Lessons from Hogwarts; College Admission Tips from the Harry Potter Universe

For the past decade, young and old readers alike have dreamt about magical education in the Harry Potter universe. But getting into such a prestigious school is more complicated than just getting a parchment letter delivered by owl and addressed in emerald ink, and the entrance requirements and educational life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can help even muggles find a magical education to suit their talents.

Welcome to Hogwarts

The first step toward either a magical or muggle education is getting accepted. While entrance requirements for different schools vary, sheer talent is often critical. At Hogwarts, the ability to perform magic is crucial for students hoping to be sorted into their own magical houses, but extra tutoring is not always necessary. Harry Potter, for example, knew nothing of his magical heritage, but he was able to perform rudimentary magic - such as vanishing glass and talking to snakes - long before he became a Hogwarts student.

Students interested in prestigious schools - and what can be more prestigious than a school of magic founded centuries ago - need to perfect their academic skills in the hopes of gaining admission. Any college admissions officer will agree that good grades are one of the most important keys for eager students, and demonstrating specialized academic talents may be critical for specialized schools. Students who wish to enter technical universities, for example, should have superior grades in math and science, while students interested in a more liberal arts approach to their education should focus on a wide range of academic disciplines to highlight their well-rounded interests.

Galleons, Knuts, and Sickles

Finances are another consideration when choosing elite schools. While there is no evidence of tuition or other attendance costs for Hogwarts students, even young witches and wizards are responsible for buying their own books and materials. While muggle college students may not need a size 2 pewter cauldron, they do need a library's worth of assorted textbooks and other school supplies. Just like at Hogwarts, however, there are ways to attend even elite schools on a small budget. Take, for instance, the Weasley family. With seven children to send to magic school, Arthur and Molly Weasley stretch their budget by shopping for used books and robes, and they take full advantage of hand-me-downs (though muggle students should avoid the hand-me-down rats that could cause problems in non-magic dormitories). Most muggle college campuses also offer used textbooks for a fraction of the price of new books, and there are a wide range of scholarships, grants, and student loans available to make the cost of higher education more attainable.

Quidditch, Choir, or S.P.E.W.

As Harry Potter and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team have demonstrated, extracurricular activities are often the best part of an education and lead to friendships that last far after the last class bell has rung. Students who get involved in school teams, clubs, and activities find themselves with a wider circle of friends and more social activities to enjoy, but there is a downside to the frivolity. As Harry discovers when Oliver Wood presses more frequent, longer quidditch practices on the team, too many activities can severely limit study time which can, in turn, result in lower grades. Muggle and magical students alike need to balance their social calendars with the demands of their classes, and neither the academic nor the extra curricular options should dominate a student's life.

When there just isn't an extra curricular activity available to please a student's interest, however, it is possible to create one of their own. Hermione Granger does just this when she founds S.P.E.W. and seeks to better the social welfare of house elves, and many high school and college students have undertaken similarly socially responsible causes through clubs, protests, charity drives, and other activities. Education, after all, is about learning more than book knowledge - a wider knowledge of the world will give any student an edge in our increasingly interconnected society.

O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s

In the end, however, education - whether at a magical prep school, an elite university, or a public community college - is about knowledge, and that knowledge will eventually be tested. Hogwarts students know this well, enduring as they do annual final examinations as well as two levels of more advanced tests, the fifth year Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s) and the seventh year Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s). Muggle students would do well to follow the example of extra practice, study, and application that Hogwarts students demonstrate - just as O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s determine a young witch or wizard's ultimate career path, so too do the S.A.T., A.C.T., and other advanced tests and final exams have bearing on muggle students' college choices and career selection. Good grades, then, are essential for further advancement, whether a student is interested in advanced Potions or a bachelor's degree in chemistry.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has many lessons both for the students who walk its hallowed halls as well as the muggles who eagerly read about their adventures. Those educational lessons of study, financial responsibility, and student involvement can easily be applied to higher education in either the magical or muggle world, and a good education can be more magical than the most complicated charm.