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Source: New York Times
Maybe you've already seen or thought of the topics on this list of factors to consider as you continue applying to colleges in November and December. The ones that stand out the most to me are:
1. Admissions decisions aren't all about you: with the process more competitive than its ever been just put your best foot forward and you'll probably find a good option.
2. Express your authentic self: when you write your essay(s) being authentic will read better than trying to impress someone. Usually readers can tell when someone is doing that so a good story will be helpful.
3. Do (real) good: In the past I've had CP government students do a service learning project, which there isn't time for in AP Gov, however meaningful volunteering experiences make you a more well rounded candidate who can contribute to a college community.
What stands out to you on the list of suggestions? Are there things you are doing or recommend that are not on the list? Are there things that you're trying to avoid in your college application process.
Remember when you're a blog author you can post one of your stories on a topic beyond the scope of our curriculum.
I know this process takes a lot of thought and effort, so hope these ideas help!
Mr. Felder
8 comments:
I absolutely agree with number 1. When the admissions committees at schools receive applications, they must look at the application in the context of creating a balanced, diverse community. There are so many competitive students at Aragon, and it would be impossible for Cal to take every single qualified student. It is not all about you because the admissions committee also needs to take into account out-of-state students, low income students, students from diverse geographic areas, etc. This means that a fantastic student might not get accepted even though they might have better test scores and GPA than others. I know that it has been helpful to me to be recruited as an athlete.
I find the bullet point "colleges want to be your first choice" quite interesting and I think it's quite good advice too. Not all colleges can be your first choice, but I don't think they have too. I think it's not that "colleges want to be your first choice", but rather colleges want to know you care. They want to know you've done your research and put in the effort to single out their school specifically. I think this is an important thing, even beyond college applications. You should care about what you do. If you really care, rather than just doing the work, the effort and passion will show in the application. Dedication and effort show a passionate and driven person, helping get into college, or get ahead in any aspect of life.
I think it's very important to finding something you are passionate about, and just displaying that to the college. Looking beyond college has been very helpful for me. I think about what I will be doing after college, and make it clear that college is simply a path towards my vision. This has smoothed the writing process, and also helped me clarify my goals too.
I think that the idea that many colleges tend to select students whose families can pay for tuition yet still want to have students from different economic backgrounds is very interesting. It is extremely important to have stuents from different economic backgrounds to have a diverse student body. This is why I love colleges who practice need blind admissions (where the financial needs of a student do not affect the admissions process). However, only prestigious schools with big endownments can practice this policy.
This was one of my favorite lines from the Red Handbook that we received last year:
Emphasize the value of a college education as opposed to the prestige associated with certain school names.
Additionally consider these statements:
I want to get into this college.
I want to study at this college.
I prefer the second one because it puts an emphasis on what's important.
I think individuality is most important when considering attributes to pour in on college applications. Colleges aren't looking for just another head count, they are looking for someone who will think outside of the box. Granted, as competitiveness increases per year, so does how "creative" people get on their applications. So it's essentially a test to see how creative you can be with the experiences you've gone through. Essentially, be a business person and be very good at selling yourself. The thing I would most recommend is to be yourself, but to make an ordinary event into something extraordinary.
I think people in today's society have become too goal orientated. Many of us, including me, think to get where I want to go, I must go through all this, excuse my language, crappy stuff first. So we become machines regurgitating information long enough to pass tests and get us the prerequisites we need. What we must remember is the actual process is: you work hard in every aspect of your life, and then you get to choose which college or dream you want to follow. This is why many of us are challenged to write about schools we want to go to. For the last four years, we have been checking off boxes trying to fulfill what society and the college wants to see from us. This is why we lack individuality. We lack the drive to want to do something well, and therefore it is extremely hard to express our fake drive in our essays or through interviews.
I am currently trying to get into college. Although, I want to get into a good college. I think what I like the best from what college say is that. A straight shot to your favorite college might not always happen. So some colleges like CSM encourage you to do a transfer instead because it makes it easier to get in.
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