag” and might require an explanation. Additionally, if a student’s English grades and Critical Writing SAT scores are not in line with the quality of his or her essays that will certainly set some alarms off. At selective colleges, there is the expectation that a student would challenge herself to the extent of her abilities. So, a student with a high GPA but no or limited AP level classes might be seen as inconsistent and lacking in genuine achievement.
Not using your own voice in your essay: College admissions officers are experienced professionals — and they read hundreds of essays every application season. They are intimately familiar with the writings of high school students. Grammar mistakes and misspelling: Please proofread your essay and application–and do not depend on spellcheck. Follow the directions: Did you answer the question? Readers have no sympathy for you if you cannot follow simple directions.
Students often make mistakes when they try to complete a college application in the midst of doing other things, as in texting friends, talking on their cell phones, playing computer games, or listening to music. Therefore, the first rule for completing applications is to find a quiet, organized space free of any distractions and give yourself a block of time (as in an hour or two, once or twice a week) to work just on applications.
For international students, their application normally done by agencies so the red flags are everywhere. for domestic students, taking the SAT tests more than three times is one of the example of red flags. in other cases, if the student has nothing to share what he or she did during the spare time with no activities whatsoever, including summer time, that’s a huge red flags.
Short Answer:
Academically, students should offer an explanation for progressions that will raise concern in the admissions office. It’s always better to fill in the blanks yourself than to leave it to the imagination of a reader/committee.Here are some common items that warrant explanation: 1. Transferring high schools (particularly for junior or senior year) 2. Outlier low grade 3. Significantly changed performance from one year to another (or semester to semester) 4. Altering the level of course (changing from Honors to non, or vice versa) 5. Dropping a core academic course
In the competitive admissions process you need to offer something that makes you stand out from the rest, but you want that something to be positive. Different, but negative does not help. A raft of unrelated activities can be seen as a lack of commitment and while there is a recognition that a student may still be finding their passion, there must be something that interests you enough to make at least some commitment. An erratic, up and down, academic performance is never good. Even if the overall record is not great, some level of consistency is important—and if there is variation, then an upward trend is certainly preferred. Lackluster recommendations are not very helpful either. The recommendation itself says much but equally telling is the fact that you could not find someone who could be more positive about your efforts. The application needs to show the school why you should be part of their community
Common red flags for application readers would be: *a sudden dip in grades with no explanation *a discrepancy between gpa and test scores with no explanation *a strong transcript, but lacks the rigor the school offers *a poorly executed essay *incriminating letters of recommendation
Beyond poor proofreading, incongruities can hurt you. This means if you have a high gpa and low SAT score or vice versa. You want all parts of the application to affirm who you are.
A downward trend in grades, i.e. going from As and Bs to Cs and Ds is the most common red flag. Similarly, if a student has taken a lot of honors and AP courses and then shifts to a less rigorous curriculum, it will raise questions. Some colleges will also be alarmed if they see an excessive amount of unexplained absences on a student’s transcript.
Two very common “red flags” that can be detrimental to an applicant are:
Poor grammar or text speak is a pretty poor first impression. Putting the wrong name of the college at the top of your essay or an arrest record are pretty big red flags that go up for us. Slacking off your senior year is another red flag for admissions. If you were making excellent grades and then your grades plummet your senior year or you barely take an English class because you would rather go home and sit by the pool…Red Flag!
In terms of the application itself, failure to follow application directions can really hurt you. Sloppiness and mistakes that might indicate cutting-and-pasting between applications should also be avoided.
Some basic red flags that could impact how an admissions officer views you is your academic record and involvement in extra-curricular activities. If for instance, you did not take 3 or 4 years of the core subjects they might raise an eyebrow. If your academic performance is very inconsistent, they might wonder why. Also, if you have not participated in anything outside of school (including jobs, volunteer work, clubs, sports, etc) they might wonder how you have been using your time. After all, they do not want to admit a student who is going to stay in his room all the time and not be an active member of the campus community.
Drop in grades, and no rigor in courses taken.
Parents being illegal immigrants, poor grammar, misspellings, inconsistent or missing information, resident aliens w/o a TOEFL score, and whatever else a college might consider a red flag.
In my experience the most common red flags are areas where students either neglected to include information, or entered information that was incorrect, or had one of their parents fill out the application. The former is a sign of sloppiness, the second one is a greater problem in and of itself.
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