Comprehensive review refers to mission-aligned admissions or selection processes that take into consideration the applicants’ academic metrics, experiences, and attributes, as well as the value an applicant would contribute to scholarship, research, and/or creative artistry.
In this process, reviewers consider all available information to get the fullest picture of everything that an applicant can bring to a program. Implemented appropriately, it can support a consistent and transparent process that helps to identify applicants that effectively meet program needs and support institutional goals, and most importantly, are likely to be successful. Thus, comprehensive review is critical to supporting a graduate student body focused on excellence that encompasses a broad range of talents, experiences, and viewpoints.
Comprehensive Review Training for Faculty
Widen and standardize the scope of graduate admissions review
In a modern land-grant university that prioritizes excellence and access, success can take many forms for both programs and students. It extends beyond research, scholarship, and creative endeavors to encompass teaching, extension, workforce development, and other contributions to our state, region, nation, and the world. It’s crucial for admissions committees to discuss review criteria to maintain consistency and a comprehensive view of success. Recommendations include:
- Identify and rank the mission-driven metrics, experiences, and attributes that would add value to the graduate program and support the applicant’s success.
- Develop a shared understanding of how review criteria are prioritized to facilitate recruitment, orient reviewers, and standardize the review process.
- Evaluate from a program-specific, broad-based, and mission-driven perspective with expectations applied across the entire candidate pool in an equitable manner.
Any set of review criteria should be part of an annual discussion and modification by the program’s admission committees (or other governing entities of the graduate program, such as executive committees, etc.). Recommendations include:
- Edit criteria for the selection process and consider if new criteria are important to the accomplishments of the program — or are needed to realize any annual updates to the program’s mission.
- Comprehensive review rubrics provide a tool during the initial screening of applicants that focuses on excellence with recognition that a broad range of talents, experiences, and viewpoints can be successful and provide positive contributions.
Initial considerations for developing program-specific review criteria
Criteria should broadly address four areas:
- The applicant’s academic and scholarly achievement.
- Alignment of the applicant with the academic and scholarly interests of the program.
- Alignment of the applicant with the broader mission and goals of the program (e.g., community-based research, outreach, teaching, extension).
- Personal attributes that contribute to student success (e.g., self-efficacy).
Classical application materials (CV, personal statement, transcripts, letters of recommendation) may not provide enough evidence to properly evaluate all the mission-driven metrics, experiences, and attributes in a comprehensive manner. Thus, it is essential that the application instructions point out the information relevant to the review process that should be included in the application (e.g., from a prompt-directed essay). This facilitates evaluation of the review criteria and helps to ensure that application materials will supply relevant information during the initial screening that sets up the interview invitation. Providing clear instructions on what to cover in the application improves equitability for students with less access to support for preparing graduate applications.
Additional resources for getting started are provided in the following section.
Resources
The review committee should use the following resources in the development of comprehensive admissions processes.
Share Successful Initiatives
Help us improve these resources by sharing your successful efforts.
Share a successful initiative implemented by your graduate admissions committee to improve comprehensive review in your department or unit. Email Jozsef Vigh, associate dean of the graduate school or [email protected].