Hard and Soft

When discussing college admissions there is a lot of talk about “Hard” and “Soft” factors. While we know both types are important, let’s go a bit more in depth about what each factor actually does.

A Hard factor is an indisputable fact on your application. These include

            GPA

            Class Rank

            SAT/ACT scores

            Classes taken

            Geographic Location/School

Hard factors are used to evaluate how you performed as a student. Did you take challenging classes or did you just take the bare minimum to graduate? Did you struggle through high school or did you excel? Is a 3.7 average at your school, or is it a miracle demonstrating hard work? Do your board scores compare to other applicants?

These factors are often considered in context. If you go to a school that weights an honors or AP class 1 full GPA point your GPA is going to be higher than a student with the exact same classes who attended a school that weights them .5 of a GPA point. You might go to a school where dual enrollment is the most challenging offering, or you might attend a school where dual enrollment is the “regular” level class. Maybe your school offers free SAT prep classes to all juniors. The admissions committees get a fact sheet about your school (and are probably already familiar with it) and will evaluate these hard factors accordingly.

What are hard factors used for?

First and foremost, a hard factor is used to answer the question, “Can this student handle the rigor of our school?”
Admissions want to take the most qualified students they can, because they want to see their admits go on to thrive. Think of an average SAT score as a benchmark. “We want students who are on this level of ability at math, and this ability in English, because that is the level we teach on.”
This is not to say that every student who is admitted hits that level (obviously not, that’s why it’s a middle 50), but it’s a good indicator that you are able to handle the work.
Secondly, and more obviously, hard factors are used to evaluate you in the context of the applicant pool. If a school has a 30% acceptance rate it’s not any 30% that gets in, it’s the top 30% of applicants.

Hard factors are what will get your foot in the door.
If you’re really overqualified they can get you in.
Hard factors are what will get you merit or academic scholarships

So once you have that foot in the door, that stamp of “this applicant can handle our school” approval, it becomes all about the soft factors.

A Soft factor is a qualitative factor of your application. These include

            Essays

            Resume

            Recommendations

            Interviews

            Interest

            Legacy

Soft factors are used to evaluate who you are. They tell the school what makes you stand out and what makes you tick. There are plenty of people with 3.9s and 30s on their ACTs, but each has a unique story. One may be a champion equestrian who teaches disabled children how to ride horses in her free time. Another might be outstanding at physics and a champion at science fairs who has struggled with severe dyslexia his whole life.

A soft factor answers the question, “What is this student going to add to our school?”
You might have a student body president, a fantastic web designer, and a Olympic-level gymnast who all have the same scores and classes. But each has unique qualities that are going to make the campus thrive and be a great place to go to school.

They want tenacious go-getters who have come from nothing and worked their whole life to get to where they are. They want rich kids from families who have been attending the institution (and donating libraries) for generations. They want small-town kids who have never been outside of the state, but long to travel.

A hard factor might get your foot in the door. A soft factor, your story, that’s what is going to tip your application into the admit pile.

Your hard factors are important, but don’t forget that you’re more than a number on a page; you’re a person who is going to add to the university.
Your soft factors might make the admissions officers cry and bask in the glory of your talent, but if you can’t handle the school, you can’t handle the school.

Make sure to have both sides polished and ready to go, because the application is all about who you are, and every side of you should be shown.