A+ Schools for B Students

Julian Genette was feeling stressed. He was about to graduate from high school in North Seattle, Wash., and "there was a lot of pressure to go to a school that had an air of 'If you go here, then you will automatically be successful.' " But with a 2.9-3.0 GPA and 1237 on the SAT, he was afraid big-name schools wouldn't even look at him. Instead, he looked for a college to fit two key goals: staying close to home (to limit expenses) and feeding his interest in sustainable horticulture.

None seemed just right until he met a graduate of Evergreen State College. Prompted by her enthusiasm, Genette dug up more about Evergreen, which sits in a gorgeous natural setting in Olympia, Wash., and has its own organic farm. Its admissions office looks beyond high school grades, and, once you're in, you receive evaluations rather than letter grades. "Evergreen stood out," said Genette, now 23, who graduated this spring.

For students whose academic records are admirable but not perfect, the college search can be an opportunity to shake off the myopic focus on brand-name institutions. Instead, "the goal is to find that ideal fit, that great institution that is best for each individual," explains Scott Friedhoff, vice president for enrollment and communications at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. "There are just outstanding schools for every student."

Getting into Princeton or Duke will always be tough. But beyond the small roster of nationally renowned schools lie many colleges that aren't household names but have first-rate programs and strong reputations. For the fourth year, U.S. News has screened the schools it ranks to identify institutions where average students have a decent shot at being accepted.

"For a student with a B-plus average to hear that Harvard University is admitting 9 percent of its applicants, the response may be, 'How can I ever get into college?' " notes Friedhoff. But the average admission rate at U.S. colleges and universities stands at 70 percent, and the numbers for many schools speak for themselves: Allegheny accepted about 57 percent of its applicants in 2007, Purdue University nearly 79 percent—and Evergreen all but 3 percent.

A chance to shine. Most people can name a handful of big-name schools, plus a few local colleges, but that's it. Yet when counselors or others suggest great schools that are less well known, they often meet an unenthusiastic response—not just from students but from parents. However, experts say students with middling numbers only stand to gain from keeping an open mind. "It doesn't hold you back to go to a college that is lesser known," says Eileen Wilkinson, an educational counselor at PrepMatters, a tutoring and educational counseling company based in Bethesda, Md. "In fact, it can be just the opposite—it can be the thing that will assist you dramatically. There are opportunities for B students to shine and be the top of their class."

Creativity is crucial. Many schools, especially smaller ones, seek students who will add breadth and depth to the incoming class, so students who come with very specific talents or attributes may enjoy an advantage.

"We will enroll 7,000 freshmen, so I don't have to worry about having trombones for the marching band because we will get them," said Pamela Horne, dean of admissions at Purdue, a large public university in West Lafayette, Ind. "But my colleagues at Kalamazoo College [in Kalamazoo, Mich.] need to make sure they have tenors for the school choir." Some small colleges, such as Goucher, in Baltimore, a former women's college, may look for strong male candidates to improve their gender balance, Wilkinson says. Many schools try to take students from every state; others like to admit first-generation college students. And Division III institutions want good athletes, even if they might not make it to the pros.

To achieve these goals, smaller schools look at students as a whole, rather than just at their grades. "If they see a student who has always been a B student, they may look at what that student might be able to contribute," Wilkinson said.

Advertising your strong points is easy. But what if your high school records reflect a challenge that brought your grades down? Friedhoff says you should be honest about it. "Don't skip over it. Address it in an interview, essay, or addendum," he says. "The important thing is to tackle it and state it as clearly, honestly, and forthrightly as possible. Don't make excuses."

Time for an explanation. Instead, students should "explain how the experience changed them and what they learned from it," says Mary Pinedo, a counselor at Gretchen Whitney High School in Cerritos, Calif. Genette, for example, explained in his essay to Evergreen that his family endured some tough times during his junior year, and his GPA reflected that. But he said Evergreen's review process allowed his skills and broad interests, from forestry to French, to let him shine nevertheless.

One thing schools don't like to see is students who take easy classes in their junior or senior year to coast or to boost a sagging GPA. "Grade-point averages only mean so much," says Doug Scrima, Evergreen's director of admissions. "It depends a whole lot on how you have challenged yourself in the coursework you have taken." Still, rather than slog through a full load of AP courses with lackluster results, create an appropriately hefty schedule that includes math, science, and a foreign language to show you're ready for college. "We want to make sure students can hit the ground running," says Purdue's Horne.

The first stop for most students applying to college should be the college counseling services available in their high schools. "The counselor is their lifeline for what they need to do to get to college," says Kay Holleman, a guidance counselor at Gainesville High School, northeast of Atlanta. While friends and relatives may be sweet or sour on schools for personal reasons, guidance counselors offer objective guidance on a range of schools—well known and unfamiliar—that fit the student's qualifications. At some high schools, this assistance starts early: Counselors at Whitney begin working with eighth graders and their parents to develop four-year plans, says Pinedo. The intensive guidance appears to help: Everyone in Whitney's 2008 graduating class will go on to college, except for one student who enlisted in the Marines, she said.

Students can start to rein in a wide-open school search by thinking about what they want to get out of a college education and what resources they need to succeed. "The idea of college selection is not to find the place where they magically become straight-A students but where they can meet their full potential," says Wilkinson. Developing a well-rounded short list means taking some leaps. "Go to college fairs, and stop by tables of places you have never hard about," Horne says. "Ask some questions, and you might get some pleasant surprises." She also recommends online search tools, such as the College Board and the Department of Education, to get basic stats and admissions requirements. Then she advises poking around the web-sites of the most promising institutions. "Take a look at the range of credentials of the most recently admitted class," she said—but remember that even if you fall below the average, that doesn't rule out acceptance.

Parental support is crucial for students with average marks. Some parents insist their children apply to specific schools, regardless of whether they are the best match. "Sometimes the pressure of a big-name school, or one that has a reputation, becomes more important than the needs of the child," says Holleman. The problem is so widespread that Friedhoff talks about it in every presentation. "I close with a reminder for parents that the process is about their sons and daughters; it is not about them," he said. "I see lots of smiles, and often I'll see an elbow from the son or daughter into the mom or dad's ribs." After all, isn't it the students who are trying to get in to school?