Amidst the loud grind, cackle and cacophony of fierce admission competition, I am sure you are all wondering “Will they accept me?” “How do I get in there?” “What can I do to help my chances?” Well, I can’t exactly answer any of those questions for you. But what I can do is tell you what the most important factors for admission are for you, as a high school student. And what you can work on right now that will help your chances.
1) Challenging Classes: Do you challenge yourself with your current course load? Are you taking IB classes? Are you taking an extra language, instead of having an extra lunch period? Colleges love to see students with higher-level courses. Even if you get a B in a harder class, that looks better than an A in an easier class. Challenge yourself!
2) Standardized test scores: Each school has a certain range of scores they will admit. Of course, the lower the score, the more you will have to make up for it in other ways, such as extracurricular activities, or leadership positions. It is vital to have relatively high scores. We offer several of these at 51UStudy to help you make the grade.
3) Extracurricular involvement: What do you love? How often do you do it? Most top schools want to know you are passionate about something. It is more important to show quality, rather than quantity here. For example, being on the chess team for four years and dancing for eight will look better than being involved in ten different clubs for a year each. Remember this when you decide to quit your ten year commitment to piano lessons to take up interpretive dance.
4) Volunteering: Do you volunteer time for your community? For children? The elderly? Do you use your gifts to help others freely? Top colleges look for do-gooders, because they believe if you give your time and effort to your community, you will also give your time to campus, thus adding to the community there and making it a better place.
5) Your essay: This is the part of your application where you are able to use your voice to tell admissions officers why they should pick you! You should be influential, deep, personal and touch them with your writing skill and dazzling personality. It is becoming more and more necessary to have some help from professionals here, since the competition is getting more and more fierce. I recommend having at least three people look over your essay once you feel it is completed.
6) Internships, Research and Summer Studies: Internships in your chosen field, summer programs offered by top universities, and summer research in labs (for those going into the sciences or medicine) are highly favored and make you stand out. This is vitally important!
7) Great Recommendations from Teachers and Counselors: Get to know your counselor, and speak up in class. Stay after class to talk to your teacher on a regular basis to build a relationship. This will help you immensely in the long run. Also, try to choose teachers to bond with in your field of interest.
8) Recommendations from Additional Informants: Coaches, clergy, professors, bosses, mentors etc. can make you look even better by showing admissions officers how dedicated you are to your interests outside of school. The best types of recommendations to get are from professors of summer programs or professors who you have done research for, as these can be most easily applied to your academic ability. If you are hoping to be accepted based on sports or music, it is vital that you designate this section to a coach, independent music teacher or music director. DO NOT ask a family member to write this.
9) An Upward Trend in Grades: This is especially important for those who did not achieve high marks in the beginning of high school. However, this shows that the student is growing more and more educated and building upon fundamental knowledge, a task they must continue in your university education. This is also evident if one chooses AP or IB coursework later on, which shows an increase in the student’s willingness to challenge themselves.
10. Awards, Scholarships, and Honorable Mentions: How do you stand out? Many students may win AP scholar awards, or national merit awards, these are not what I am talking about here. In this category, it is important to try to win unique types of awards, specific to your major. Challenge yourself with extracurricular competitions in your area of interest. These are only a Google away, and always worth a shot. Even if you don’t win, you are able to report that you received notoriety, or distinction in many cases. This shows your passion to make this area of interest your life.
Still have any doubts? Our opinions are echoed on the The Daily Item. Still need more support? E-mail us at [email protected]
