The AH&A Approach to College Admissions

The college admissions process is about much more than gaining admission to a specific school; it is an opportunity for growth, reflection, and confidence-building. Our mission is to help develop interesting, inquisitive, and passionate young people—students who have the skills and the desire to make a difference in the world.

There is no backdoor into any college, but one thing is very clear: colleges want thoughtful, engaged, and curious people on their campuses. They want students who care.

Our values reflect this belief. We take a whole-student approach, considering the full picture of who the student is. Our hope is that students emerge from this process with a deeper understanding of their strengths and a stronger sense of how special they truly are.

Understanding Today’s College Landscape

Part of guiding and supporting students means helping them understand the current college admissions landscape and setting realistic expectations.

Not so long ago, schools were neatly categorized as “safeties,” “targets,” and “reaches.” Today, those distinctions are blurrier than ever. Admissions priorities are constantly evolving, and application numbers have skyrocketed.

Why is that?

More students in the U.S. are attending college, more international students are applying to U.S. institutions, the Common Application makes it easy to apply to many schools, and test-optional policies have encouraged more students to “shoot their shot.” The result is more applicants and far more applications.

At the end of the day, math is math. When a college receives 80,000 applications for 6,000 spots, decisions are not about worth or deserving—there simply isn’t enough room. I often compare it to flying standby: if there are 20 seats and 400 people hoping to board, even priority status doesn’t change the reality.

Because of this, we encourage students to apply to a wide range of schools, to prioritize fit over prestige, and to remember that success in college—and beyond—depends far more on what students make of their experience than where they land. Students who understand the unpredictability of admissions tend to weather the highs and lows with their self-esteem intact. That is exactly what we want for students.