How to Get into the College of Your Choice, Guaranteed!
Aug 28 '00 (Updated Sep 11 '00)
In this article i will divulge the secrets of college admissions and give you tips on how to sell yourself to your future alma mater.
My credentials (just in case you don't trust me) -
• A former highschool student with a bad guidance counselor who still got into a top school.
• A former Princeton Review teacher.
• The older sister of a highschool senior who is going through this process right now.
• A college graduate.
• A grant writer. (This means that i try to sell my cause all the time.)
• A pretty smart cookie.
The Components
Your average application consists of several parts which all go together to form a complete picture of you, the applicant. Keep in mind that you are telling a story with your application, and as with any story, your goal is to capture your reader with an intriguing plot and good character development. If you can weave a good story, chances are you can get into the college of your choice.
}Your transcripts{
_Transcripts are basically your grades for highschool. Colleges do not consider anything prior to your freshman year of highschool. Grades are extremely important because they show how well you do your day to day school work. More important than any one grade is the overall impression or story that your grades tell about you. Also important are you choice of classes. You should try to take the most challenging classes you think you can get at least a B or higher in. This means taking AP classes only when you think you can handle it. It looks worse if you get a D in an advanced course than a B+ in a lower level class.
_There is not much you can change about this if you are a highschool senior. If you still have some time yet, remember, if you did poorly your freshman or sophomore years, it's not the end of the world. If you improve your grades over time, you will show that you can learn from your mistakes and that you have taught yourself how to study. The admissions committee will see that as a positive, you are less likely to choke when thrown into a college environment. Also, if you do well in certain areas like math or science but poorly in english or languages, you might consider applying to a particular school within the university to which you are applying, such as engineering.
_Remember, nothing is a deal breaker, there will always be a way to spin your faults into your story.
}Your teacher recommendations{
_Typically you are asked to furnish at least two recommendations from teachers, coaches, mentors, etc. The recommendations are an extremely powerful component of your application, they give the committee an outside opinion of you as a student and as a person.
_You can use these recommendations to further your cause tremendously. The key is to pick your recommenders carefully. The person should be an trusted adult, have had a significant impact on your highschool career, and like you. Also, Let them know how you want yourself to be represented in their recommendation. This may seem a bit forward, but phrased in the right way, it will ultimately make their job easier. Make sure you ask them well in advance. And also try to give them a copy of your essays and any other material you will be submitting along with your application. This will help make your entire application form one seamless representation.
}Your SAT/ACT Scores{
_Standardized test scores are so overrated. Even the worst scores can be explained away by a bad day or by alternative learning style (read, a bad test taker). There are some schools that do have cut off scores. These are mainly your huge state schools that have a million applications to read in like two weeks. Otherwise scores are the least weighted part of your application. If you really want to improve your scores and are considering a prep course, i have written another review on The Princeton Review that you might want to check out. Your test scores measure something very different than do your grades. The admissions committee knows this...
(a) Bad test scores, good grades. No problem, bad day. It will be overlooked by the committee. You have already proven that you can cut it in the long run. Just make sure the rest of your application shows that you are a smart person.
(b) Good test scores, bad grades. This one is a little harder to pull, but work it to your advantage. You are really a smart person. You have untapped potential that in the right environment (your school of choice) will flourish. Again, you will use the rest of your application to make the case for this theory.
(c) Bad scores, bad grades. You are going to need some miracles, but it can be done. The best way to get around this is to pull on your extracurriculars or something that makes you unique. (i.e.. you are a refugee or you saved your little sister from a kidnapper). You just need to weave a story where you show your unique and indispensable nature. Bad grades and bad test scores are not the end of the story.
(d) Good scores, good grades. Congratulations!
_SAT II Scores and Advanced Placement test scores are much more important than the general test scores. This gives your readers an idea of what subjects interest you and how good you are in specific subject areas. Whereas different highschools may have different standards as far as grades go, everyone takes the same subject tests. Be sure to take the relevant subject tests immediately following or during the year that you are completing your highest level of that subject. This will ensure you catch yourself when you can achieve your highest score. You can also take AP and SAT II tests in subjects that you have not taken formal classes in. If you happen to know a lot about art history, but your school does not offer a class in it, you can still take the AP test and score well. Browse through the list of subjects covered by both tests and try a sample version to determine if you are up to it. This will be especially well received by your readers because it shows initiative and self confidence. You might support the test scores by writing your essay on how much you like that subject.
}Your Extracurriculars{
_This is your area to shine, especially if your grades aren't stellar. Sometimes this section can be more influential than your academic performance. More than a whole slew of diverse activities, you should focus on a few activities where you have truly excelled. This doesn't take much, and don't be afraid to brag. Describe your activities in the most flattering light you can muster. Make sure you have at least two officerships, like president of the (insert cause of your choice here) club. Organize events. Help organize events. Even if your event flopped, if you put work into planning it, the admissions people never have to know that only you and you best friend that you had to bribe to get her to go showed up. This is not dishonest. You are giving the admissions committee a chance to see what your interests are, not the rest of your school.
_Pick activities to highlight that complement the rest of your application and which are unique. Everybody and their cousin sang in their highschool musical. Even if you were the lead. This only matters to the committee if you show that you are extremely interested in pursuing theater in college, have written a play of your own, and/or have organized a brand new one-act play competition at your highschool. You have to show passion and initiative. You have to show that you can stand out in a crowd. Novelty catches attention. Also, work it in with everything else. Get a recommendation from your drama teacher, the owner of a theater company in your area who knows and respects you. NOT a famous actor you met once.
_Everyone can have super quality activities. Normal people are just people you don't know very well. Your skateboarding, cartoons, or gardening. School is not the only place available to get involved. Volunteer at a local charity. An animal shelter, if you are into animal conservation or biology, a community center where you can tutor kids or adults. Lots of places are looking for volunteers and it is relatively easy to get involved in organizing things if you really want to. Even your after school job is an activity. If you get involved where you work, let them know. They just want to know that you are an interesting person, not just a lump.
_If you do something interesting, email or write to a professor or director of that program well before your application is due. Ask him or her nicely for more info on their program, then follow up an send them a tape or a writing sample or if it is something obscure like interpretive dance you might want to talk to other students and develop a rapport. Then get them to put in a good word for you. Again, it's all about painting a compelling story that grabs your readers' attention.
}Your Essay(s){
_This is where you work your magic. The essay is where you get to explain away your faults. Tell the application committee a story that pulls together all the other parts of your application and makes it all make sense. If, when they read your application, they feel like you are a whole, real, interesting person, who they cannot wait to meet and bring into their community, you will be a shoe in. It is all about jumping off the page and standing out in a crowd. Do you think that if Chelsea Clinton wanted to go to the school of your choice they would have said no. Of course not. Now you don't have to be the first daughter to create that kind of effect. You just need to come off as someone who would be an asset to that particular university. They want to know that you are not going to fail out, that you are going to add something unique to your particular class, and that you have the potential to get really famous or found a popular club or event at the university.
_Your essay should be a reflection of you. It should answer the question that they ask, but there are always ways to work in your angle. Your angle should be one of three things.
(a) An explanation of your situation, i.e. how you got where you are. What changed your life so that you are the deep and incredible person you are today? Find a way to work your flaws into an essay like this so they end up working for you instead of against you. Say your parents got divorced when you were a freshman. Write an essay about coming to terms with how your parents are real people and that gives you a better understanding of yourself. Make sure that your essay is not a list of excuses but a silver lining sort of story, one that ends on a positive and forward looking note.
(b) A vision/hope you have for your future. This should be a very positive piece that integrates some obstacles that you have had to get over. This is a good one for the "someone you admire" essay. You can explain how this person is your mentor and helps you imagine the kind of person you want to be and (this is important) how to concretely go about achieving your goals.
(c) Something you are truly passionate, motivated, and accomplished in. This can be a hobby of yours, a sport, a type of cereal. It really doesn't matter as long as you can write about it in a compelling manner. Trust me, if you can write about a breakfast cereal in a way that makes your readers actually become emotionally invested, while sticking to the question, you have a talent that most professors only dream about.
_In the end, the essay is the glue that holds the rest of the application together and makes the committee take a personal interest in whether or not you are accepted. Get several people to proofread your essay, not just your parents or your guidance counselor. Try your English teacher or your mother's friend who writes for a magazine. Make sure they are honest in their critique and that you use that honesty to your advantage.
}Application Extras{
_This is a less commonly known part of the application. No one said that you had to limit yourself to just the questions that the application has on it. If you feel that there is something essential to you that you have not been able to relate in the rest of your application, send it anyway. This includes a tape (preferably video) of you playing guitar, a portfolio of the comic strip you draw, or a cookbook you put together of family recipes. Even extra essays. An English essay that you are particularly proud of, some poetry, pictures. Pictures of you and the elderly folks that you visit every saturday. Pictures of you and the dogs you bring to the hospital to take cheer up patients. Don't go overboard, tho, keep it to about 2 or 3 pics or you'll lose the effect. Make sure you write an essay about any pictures that you send. This heightens the emotional attachment of the admissions committee.
_Try not to over do it. Everything you send must reveal a new and important part of you as a unique and interesting person. Little stupid stuff will only make you look frivolous and like you are trying to hard to please the committee. Sending extra recommendations, essays, and/or bribes can be especially useful if you have been put on a waiting list. But even in this case, keep it simple and essential. (by the way, i was kidding about the bribes)
}Conclusion{
_Your application is a story. Each segment of the application should fit with the other parts to create a complete and compelling whole. The people you are targeting want to see a real person who has struggled a little and overcome some obstacles, but ultimately is a better person because of those challenges. They know you are highschool students, so they aren't expecting perfection. They want to see that you are a person who is open to new experiences and has a lot to share with the rest of your future class. This can take the form of a quick wit or a in depth knowledge of early rap.
_Do your research. Visit the website, not the potential student section either, look for the professors and the courses, look at the clubs and sports. Does the school and the city/town look like a place where you would be happy? Does it have enough variety of curriculum and student body to accommodate you if your interests change or you wan to explore something new? Ok, now you need to tell the admissions committee.
_Finally, you must convince the committee that the school of your choice is the perfect school for you. They want to know that you would fit in and be able to flourish and thrive in their environment. In your essays and choices of recommendations weave your story, but also weave the school into your story. Make it an inextricable part of who you want to become in the next four years and beyond. Be specific. Say what it is about that particular school that makes it your top choice. Let them know that you feel that that school or even a program within the school is essential to your success. If you can't do that, maybe this school shouldn't be the school of your choice, after all.
If you have gotten this far, thank you for reading. Trust me, if you follow this recipe, you can create a winning application for just about any school. I am not advising you to be dishonest. A poorly organized application can lie about the potential of a student much more than a cleverly executed one. I am merely showing you how to most effectively display your best qualities and represent yourself as a whole person.
If any part of this is confusing or you have more questions, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment. I hope you find this useful.
Good Luck!
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