CHARLOTTE, N.C. — College admittance rates are on the decline among public and private universities in the United States. Data tracking sites like College Board and U.S. News & World Report show as more high-achieving students are applying, prospective students need more than just a high GPA to snag their top school.
Arya Gupta, a 2023 graduate of Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, always had a list of colleges she dreamed of going to. She applied to colleges in North Carolina and out of the state, including highly competitive colleges like Stanford University.
“I always knew I wanted Stanford, but it was like, 'that's too high,'” Gupta said.
She wasn’t wrong about the competitiveness of the prestigious university. Stanford, along with a number of other colleges and universities, has steadily reduced the number of freshman students they've admitted.
“It's become more competitive, especially at the state schools, especially at the flagship state schools like [UNC] Chapel Hill and NC State, but even a school like UNC Charlotte down the street is receiving a record number of applications,” said Ryan Clark, a college admissions and affordability advisor.
Clark helps families navigate the ever-changing and rigorous landscape of college admissions. He said colleges are taking a more holistic approach to applications.
"There's more inclusivity in colleges now," Clark said. "And you'll see students from different socio-economic backgrounds, different genders, and different races, and that's a good thing. That's what colleges want."
Clark said grades and scores are important, but they are not always the deciding factor.
"They're not just looking at grades and SAT scores anymore. They're looking at the entire application," Clark said.
As Gupta was applying to colleges, she noticed an emphasis put on her personal story coupled with her academic achievement.
“It's not about like, 'do I have this award? Do I have these grades?' Like yes, those things are important. But I think it's more about like, do I care about actually solving things in the world? And have I done something to do it,” Gupta said.
Gupta now joins an elite class of just a few thousand other students accepted to Stanford this year. The school had a historically low acceptance rate of just 3.6% of incoming freshmen.
The increase in college applications has put pressure on admissions departments. Colleges are now receiving record numbers of applications, and they have to be more selective in order to admit the best students.
This means that students need to do more to stand out from the crowd. They need to have strong grades, high test scores, and a strong extracurricular record. They also need to write a personal statement that is well-written and engaging.
Gupta's admittance letter focused on her personal journey with Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. It's a condition in which the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of hormones that are usually present in women in small amounts.
"I did a press project on PCOS, which was like the bulk of my personal statement was about that," Gupta said.
Gupta wasn't diagnosed for three years, and she attributed this to a lack of awareness of the condition among medical professionals and the taboo nature surrounding reproductive health in South Asian cultures.
In high school, she did a research project on PCOS and found that insulin resistance and infertility are the two most strongly linked symptoms of the condition. She hopes to continue this research to help to raise awareness of PCOS and improve diagnosis and treatment for South Asian women.
Gupta said both family and support at school helped prepare and propel her to such high achievements.
Clark adds that being meaningful in extracurricular activities is what allows students to stand out on college applications.
"Colleges don't want necessarily want you to be involved in 20 different things. They want you involved in a handful of things. But you really want to go deep into those activities, meaning you want to show leadership,” Clark said.
Gupta showed this leadership in her application; she co-ran her own business and nonprofit called BMC Prep. It provided creative, accessible, advanced math courses and camps to hundreds of students.
She was also involved with her school's math club, leading it and helping to organize a regional contest for the southern United States. She was named one of the top 240 female mathematicians in the US and Canada. Gupta was also named one of the top 300 teen researchers in the world.
She's also co-developed an application that worked to tackle food insecurity and the obesity crisis through recipe development and recommendation. On top of this rigorous schedule, Gupta was also involved in sports, plays three instruments, and is almost a black belt.
Clark has further recommendations for students and parents thinking about college applications.
"Well, number one, always remember the student makes the college; the college doesn't make the student," Clark said.
He said secondly to also use your heart and weigh the financial impact.
"And number three, just enjoy the process. Enjoy the process," Clark said.
As for Gupta, trying a little bit of everything is her plan at Stanford this year.
“My goal is to just take all of the intro classes in all of the majors that I'm interested in,” Gupta said.
Her future career is one she’ll settle on a little later.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.