In this post we outline how to frame your thinking around what colleges want. Here are a few questions to get you started. Students often wonder if they should specialize in a particular subject area or extracurricular activity. They may question if having a single, well-defined area of focus will make them a more attractive college applicant. For example, if you want to study engineering at MIT, it would be smart to take some high-level STEM courses during high school and to reinforce this interest with some relevant extracurricular activities.
Similarly, if you want to study business at UPenn, you should have classes and activities that are reflective of this goal. For example, if you perform poorly in English class or drop out of all your activities after junior year in order to focus on your STEM curriculum, you will not come off as a student capable of succeeding in multiple fields and might even look like someone who does not follow through on commitments.
As you can see, the line between specialized and well-rounded is a tough one to walk. To learn more about what colleges want from specialized or well-rounded candidates, check out these posts:. Sometimes students wonder if they should focus more on test prep or more on getting their grades up. They want to know which data point is viewed as more reflective of their academic aptitude or given more weight in the college application process. Unfortunately, again, there is no simple answer. To learn more about what extracurricular might be good for you, check out this article.
Letters of recommendation give admissions officers an important glimpse into how others perceive you as a student, community member, and person. Because these letters are anonymous, t hey're often seen as authentic and honest glimpses into who you are and whether you're ready to succeed in college.
NOTE: Some colleges don't require letters of recommendation nor personal essays, so make sure to check the admissions website for your target colleges. You want to have great letters of recommendation that rave about who you are, what your passion is, and how great you are at what you're passionate about.
Check out these examples of great letters of recommendation and the breakdown of what makes them so great. Like a letter of recommendation, your personal essays if required should reveal who you are and what you want from your education and beyond.
These essays give admissions counselors more insight into who you are as a person, and how you'll fit into their unique campus. These are an important part of your college application, so be sure to start them long before they're due. But don't worry: we have tons of college admissions essay resources to help you out! Check out these example college personal essays along with tips to create a memorable one.
And of course, don't miss this blog that goes over everything you need to know about writing a personal essay in the first place. How do those scores affect your admissions? Additionally, many schools award college credit or placement if you score high enough on AP or IB exams.
Colleges use these other test scores to double-check that you're ready for their school. If you got a perfect SAT score but failed every AP exam that you took, then an admissions officer may question if you're prepared for their coursework. Basically, don't let your other test scores be a red flag. T ake your other test scores seriously but know that they won't hurt your chances unless the scores are really low failing for AP or IB exams.
Just try to get the highest scores you can on your AP and IB exams so that your high scores give colleges another reason to accept you! Let's discuss each reason one at a time. For example, if you have a 4. However, if you have a 4. If you have a 3. For instance, if you have a 4. Every year, colleges publish their freshman admissions profile see an example from Princeton. In this profile, colleges provide the data on their admitted students. The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores.
The general public looks at this data to perceive the selectivity of the school the higher the range, the more competitive or "better" the general public thinks that college is. When you think of top-tier schools such as Dartmouth , Brown , or Columbia , you likely think, "Wow those are good schools! But why do you think they are good schools? You might think of their alumni or campuses. However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner.
Top tier colleges such as Princeton, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be good so that it reflects well on them. The content on CollegeData. We recommend that you refrain from acting or not acting on the basis of any content contained on CollegeData. We will not be liable for the content on CollegeData.
Share: It may seem top secret, but colleges are perfectly willing to reveal their most important admission factors. Grades in college prep courses Most colleges will consider your grade in college prep courses the strongest sign of your ability to do well in college. Strength of curriculum Colleges look for students who took the most challenging courses available to them who performed well in each class.
Grades in all courses Your overall GPA also serves as an indicator of your academic success in high school. Letters of recommendation Many colleges require recommendation letters from your teachers and high school counselor. Essay or writing sample Many colleges will ask you to submit an essay or personal statement and some will require you to answer additional questions with shorter essays.
Demonstrated interest Going on a college visit, talking with admission officers, or doing an enthusiastic interview can call attention to how much you really want to attend. Class rank Colleges that use this factor want to see how much competition high school students had to face to achieve rank. Personal Qualities Some colleges look for signs of certain personal traits -- such as curiosity, social consciousness, or persistence -- that they feel help students succeed in college.
Do all colleges use the same criteria when admitting students? Liberal arts colleges, which encourage students to study broadly, may give factors such as essays and demonstrated interest considerable weight. Highly selective colleges attract thousands of outstanding students.
Colleges look not only at your overall GPA but also at how well you did in individual classes. If your school has a class rank, that shows how much competition you faced with grades and performance to reach a particular level.
Being able to show prospective colleges that you challenged yourself academically is important. Colleges also want to see students who stretch themselves beyond the limits of the classroom.
The kinds of activities you choose say a lot about your personality and even your morals. Whether or not you stick with your chosen undertakings exhibits your ability to commit to important projects in the long term.
Any experience you have that shows true commitment, leadership qualities and an interest in community is beneficial to your application. Include the organizations or companies you worked for and what your responsibilities were at each one.
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