So.. For the "campus life" section of the blog, I'm going to make a video blog. Here is the first installment. I will admit that it's pretty lame, and I promise I'm cooler than I appear in this video, but the future ones will be more informational and can hopefully hold your attention =P
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Q & A: Standing Out in the Applicant Pools of Top Colleges
Q: One more thing sohan, you said that everyone at this level will have a similar resume as me. so how competitive do you think I'll be among those who do what I did? About how many people do you know in your class that have about the same things I have?
What does it mean to stand out in an applicant pool?
A: When I say "everyone at this level will have a similar resume as you," I mean that students at your level will have accomplishments of similar magnitude and scope, though they are not necessarily the same exact activities.
These "similar" accomplishments are usually the academic ones - e.g., NHS, quizbowl, honor roll, math league, science league, and other academic achievements/clubs. I feel that such distinctions, as well as a certain GPA, SAT score, etc., are just about required to reach a certain tier in the applicant pool.
What you do besides your academics (or if you have extraordinary academic achievements, such as winning a national science fair or the likes), sets you apart in this tier. To clarify, everyone applying to top schools is undoubtedly smart, but you have to show that you are committed, diligent, charismatic, service-oriented, and a whole slew of adjectives.
Note: The poster volunteered his efforts for Hurricane Katrina relief, and subsequently won the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and the Presidential Service Award for his community service.
For example, your service work for victims of Hurricane Katrina is impressive and will set you apart. What you write about in your essays will set you apart. If you wrote a superb essay about how you helped out victims of Hurricane Katrina, I think that would put you at another level, because it's something that not every student does, and it reveals something about your character.
You can really divulge this "extra" information about yourself in your essays, which is where you want to reveal your character.
On a side note, I find that the top colleges like students who not only smart, but also are EXTREMELY proficient in on area or activity rather than someone who is generally well-rounded. If you do something BIG in one club or activity, it counts more than participating in numerous clubs and sports teams. You have done excellent work in community service and should make sure you emphasize this point and its impact on your character.
Even if you haven't had some wonderful opportunity, in the end it all depends on how you spin your accomplishments to make them sound important, to be honest.
What does it mean to stand out in an applicant pool?
A: When I say "everyone at this level will have a similar resume as you," I mean that students at your level will have accomplishments of similar magnitude and scope, though they are not necessarily the same exact activities.
These "similar" accomplishments are usually the academic ones - e.g., NHS, quizbowl, honor roll, math league, science league, and other academic achievements/clubs. I feel that such distinctions, as well as a certain GPA, SAT score, etc., are just about required to reach a certain tier in the applicant pool.
What you do besides your academics (or if you have extraordinary academic achievements, such as winning a national science fair or the likes), sets you apart in this tier. To clarify, everyone applying to top schools is undoubtedly smart, but you have to show that you are committed, diligent, charismatic, service-oriented, and a whole slew of adjectives.
Note: The poster volunteered his efforts for Hurricane Katrina relief, and subsequently won the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and the Presidential Service Award for his community service.
For example, your service work for victims of Hurricane Katrina is impressive and will set you apart. What you write about in your essays will set you apart. If you wrote a superb essay about how you helped out victims of Hurricane Katrina, I think that would put you at another level, because it's something that not every student does, and it reveals something about your character.
You can really divulge this "extra" information about yourself in your essays, which is where you want to reveal your character.
On a side note, I find that the top colleges like students who not only smart, but also are EXTREMELY proficient in on area or activity rather than someone who is generally well-rounded. If you do something BIG in one club or activity, it counts more than participating in numerous clubs and sports teams. You have done excellent work in community service and should make sure you emphasize this point and its impact on your character.
Even if you haven't had some wonderful opportunity, in the end it all depends on how you spin your accomplishments to make them sound important, to be honest.
*** Organized List of All Posts
For your viewing pleasure, here is an organized list of everything I've posted so far.
Open Discussion - Question and Answers
Open Discussion 1
Open Discussion 2
Question: GPA, Application Help, Cornell
Question: Choosing Schools to Which to Apply
Question: Standing Out in An Applicant Pool
The Common App Guide - Advice for all sections of the College Applications
Getting Started
Adding Colleges
Future Plans, Personal Data, Address, and Family
Academics
Standardized Tests
Additional Information
Pre-Application Advice
Extracurricular Activities
SAT and ACT info
When to Start Preparing
Scholarships
Intro to Scholarships
Finding Scholarships
Winning Scholarships
Misc
Nailing the Interview
About this Blog
About Me
Open Discussion - Question and Answers
Open Discussion 1
Open Discussion 2
Question: GPA, Application Help, Cornell
Question: Choosing Schools to Which to Apply
Question: Standing Out in An Applicant Pool
The Common App Guide - Advice for all sections of the College Applications
Getting Started
Adding Colleges
Future Plans, Personal Data, Address, and Family
Academics
Standardized Tests
Additional Information
Pre-Application Advice
Extracurricular Activities
SAT and ACT info
When to Start Preparing
Scholarships
Intro to Scholarships
Finding Scholarships
Winning Scholarships
Misc
Nailing the Interview
About this Blog
About Me
Monday, December 1, 2008
Open Discussion - 2
Hey guys. It's now December, and college apps are due in about a month!! Unfortunately, I have to start studying for my final exams and won't have that much time to write new blog posts.
However, I'll always respond to any questions you have, and I might create blog posts about any good questions and answers. That said, here is Open Discussion 2.
Post a comment on anything - any questions on deadlines, advice, the application process, anything! You can post your stats (SATs, GPA, activities, schools interested in) and we'll tell you (honestly) what we think your chances are of getting in to the colleges you want, and what direction you should take to improve. Everything is anonymous, so please ask all questions on your mind! Remember, we were in high school not too long ago.
Link to Open Discussion - 1
However, I'll always respond to any questions you have, and I might create blog posts about any good questions and answers. That said, here is Open Discussion 2.
Post a comment on anything - any questions on deadlines, advice, the application process, anything! You can post your stats (SATs, GPA, activities, schools interested in) and we'll tell you (honestly) what we think your chances are of getting in to the colleges you want, and what direction you should take to improve. Everything is anonymous, so please ask all questions on your mind! Remember, we were in high school not too long ago.
Link to Open Discussion - 1
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Q & A - Choosing Colleges to Apply To
Question:
Can the colleges you apply to see which other colleges you are also applying to or is that confidential? I know there is some rivalry among the IV leagues and some of them express that "level of interest" is one of their criteria. Can applying to rival schools cause conflicts? Is it better to apply to all the schools you are considering to increase chances of admission or to pick only top choices in order to show that you are serious and committed to those institutions?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My answer:
This is a great question. I'm not certain whether or not colleges can see where else you're applying, and I'm sure that they probably do have methods to tell, but this should not in any way deter you from applying to schools. You should apply to every college you want, even if you don't think you will accept them or they will admit you. You want to have a good breadth of schools when choosing who you will accept. Applying to rival schools will not cause conflicts, and only applying to your top schools will in fact be detrimental in the long run.
When Ivy Leagues say they want you to express a "level of interest," they want you to visit their school, have a clear definition in your mind of what you like about it, and be able to articulate your interest. Almost every school has that essay "what do you like about our school." This is the best way to express your level of interest, not by omitting other colleges.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Common App Guide - Writing | Additional Information
"Include any additional information that you would like to provide."
Here are a few suggestions for some ideas to include. Try to integrate them into an essay format instead of just listing items.
I also had a lot of trouble with this section: "what else do you want colleges to know about me." Basically, I tried to include all major activities that I did not mention in my application (which is hard, because you try to mention everything), and then related them to personal character traits. For example, I mentioned all the leadership positions I held that I didn't say on my application and wrote about how I developed great leadership skills from these activities.
Another idea is to talk about some extraordinary feat you've accomplished. For example, I'm in a rock band and we were featured in a commercial that aired on primetime TV, so I included that in this part for some applications. Colleges like to see that you are a diversified individual who will play a role in their community and contribute not only grades, but also personality.
If you've had any major setbacks in life, reasons for performing poorly at one point in time, or maybe a turnaround in your work ethic, you should also include that here.
The best advice for this section is this (I had to ask some of my friends what they did here):
All over your application, you can only list your best honors, your most noteworthy activities, your work experience, etc. However, there are very few places to relay the significance of these activities to you. During the past four years of high school, you have been growing as an individual as a result of everything in which you participated. Here is an opportunity to show how your activities and accomplishments have helped you develop your character. In this section, you can talk about the significance of your activities, distinctions, accomplishments, or even upsets, to you.
Back to The College Guide - Admissions Advice
Here are a few suggestions for some ideas to include. Try to integrate them into an essay format instead of just listing items.
I also had a lot of trouble with this section: "what else do you want colleges to know about me." Basically, I tried to include all major activities that I did not mention in my application (which is hard, because you try to mention everything), and then related them to personal character traits. For example, I mentioned all the leadership positions I held that I didn't say on my application and wrote about how I developed great leadership skills from these activities.
Another idea is to talk about some extraordinary feat you've accomplished. For example, I'm in a rock band and we were featured in a commercial that aired on primetime TV, so I included that in this part for some applications. Colleges like to see that you are a diversified individual who will play a role in their community and contribute not only grades, but also personality.
If you've had any major setbacks in life, reasons for performing poorly at one point in time, or maybe a turnaround in your work ethic, you should also include that here.
The best advice for this section is this (I had to ask some of my friends what they did here):
All over your application, you can only list your best honors, your most noteworthy activities, your work experience, etc. However, there are very few places to relay the significance of these activities to you. During the past four years of high school, you have been growing as an individual as a result of everything in which you participated. Here is an opportunity to show how your activities and accomplishments have helped you develop your character. In this section, you can talk about the significance of your activities, distinctions, accomplishments, or even upsets, to you.
Back to The College Guide - Admissions Advice
The Common App Guide - Standardized Tests
Once logged into the Common App website, head on over to the "Standardized Tests" section on the left hand toolbar.
This section is pretty self explanatory; simply self-report your scores.
Remember, you also need to send an official score report to all the schools to which you're applying. If you haven't already, sign up for a (free) account at http://www.collegeboard.com Here you can also manage a list of colleges to which you'd like to apply and quickly view information, such as deadlines, and statistics. You can also register online for upcoming SAT dates and send your score reports to colleges for a fee (I think this is the only way you can send scores though. Collegeboard has a monopoly of sorts).
Please note: Different schools, or specific programs within a school, require a different amount of SAT II subject tests. You can find out via the school's website how many and which SAT II's you need to take. Make sure you take all the required SAT II subject tests!
Also, some colleges have different deadlines for sending the official score report for the SAT I test. For example, Lehigh University's deadline is January 15th, but The College of New Jersey's is February 15th. If you're not satisfied with your SAT I score, then you can prepare and take the December 6th or January 24th SAT, given you know you can do better. See a list of SAT dates here: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html
This section is pretty self explanatory; simply self-report your scores.
Remember, you also need to send an official score report to all the schools to which you're applying. If you haven't already, sign up for a (free) account at http://www.collegeboard.com Here you can also manage a list of colleges to which you'd like to apply and quickly view information, such as deadlines, and statistics. You can also register online for upcoming SAT dates and send your score reports to colleges for a fee (I think this is the only way you can send scores though. Collegeboard has a monopoly of sorts).
Please note: Different schools, or specific programs within a school, require a different amount of SAT II subject tests. You can find out via the school's website how many and which SAT II's you need to take. Make sure you take all the required SAT II subject tests!
Also, some colleges have different deadlines for sending the official score report for the SAT I test. For example, Lehigh University's deadline is January 15th, but The College of New Jersey's is February 15th. If you're not satisfied with your SAT I score, then you can prepare and take the December 6th or January 24th SAT, given you know you can do better. See a list of SAT dates here: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html
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