Once you submit your application, many colleges will pair you with an alumnus or alumna for an “Alumni Interview.” These interviews occur in coffee shops in person, sometimes they happen in college and university clubhouses in your town, or they might even happen over Skype. For help preparing for your Alumni Interview, . This post is all about the follow-up--namely, the thank you note that you will send to your alum interviewer explaining how appreciative you are and how great it was to speak with them. We’ve outlined a general thank you note below, but it will be crucial to insert some specifics.
Expert Advice for your Common App Personal Statement Essay
Now that essay season is upon us (yes, indeed it is), it’s thinking about your . Junior year is coming to a close, your summer is beginning, and now it’s time to brainstorm and ideate. You might have some idea of a topic, experience, or incident that you want to write about. Or, you might not. That’s okay, too.
Are My Chances of Getting into College Better if I Apply Early Decision?
We get a lot of questions about applying early vs. regular decision and the merits of applying to schools for each round. One point that we always drive home is that applying somewhere early is not a small decision, and it should be intentional. This is not the time to throw all caution to the wind and apply to your dream school despite the fact that your test scores are well below their average and you sat around by the beach this past summer with nothing to show for it. That’s just silly, and that’s not how we operate. You need to know the why behind applying somewhere early, and you should have the profile as well as demonstrated interest to back it up. Sometimes applying early can help your chances of getting in and sometimes it can hurt them. Read on to find out the why and how.
What is the Minimum GPA Required for Admission for Ivy League Schools?
Your GPA is arguably the most important part of your application, so it’s crucial to take this aspect of your profile seriously when you’re putting together your school list.
Here’s a bit of a secret for you: there is no such thing as a minimum GPA. There are suggestions, averages, and certainly test score ranges to take note of, but there is no such thing as a GPA cut-off for students to look out for that rules out certain schools or that guarantees acceptance to others.
How to Write the Dartmouth Supplement
Continuing our series, this time we’re tackling the Dartmouth supplement. The Dartmouth College supplement consists of two additional short writing responses. The biggest challenge is the length of the writing responses--the first response is 100 words or less, and the second is 250-300 words. For both, we encourage our students to repeat and embody our mantra of: “think small and tell a story.” We break down every prompt for you below.
How To Get Into a School When Your Grades are too low
Not everyone can be a straight A-student, and not everyone can have and maintain a 4.0+ GPA. . While grades and test scores are important in the college admissions process, they aren’t absolutely everything. We have worked with a great deal of students who are either strong students but have below-average test scores, or who are on the cusp of achieving an A-average, but certainly have a GPA that falls markedly below that cut-off. We’ve helped a lot of despite these softer spots in their profile.
How To Ace Your Stanford Interview
An alumni interview is an offering that not all schools have. But if they do, you should take advantage of the opportunity. You’ll meet with the interviewer and have an opportunity to highlight your accomplishments, ask questions, and find out more about the school. More than anything, though, it’s an opportunity to get some face-to-face time with someone who has direct contact with the school. It’s your job to give a positive impression. It’s important to demonstrate your knowledge and enthusiasm about the school, but it’s also a balancing act.
How to Answer the USC Short Answer Questions
Let’s start with the question you asked yourself that led you to this blog post: “WHAT DO THEY WANT TO HEAR?!” Here’s the answer: nothing. There isn’t one right answer. Repeat and internalize that. The purpose of these questions, like the , is to get to know you. Think about it: if you heard someone’s favorite snack was a kale salad, you would think of them differently than someone who answered ‘Cheetos.’ Remember that everything you put in any application represents who you are, and while the admissions committee is going to analyze your answers to some extent, don’t freak out. These answers are just an extension of you. It’s not complicated, so don’t overcomplicate it, but by all means be thoughtful. As a rule of thumb, don’t try to stand out by being controversial, and definitely don’t lie. That being said, there truly is no wrong answer as long as you don’t go for the most boring/obvious/provocative option for everything.
Does Community Service Matter in the College Application Process?
We get these questions a lot from parents and students alike: should I be doing community service? If so, how much? How does it look on my application? Unfortunately, there’s not just one answer because it depends on a lot of things, but our inclination without having more information is to say: “no.” Here’s why:
How To Write a College Essay on Feminism
Given today’s political climate, every person and institution is becoming more vocal about their stances and opinions. In a way this is great because your choice of essay topics has expanded to include politically-focused narratives. It is tricky, though, for a couple of reasons: 1) many people will be writing with this in mind and 2) your essay still has to be about you. It has to be your own and tell a story that reflects who you are and what you have experienced, not just a statement about something you believe.
New Common App Personal Statement Prompts
The personal statement of the Common App essay is our favorite part of the entire application. We think it’s one of the best opportunities for creativity in the college application process. That said, we know that students don’t feel the same way. They’re focused on writing “what the colleges want to hear” when in reality the colleges don’t want to hear anything specific. Internalize that: there is no right answer. There is no code. They just want to get to know you. To that end, the best college essays are those that say the most . We learn more about people through compelling stories than anything else, so we always advise that our students illustrate their personalities through the lens of a small story.
Do's and Don'ts of the Additional Information Section
Let’s continue our journey investigating the ins and outs of the Additional Information section of The Common App. To review: the Additional Information section is a section that every applicant can find a use for. Its purpose is to give you a space to elaborate upon parts of yourself that you think an admissions reader should know that you did not have room for elsewhere in the application.
How to Write the Tulane Supplement
Everything about the Tulane supplement seems fairly straight forward:
Please describe why you are interested in attending Tulane University
Until you get to the postscript, “(optional) 500-800 words.” At a max of 800 words, the Tulane essay is one of the longest essays most universities offer. Given the large word count, it’s surprising that the essay is marked optional.
How to get into Yale - Admission & Acceptance Advice
Getting accepted to Yale would be the achievement of a lifetime for not only any student in the world, but any valedictorian in the world. There are 33,000 high schools in America, which means there are 33,000 valedictorians every year. As impressive on paper as these students are, most of them would not get accepted to Yale. After all, with an average class size of only 1,200 students, Yale could reject 31,800 valedictorians and still fill their entire freshman class with the top students in their respective high schools. The students we work with who have gained admission to Yale would all tell you the same thing: Grades matter, but they are only a fraction of the picture.
What to do if you don’t have the Grades and Scores: Alternative Admission Strategies
Hopefully you are beginning the college process on the best possible footing. By this we mean you have achieved excellent grades in difficult classes, received high scores on not only your primary standardized test but any subject tests as well, and have a litany of highly-developed interests and extracurriculars. But we understand, this isn’t always the case.
How to Write the Hamilton College Supplement
While the primary criteria for admission to Hamilton are academic achievement, intellectual promise and community engagement, Hamilton also seeks to admit candidates who are a good fit with the programs and experiences offered by the College. Please take this opportunity to tell us about your interest in Hamilton and, particularly, why you believe it is a place where you can thrive. Be open. Be honest. Be brief. (250 word maximum)
The Difference Between a Deferral and a Rejection
How to Write the Michigan Supplement
Michigan has three essay questions of varying lengths. But don’t be confused. Just because an essay is 100 words long doesn’t mean the school will ignore it. Every question is included with the purpose of giving you the chance to tell the school more about you, and for the school to gauge if you’re a good fit.
The 3 Things High School Freshmen can do to Prepare for College
We know freshmen year sounds too early to begin the college process. You (or your child) just finished middle school, you’ve just started high school, and already it’s overwhelming. There’s no time for adjusting because you’re thrown right in and the prospect of taking on more than you’re already doing seems unreasonable. We hear you. But, there are small things you can (and should!) do during 9th grade. Remember that the college process is a marathon, not a sprint, and colleges will look at what you did 9th grade, even if it’s not weighted as heavily as what you do your junior year. This doesn’t mean you have to cure cancer or start a sustainable agriculture program, but you do have to fill your time with something.
Reasons for Getting Rejected from Safety Schools
Last year we had a student named Scott who was objectively incredible. He had a 2200 on the SATs, 700+ on multiple SAT2s, , and had an A GPA. He had his sights set on some very competitive schools, but he knew he had to have a few safeties, including Tulane, just in case. Not only was he supremely qualified but his mom went to Tulane and still helped out at the school with alumni relations. Much to his surprise, Scott was rejected from Tulane Early Action.