For some highly selective colleges and universities, a new evaluation process has been adopted that offers a faster and yet thorough application read. Committee-Based Evaluation (CBE) groups two admissions officers together to simultaneously review an application. Pioneered at University of Pennsylvania during the 2013-14 application cycle, CBE offers benefits not only for the admissions offices but also for students.
Currently, at University of Miami, Caltech, Rice University, Bucknell, Swarthmore, Connecticut College, Georgia Tech, Colorado College and University of Pennsylvania, CBE pairs experienced staff with newer readers for the first application read, and applications are mixed up geographically to give them a better sense of the entire applicant pool. This team approach also ensures that no application is acted on by only one admissions officer. CBE is not only a time-saver and a training tool for the admissions officers. For students, it eliminates any individual biases that one admissions officer may have while reading an application.
Other benefits for the admissions office include:
- It promotes continuity with respect to how admissions officers critique students despite the typically high turnover rate in admissions offices.
- It makes what was a lonesome job more collaborative and team-oriented.
- It allows admissions to get through more applications faster.
For students, this new way of reading applications offers these benefits:
- There are more eyes on the application, and each read includes real-time discussion.
- It decreases admissions readers’ burnout, so they will be more engaged in reading each application.
According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) 2016 Admissions Trends Survey, the number of applications per student has been steadily increasing since 1995 (graph 1), which, in turn, means more applications for every admissions officer (graph 2). CBE will help these admissions officers review applications more efficiently.
To learn more about CBE or the college admissions process, click here.
