Merit, Context, and How Decisions Are Actually Made
Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | Matt Burkhartt and Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
If you’ve been paying attention to conversations around college admissions lately, you’ve probably noticed how often the word merit comes up. It’s usually treated as something fixed and measurable—grades, test scores, achievements—clear enough to decide who gets in and who doesn’t.
That framing has only grown louder in recent years, particularly after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on affirmative action and the push toward so-called “merit-based” admissions. But if you talk to people who actually read files at the most selective schools, the reality is more complicated.
Here’s why.
At those schools, many applicants already meet—and often exceed—what the institution considers academically qualified. Strong grades, rigorous coursework, and high test scores (when submitted) are no longer what separate students. They’re the baseline.
Once you clear that bar, the question quietly changes.
You meet the standard.
Now what makes your file stand out among many others who also meet it—given what the institution needs this year?
As Ivy Link founder Adam Nguyen has explained in an Inside Higher Ed interview, admissions at this level doesn’t work like a formula where academic strength automatically leads to an outcome. Merit functions as a starting point, not a ranking system.
That doesn’t make merit unimportant.
It simply means merit alone doesn’t decide.
When thousands of applicants clear the same academic threshold, decisions become less about absolute qualification and more about comparative fit. Files are read alongside one another. Admissions officers aren’t asking who “deserves” admission in isolation—they’re trying to assemble a class that works as a whole.
That’s where institutional priorities come into play.
Each year, schools balance factors like academic interests, intended majors, extracurricular depth, geography, and long-term campus needs. Those priorities evolve from cycle to cycle, even when applicant strength remains consistently high. Your application isn’t evaluated against a single, universal definition of merit—it’s read within a specific moment, alongside many other highly qualified students.
Merit gets you into the room. Institutional priorities determine who gets the seat.
So the more useful question isn’t whether you’re qualified—it’s this: once academic readiness is assumed, what actually distinguishes your file from others like it?
At Ivy Link, we work with families early—often as early as fifth grade—to help students build that distinction over time. We focus on identifying genuine interests, developing them with intention, and guiding students toward meaningful, measurable accomplishments that add up to something coherent, compelling, and authentic.
When grades and scores no longer differentiate, clarity, depth, and consistency do. And those qualities don’t appear overnight—they’re built thoughtfully, over years.
Much of this thinking reflects how selective admissions are discussed publicly by those closest to the process. Ivy Link founder Adam Nguyen has explored these dynamics in national media outlets including Town & Country, Business Insider, ABC News, and Inside Higher Ed, addressing global application trends, evolving university policies, and the shifting criteria that shape decisions at the most selective institutions.
That same perspective informs Ivy Link’s work with families. Admissions strategy isn’t built around chasing prestige or reacting late to outcomes, but around long-term clarity—understanding how institutional priorities change, how student interests mature, and how differentiation is developed over time. The goal isn’t simply admission, but confident, well-aligned decisions grounded in how elite institutions actually evaluate applicants.
Explore Ivy Link’s commentary on the changing admissions landscape: https://www.myivylink.com/press
