September 14, 2007

Admissions Plan Goes Beyond Numbers

Northeastern U.'s new scholarship program looks past grades and test scores to measure the potential of low-income students

By ERIC HOOVER

Odalis Polanco accomplished many things in high school. He conquered math, helped build houses, and played a mean second base. One thing he could not do was crack the SAT.

After emigrating to Boston from the Dominican Republic at 14, Mr. Polanco soaked up as much English as he could. But he struggled to plow through all the questions on the big test. His scores were so low that he worried no college would accept him.

Then, in his senior year, he applied to a new scholarship