The University of Virginia’s blog comes through again, this time with one of the better explanations of “holistic evaluations” that I’ve seen–using the analogy of a puzzle. As the writer describes, “In a holistic review, you look at all pieces of the applicant’s puzzle together before you make your decision… As we read, the puzzle comes together. All of the pieces are important, but they vary in size.”

My favorite part is the explanation of test scores using the same puzzle analogy:

“The testing piece is a four-hour piece of your puzzle…It’s obviously important because it contributes to the overall pictures, but it is one component among many and there are other parts of the puzzle that are larger and take considerably longer to evaluate. If you are looking at test scores this evening, I hope you’ll put things in perspective. Yes, testing is important. However, it doesn’t overshadow or knock other parts of your file out of the way.”