Working Smarter, Not Harder, in Admissions

A team-based approach to initial reviews of applications can often save time and may allow for better evaluations.

An admissions official at the University of Pennsylvania explains its new way to do holistic review and why other colleges are following suit.

Governed by many rituals, admissions offices often resist change. When Rick Bischoff heard that other colleges were doing initial evaluations of applicants in two-person teams, he scoffed. “The stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of,” he recalls saying. But Mr. Bischoff, vice president for enrollment…