Published & Updated: July 23rd, 2025 | By Jeremy Fine
I’ve been working with students and families at ConnectPrep for years, guiding them through every twist and turn of the college admissions journey. But in an age when AI is rewriting the rules of learning and work, our admissions process is due for a radical rethink. How can we build a system that serves today’s teens and tomorrow’s graduates more effectively?
Below, I break down the key challenges and offer a vision for a more agile, student-centered admissions model complete with the strategies we use at ConnectPrep to help every applicant shine. I’ve also included insights from admissions leaders and industry professionals, with fully updated sources from 2024-2025.
1. The Outdated Timeline
- Problem: Application deadlines still cluster from November through January. This rigid structure forces a frantic scramble, leaving little time for the iterative improvement that defines modern work and learning.
- Solution: AI-Driven Deadlines & Micro-Milestones
- Imagine students applying on a rolling basis, with AI platforms assessing readiness based on real-time academic and extracurricular data.
- We encourage breaking the process into bite-sized checkpoints—a draft focusing on “Why this major?” by October, test-prep benchmarks by November, and a polished final essay by December. As noted by NACAC, a focus on smaller wins builds confidence for the larger journey.
2. One-Size-Fits-All Essays
- Problem: The standard personal statement and supplemental essays often lead to canned responses and student burnout.
- Solution: The Portfolio Approach
- Instead of relying solely on essays, students can curate a multimedia “admissions portfolio” to showcase their skills.
- MIT actively encourages this, providing options for students to submit a Creative Portfolio (art, music, performance) or a Maker Portfolio to demonstrate their technical and creative talents. This allows students to present tangible evidence of their passions in a way that’s far more powerful than words alone.
3. The Nuanced Role of Test Scores
- Problem: The debate around SAT and ACT scores often misses the point. The challenge isn’t just that scores can correlate with socio-economic status, but that they represent a single data point for a dynamic human being.
- Solution: Holistic AI Review & Data-Driven Policy
- Top universities are now using data to create more nuanced testing policies. After a deep analysis, Dartmouth reinstated its testing requirement in early 2024.
- In the official announcement, President Sian Leah Beilock explained the rationale: “Our analysis makes clear that the SAT and ACT are a key tool for us to identify talented students from across the socioeconomic spectrum.” This shows that, when used properly, test scores can advance equity, not hinder it.
4. Personal Brand: Crafting Your “Why You?”
At ConnectPrep, we excel at helping students uncover their unique personal brand to answer the crucial “Why You?” question.
- Discovery Workshops: We map each student’s achievements and values to key narratives that resonate with admissions officers.
- Story Arc Development: Students weave their interests into a cohesive story. This is critical because top schools want to know who you will be on their campus.
- In a September 2024 statement about the incoming class, Yale’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Jeremiah Quinlan, celebrated students as leaders and innovators, saying, “I know they will inspire one another for the next four years and beyond.” A strong personal brand demonstrates how you will be one of those inspiring figures.
5. Standing Out, Not Following the Crowd
Selective colleges aren’t looking for students who fit a mold—they’re looking for those who are authentically themselves.
- Curated Involvements: We focus on activities that reflect genuine interests, not just checking boxes.
- Quality Over Quantity: This means ensuring each involvement contributes meaningfully to the student’s story.
- Duke University directly advises students on this in its admissions guidance. In a Fall 2024 presentation, applicants are encouraged to “Be You!” and be “authentic” in their essays, reinforcing that the goal is to show the admissions committee who you really are.
6. The Rising Cost of “Demonstrated Interest”
- Problem: Campus tours and fly-in programs have become a form of “pay-to-play,” disadvantaging families without the means to afford these extras.
- Solution: A Focus on True Access
- True equity in admissions comes less from demonstrated interest and more from a demonstrated commitment to affordability.
- Schools like Swarthmore College exemplify this. Recognized in a July 2025 analysis as one of the nation’s most generous schools, Swarthmore offers loan-free financial aid packages, ensuring that the best students can attend regardless of their financial background. This is a far more equitable system than rewarding those who can afford a plane ticket.
7. Static Ranking Obsession
- Problem: Schools jockey for position in U.S. News & World Report, often driving priorities away from student outcomes.
- Solution: Impact-First Metrics
- The conversation around the value of rankings is very much alive. After withdrawing from the influential national rankings, Columbia University’s relationship with global rankings continues to be a topic of discussion.
- A July 2024 article in the Columbia Spectator highlights this ongoing debate, proving that leading institutions and their students are critically reassessing what truly defines a university’s value—a trend that empowers applicants to look beyond a single number.
8. A Lifelong Admissions Relationship
- Problem: Once you enroll, your relationship with admissions vanishes. This is obsolete in an era of continuous upskilling.
- Solution: Micro-Credentials for Life
- The future of education is a lifelong partnership. Stanford University is at the forefront of this shift.
- In a November 2024 conference on AI and education, a Stanford professor stated the goal is to help students develop skills that will “help them learn and thrive throughout their whole life.” This vision extends education far beyond a four-year degree, creating a continuous relationship between a student and their university.
Final Thoughts
The current admissions process is straining to keep up with the pace of change. By embracing AI, competency-based metrics, and a student-centered approach—with insights from the leaders shaping education today—we can create an admissions system that is agile, equitable, and lifelong.
At ConnectPrep, we guide our students to thrive in this new landscape. If you’d like to learn how your student can build an authentic, compelling application for the modern era, book a free strategy call with us today.