The Holistic Review and What Actually Matters When Planning for College in 2026

As we close off the year for everyone in school pretty soon, it’s important to start thinking ahead. When you think about college planning, most of the time, you’re constantly thinking about how good your grades are and how you’ve been managing your classes. The main advice you’ve probably heard before about how to do well in high school and about preparing for college has related to “focusing on your grades” or “choosing the right major”. In recent years, we have seen a shift for the better.

Preparing for college is so much more than just good grades and acing your SAT and ACT exams; we have to think a little more broadly. Now, more than ever, you have to be thinking about how you can build on your leadership skills, communication skills, and the readiness of building out a future career while keeping studying in mind. We are here to help you in that process! 

In this blog, we will give you a broader look into college planning with what matters most, and how something like a holistic review can help you to prepare in 2026.

The Holistic Review and What Colleges ACTUALLY Value

Understanding what colleges actually value from you more than just your grades goes a long way for your future. Education is focused on that; we don’t want to misinterpret what we mean, but this conversation can change you for the better if you understand that there’s more to you than how well you did on your final exams. This all starts with a breakdown of a term you may have heard before but never got the true meaning, it’s called a holistic review. 

A holistic review is an admissions and evaluation strategy where organizations assess you based on your entire profile. It looks at your experiences, your best attributes, and your academic/professional metrics, rather than solely focusing on your test scores or GPA. Let's break it down by comparing it to the traditional admissions reviews you would normally see.

Traditional Admissions focus on:

• Review based on data points that will predict what your education will look like

• It will focus on your GPA, class rank, and your test scores (for GPA, it will also weigh how big the number is)

• The goal is to make sure colleges are admitting students who show the best academic credentials

The Holistic Review focuses on:

• Review based on data points, BUT it makes sure to focus on context (what’s in a student’s background, a student’s character and personality, and how opportunities can come from their achievements)

• Other than just grades and GPA/class rank, it looks at academic difficulty and intensity of your schoolwork, any activities outside of school, or even letters of recommendation

• Instead of just looking at students with the best credentials, they also look at students who will represent their college in the right ways, amongst a wide range of backgrounds and talents they possess

The main idea behind this comparison to a traditional admissions review is that it's more important to identify the best opportunities students should consider when choosing a college than to focus solely on academic programs. How does a student become someone that a college will want to invest in? What are you showing them that makes you stand out? Those are the questions you have to be asking yourself.

Scholarships and Other Resources That Help Colleges

Let’s now take a look at this path from the point of view of the many resources around you that can help. One of the best resources is scholarships! Like with this blog, breaking down what helps you in college, other than just good grades, other than financial aid help, scholarships are more than just that. Scholarships are commonly known for being used to help pay for college, but they also greatly help with future career paths. Being awarded a scholarship is a great sign of your strength, integrity, and the skills you possess that college admissions look for.

Just know, whatever it is that you have within you to prove yourself as a great student, we are going to be there to help show it to colleges. We work with passionate students in Buffalo and WNY who want to start the next chapter of their lives in the right way. Take a look at our WNY scholarship, national scholarship, and Young Achievers Scholarship resources. Young Achievers is a primary scholarship, and you can apply now until June 30th. We have much more to offer, and if you have any questions, reach out now through our contact form or give us a call!

College Planning FAQ

What are the traits and skills that will make me look good for college admissions?

Colleges look for many things when admitting you, and there are several great qualities and traits that they appreciate that you can show them:

• Show leadership and initiative qualities amongst yourself and especially within groups of people

• They want you to ask questions, and the more curious and passionate you are about the work, the better

• Having a good sense of resilience and grit to get through the hard times (things won’t always be sunshine and rainbows, and you have to be able to show you can learn from mistakes and better yourself)

• Contribution to community and other outside events and resources (shows authenticity, character, and a desire to help others, which is always appreciated)