In 2013, the Graduate Group in Ecology (GGE) Graduate Student Association formed a Diversity Committee (DC) with a commitment to valuing, respecting, and increasing diversity in the graduate group. Graduate students on the DC worked closely with faculty on the GGE Admissions Committee and a Graduate Studies Diversity Officer to develop a holistic review rubric and a guidance document for graduate admissions. The first steps of holistic graduate admissions included a systematic consideration of applicants’ accomplishments in light of the opportunities afforded them. Graduate students on the Admissions Committee also implemented a reviewer survey, to track the effectiveness of holistic review and aid in refining the process moving forward. 

Between 2016 and 2022, the practice of holistic admissions was refined by a faculty-led admissions committee that also included graduate student members. The committee developed an 8-trait rubric; implicit bias training; and a linear mixed-effects model to calculate a single 10-point score per applicant that accounted for variation among reviewers. Initially, the model did not assign explicit weights to each criterion but instead fitted the reviewers’ collective implied weights based on their reported overall score and 8-trait scores. Eventually, the committee developed explicit weighting coefficients for each of the individual 8-trait review criteria; the calculation of a 10-point score was automated via a formula. All applications receive 4 to 5 reviews from a pool of reviewers that is composed of both senior graduate students and faculty volunteers. Since faculty select graduate students with which to work, individual GGE faculty make final admission decisions in consideration of applicant rankings. 

As GGE refined its process of holistic review, graduate students on the Diversity Committee were a driving force behind analyzing the survey data and evaluating the outcomes of the holistic review process on admissions. Although most of the graduate students who played pivotal roles in the development of holistic admissions have moved on in their careers, several remain committed to publishing results that capture the impact of the implementation of holistic review on the diversity of students within GGE.

Graduate students can play a valuable role in conducting holistic graduate admissions. As programs begin to consider implementing holistic review, meaningful engagement with students is a critical component of a successful review structure and can be a key source of innovation and forward momentum. It’s critical, however, to develop a framework for student engagement that is flexible enough to accommodate variability in interest or availability through time while still providing students an official voice (including decision-making power).