12th Grade
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You may find the following websites interesting:
Applying to College
The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
You need to be aware that there is only one moment in time when the student’s stuff shows up in the admissions office - and it better shine! In the admissions process the transcript is the first item that is reviewed, and it must pass the litmus test. It either has qualifying “numbers” (grades, scores, etc.) or it doesn’t.
In addition to their high school transcript, the student’s stuff should include the following in the order listed below:
1. The college application,
2. Essays and/or personal statements,
3. A resume beginning with The Middle Ages - The reason we begin here rather than The High School Years is to increase the chances that something will pique the reader’s interest and motivate them to read the entire resume. A sample resume is included in Appendix 2.
4. The “Why I Must Attend Your College” essay or the “What John Smith Has To Offer XYZ University” essay. (See Appendix 1).
5. Submit only those LOR’s that you’ve read and are comfortable with. Don’t take any chances with those you’ve obtained outside of school, but haven’t reviewed.
Here is some insight into how the “readers” review applications. Don’t forget - they’re looking for reasons to reject!
The Application
It’s August of the senior year, and some state and a few private college applications are now available. If you have Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher, you will be able to complete a number of applications in a PDF file. I suggest you download the application and save it on Desktop or in you’re My Documents folder first, and then complete it.
Print it out, review it, and mail it either overnight or 2nd day with signature guarantee. If that’s not possible, contact the schools and have them send you their application packets. Be sure to keep accurate records of all schools applied to, and check your grid (Appendix 3).
Warning! When a sincere sounding, reassuring admissions person tells you they’ll mail you an application package - don’t take it for granted that they actually will. You may be waiting until the cows come home or your letter carrier retires. Be creative. Offer a credit card to pay for a $15.00 overnight or $5.00 second day delivery of the application package. I can virtually guarantee you positive results by using this technique!
Update for 2006: Because internet technology has advanced considerably, I am now advising all students to apply online, if possible. Use the school’s application, but make absolutely certain the application is perfect before it’s sent!
The application is now ready to be scrutinized with far more than just a “fine tooth comb.” The application is a test in itself. Close attention should be given to each and every question that is asked, so you can answer them properly. It is of the utmost importance to follow directions to the letter.
Answering Questions Properly
One of my favorite questions is, ” Please check the box that best describes your ethnic background. ” Most people answer this question incorrectly; not by their answer, but by their designation. The correct answer is with a Checkmark! Placing an “X” or anything else constitutes not following instructions - and could get even the brightest student rejected!
Let’s assume you are a hospital nurse, and the doctor tells you to inject the patient in room 1223 with 500cc of ABC drug. You proceed to room 12 32 , and send that person into cardiac arrest. You didn’t follow instructions, and consequently, you killed the patient!
Another favorite question of mine is, “To what other schools are you applying?” How would you answer this one? Would you tell Harvard you’re applying to Princeton or Yale? Would you leave it blank or say, “None?” What’s the appropriate answer?
The best answer I can recommend is, “None as of this date, or XYZ U - safety school.” Although it is not necessarily the information they were looking for, either one is a perfectly “safe,” acceptable answer.
Many college applications contain a grid for you to list the activities you participated in during high school, and whether you plan to continue in college. The question usually is, “Do you plan on participating in this activity in college?” Always answer, “Yes!” You plan to, but you always have the option not to.
How would you answer this question: “How did you spend last summer?”
Several years ago, one of my students who applied to Harvard, answered, “In a summer program at Dartmouth.” I strongly suggested that she change her answer to, “I spent my summer in New England.” Be clever, but don’t lie - not ever!
It is not necessary and definitely not recommended that you volunteer any information on questions that are marked, “Optional.” By providing the wrong optional information, you may seriously jeopardize your chances of being accepted. The only thing you might want to provide that is optional is a photo. (See “The Photo” at the end of this chapter.)
Remember: As a general life lesson, don’t volunteer any information! You gain nothing by telling Macy’s that you’re shopping at Gimbels, or, in this forum, by telling Penn you’re applying to Cornell or Princeton.
You need to be extremely careful with each and every answer. Many questions do not require an answer or may not be applicable to your situation.
· If the answer to any question is no or not applicable , be sure to enter it according to the instructions.
Be sure to always use punctuation to end a sentence, except when you have numbered listings. Do not use punctuation at the end of a phrase!
Remember: Always have at least two family members review every application. Not paying strict attention to details causes errors and inconsistencies, and this is the #1 reason for rejection! Carelessness leads to failure, and this should not be a factor in any student’s life.
Assuming there are no errors or inconsistencies on your application, it’s now time to write some dynamite essays.
Writing Essays That Count
The essay is the most crucial piece of writing the student will submit to the colleges. Every effort should be made to incorporate all Kodak moments and interlace some less than blissful experiences to create drama in the writing.
The quality of the essay depends on the student’s ability to answer the question or respond to the subject matter or topic.
First choice - Students should select a most thought-provoking theme to write about. The essay should be viewed as a challenge; a “we dare you to compete for the privilege of attending our school,” and students must attempt to write a literary masterpiece.
The topic chosen and its degree of difficulty say volumes to the school about the character of the writer. Students writing about their favorite anything should be passionate about it. It’s not enough just to say you love something. You must explain why in no uncertain terms. Never lose focus. If writing about how a certain relative was the most admired individual you ever knew, factor in how he or she had an affect on you, and just how you may have fashioned yourself after them, and perhaps how they changed the direction of your life.
When I was reviewing a, “Why I Must Attend Northeastern University” essay, the writer was actually writing about Boston University! She had written six “Why I Must…” essays, and in her haste had pasted up the wrong college name on the Northeastern essay. Had I not caught the mistake, she would have surely kissed that school goodbye.
Second choice - Either write about yourself, the subject you know best and one that requires no research, or write about overcoming adversity, a particular favorite of application readers. In 2003, one of my students wrote about being molested when she was eight years old. She is now pursuing a medical career at a very prestigious West Coast university. She wisely chose not to go into specific details, and her essay on how she overcame being victimized was most compelling and well received.
Warning! Don’t write an essay that could be considered too controversial.
That same year, another of my honor students wrote a “Pro Life” essay. She expressed her views with such intense conviction, that reading it left me with the impression that she might be a danger to others with strong “Pro Choice” convictions.
At first, when I advised her to rewrite it, she refused. I spent a lot of time explaining to her that the goal was to be accepted , not to win points on the anti-abortion issue. I also told her that after she was accepted, she could protest and exercise her freedom of speech any way she chose - but first, she had to get into the school. Never lose sight of the main objective!
To date, my all time favorite essay question is the University of Pennsylvania’s, “You’ve just written your 300 page autobiography. Tell us what’s on page 217.” How would you handle this one?
I advise students who choose this essay to go back in time 5 or 6 years (about 1/3 of their life), recall where they were and what they were doing in that time period, and then begin writing. An effective approach is to begin the page in the middle of a sentence, preferably ending the thought by leaving the reader in a quandary.
Example: “…because that’s the way it was arranged.”
Remember that this is page 217 from your autobiography. Open any autobiography to page 217, and it probably won’t start with a fresh sentence or a new paragraph. It is also important to leave the reader hanging at the end of the page.
Example: “As he ran into the street, the car continued to…” or, “when he approached my father…”
If the school will let you choose your own essay question to answer, be as creative as possible. Some examples the colleges have used are:
· “If you were given a position of authority in the government for one day, which position would you choose and what would you try to accomplish?”
· “If you could write a message to be put in a fortune cookie, what would that message be?”
· “The Post Office is issuing a new stamp. Whom or what should be represented, and why?”
· “Name a person who has integrity and explain why. What does integrity mean to you?”
· “If you could live in the world of a book, (novel or non-fiction), which book would you choose, and why?”
These are extremely thought provoking questions because the top schools are looking for the most thought provoking students - hopefully, you!
Under NO circumstances should you ever employ the services of a professional essay service or essay writer! That’s cheating at its worst, and the risk/reward ratio isn’t worth it. The admissions committees and the application readers are neither stupid nor naïve, and they’re on to that scam.
A number of years ago, a wealthy family who chose not to take my advice, did just that. They apparently felt it would be the sure-fire way for their son to get into an exclusive East Coast school. He had good grades and good scores, and would have otherwise been acceptable, but his writing skills were, at best, slightly above average. So, they hired a professional, and their son was accepted to that college. After the third week in English Comp, his teacher couldn’t believe that someone with his limited writing skills could have ever been accepted. The professor went to the admissions office and reviewed the student’s application and essays. His suspicions were confirmed after reading the three much too professionally written essays that were in the file. He concluded that this particular student could have authored none of them.
The boy was summoned to the Dean’s office and confronted with the evidence. Left with no choice, he reluctantly admitted that his parents had hired a professional to do his essay writing for him. Consequently, he was given the option to immediately withdraw from classes - or be expelled for the fraud he had perpetrated on the school.
Don’t let this happen to you no matter how tempting it is to employ the services of a professional writer!
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