Admissions, Acceptance & Anticipation: Reflecting on Higher Ed Engagement

With the sun setting on our second full college admission cycle–some seismic pandemic shifts tossed in for good measure–the Mastery Transcript has gained even more traction.

• There were three times more high schools sending Mastery Transcripts.
• More than 160 colleges have reviewed applicants with Mastery Transcripts and offered admission to one or more learners.
• Over 25 colleges have accepted learners from MTC sendings schools for two years in a row.

This progress and success has exceeded my expectations and could have not been accomplished without the incredible engagement of counselors, advisors, staff, and especially learners from our fourteen high schools that are using Mastery Transcripts. Their feedback has provided invaluable learnings and influenced key enhancements to the Mastery Transcript design and resources. In our two years of working with sending schools, they have expressed significant satisfaction with the transcript and post-secondary options for their learners.

On the receiving end, colleges and universities have shared an overwhelming openness and desire to learn more about learners and their school communities. The Mastery Transcript, including its embedded school profile, has been instrumental in highlighting learner stories. It provides admission officers with new insights into the accomplishments and passions of their applicants, along with a better understanding of sending high schools’ identities through their credit architecture. In an admissions year without many traditional college admission metrics such as test scores, the Mastery Transcript has given admission offices an opportunity to look more deeply into the many facets of learners and better match applicants to the mission and vision of their institutions.

• Deepening Engagement with Colleges: As the number of college applications with a Mastery Transcript has increased, so too has our engagement with a wider range of colleges and universities. Understanding that each type of institution has its unique needs and processes, one segment that continues to be a growth opportunity for us is large public universities and systems. MTC is committed to deepening our partnerships and collaboration with state colleges and universities to better understand and respond to the scope and scale of applications and systems currently being used.
• Continual Learning: We have gained many insights and recommendations from our Higher Ed Advisory Group, colleges that have reviewed Mastery Transcripts, and other institutions that have reached out to us. These touch points have guided ongoing design enhancements to the current version of the Mastery Transcript and building of tools for admission officers. Even with all the progress, there are still areas we need to better understand including the varied processes for awarding scholarships and the ongoing heavy reliance in some institutions on GPA and individual course grades.

We look forward to learning more about the opportunities, challenges and current limitations, and finding even more mutual pathways to fully support learners throughout the entire search, application and enrollment process.