The Jesuit Admissions Process
The logo of Jesuit High School that will be seen by potential 8th graders as they receive admission decisions in March.
February is a busy month as Jesuit admissions decides who will make up the class of 2024. With the various pieces that go together in the application of each student, the admissions team prepares to release decisions, which typically come out around a week before Spring Break. Accepted students must then decide by April 1st.
The Jesuit admissions process consists of a complex, yet organized way of cumulatively looking at applications in order to make decisions for prospective students. Open House, shadow visits, and the Placement Exam are just a portion of the various aspects involved within admissions at Jesuit. Also, without the valuable assistance of student Ambassadors and staff at the school, many of the factors that go into admissions wouldn’t be possible.
With the various pieces that go together in the application of each student, the admissions team prepares to release decisions, which typically come out around a week before Spring Break. Accepted students must then decide by April 1st.
Additionally, the admissions interviews, which usually occur over two weekends around the month of February, incorporate a final factor to consider in the decision. Then, the admissions team moves into the selection process. This year, the overall applicant pool for the 2020-21 school year is larger than typical years in the past.
“We had the second most applicants in Jesuit High School history this year, falling short of 2013,” senior Lead Ambassador Jonathan Ulrich said. “I think this year we had about 660 [applicants].”
The Director of Admissions, Mrs. DeKlotz, stresses the need for a balance in the community of students from various backgrounds with different interests and gifts to better fulfill a unique and well-rounded class.
“It’s a really holistic process,” Mrs. DeKlotz said. “It is a myth that [Jesuit students] have to be 4.0 [students] or [students] have to be Catholic. It’s a complicated process that comes together to create a freshman class that’s really diverse in all these different areas.”
Because of this, Jesuit students are able to participate in a multitude of activities at the school, whether it be sports, drama, clubs, etc.
“We’re given a lot of opportunities to excel,” Ulrich said.
While the Jesuit admissions office may have busy schedules when it comes to making decisions in the springtime, though, the application process for many students applying to Jesuit typically tends to become easier once a family member or relative has gone through and experienced the process first.
For senior Cameron Lyke, there seemed to be a slightly greater level of anxiety when being the first person to go through the process.
“I think it was a little more stressful for me because nobody in my family knew what to expect because I’m the oldest child in my family,” Lyke said.
Nevertheless, Jesuit continues to provide a warm and welcoming experience for prospective students as decisions will soon be made in mid-March.
Michael Lang is going into his senior year at Jesuit High School. Born in Portland, Oregon, Michael has two older siblings at the University of Portland and a younger brother who also attends Jesuit as a Junior. In his free time, Michael loves to play CYO basketball with his friends in the winter and to also hang out with his friends whenever possible on the weekends. Aside from friends, he enjoys spending time with his family during family reunions or on vacations in the summer, this year including trips to Las Vegas and the beach at Manzanita. He also has fun golfing with his dad and brother, too. In addition, Michael will be a Jesuit Ambassador for the second year and loves to welcome prospective students to the school through shadow visits and Open Houses. He looks forward to college in the coming years. Currently, this is Michael’s first year as a journalist for Jesuit High School and he looks forward to getting to know many more members of the community through future writing and interviews with students and staff. He hopes to be able to effectively display the academic, athletic, and social excitements and struggles of the students of Jesuit through writing in the school newspaper.
