Most U.S. universities use the ‘holistic review’ process when evaluating college applications. This means admissions officers place emphasis on the applicant as a whole person, not just their academic achievements, so soft factors may be given just as much consideration as the empirical data present in hard factors. In this episode, IvyWise counselors Victoria, a former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago and Sarah Lawrence College, and Christine, a former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale and Georgetown, break down the college admissions rubric and discuss examples of different hard and soft factors that admissions officers evaluate.