<p>I also posted this in the College Admissions section, but people here are much nicer, so hopefully I'll have more luck.</p>
<p>I'm a junior but very nervous about the college application process. I want to start early because I know I'll be very busy and run out of time come fall 06. I took a look at the common app, and decided to get started on my essay, as I hear those can either make or break you.
I chose the following question:
Describe a character in fiction that has had an influece on you, and explain that influence.
This is my first college essay, and I realize it may possibly be a disaster, but that's why I want to start early.
If anyone who's been through the process would take some time to read and critique it, it would be much appreciated. Please reply, and I will PM you with it.</p>
<p>Also.. my essay is 599 words, though it says 500 is the upper limit... I know some people do go over the word limit... what is the acceptable limit to go over? I have a lot of trouble cutting my essays down and being concise about what I have to say.</p>
<p>edit: I should probably also note that I'm looking to apply at top tier colleges including:
Princeton
Stanford
Columbia
Cornell
WashU in St. Louis
Claremont/Pomona
NYU
BU
and possibly a few others I'm not sure of at the moment</p>
<p>I've applied to college already and I'm willing to help since I have the entire week off! You're going to love next year after the stressful app. process lol. Good luck and feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>make sure you have some safeties and matches , and be sure to apply to one school with rolling admission. 6 of the schools on your list are reachs- it's very top heavy.</p>
<p>Depends totally on your gpa, SAT, interests. the kind of programs offered by the schools. etc, etc. . Start thinking about what KIND of college you want to attend- big vrs small, Lac vrs university, location, etc. Most of the schools on your list are universities except Claremont and Pomona, which are small LAC's and offer very different programs from each other, but both are as selective as most of the universities on your list. LAC's have a totally different "feel" than a university. So if LAC's are a possibility, there are hundreds of them across the country to choose from, from top schools such as Dartmouth and Amherst [ as selective and hard to get into as Stanford] to many less selective colleges. You also have BU, which is HUGE, and couldn't be more different than a LAC, but could be considereded a safety for a strong student as the average high SAT's are over 150 points lower than most schools on your list. If a large university is a possibility, and you want a larger population of smart students, them think of USC [higher # of National merit students than BU] as a match or possible safety. USC also has rolling admissions, so you can apply there early, even of you want to apply EA or ED to another school , such as Stanford . And if you are a Cal resident, are you going to apply to the UC's? The experience there could be a lot like BU or NYU. Again, it depends on the fit, on what kind of a college you want to attend, and what kind of school experience do you want? Bottom line, these days, unless you are a 4.4, star athlete, top SAT's, etc., you need to have many more schools on your list where you have a greater than 1 in 10 chance of getting in. Your list should probably have an equal # of matches and safeties to reaches. If you have a good idea of specific programs or majors you are interested in, I suggest you look at the Rugg"s Recommendations report, which you can probably get through your school counselor, but can also be ordered online. The Rugg's report is a summary of hundred's of college recommendations compiled from college counselors across the country. In the front it lists schools based on the majors they offer, further broken down by size of school, and in the back lists the schools, the majors offered, school size, and the average SAT scores of students there. It, along with the Friske guide , can be a very valuable college reference book.</p>
<p>yeah... thanks for the advice
I did not know University of Southern Cal. was rolling admissions... my original plan was to apply there as well... and I definitely will if it is.
Also with BU, I have an advantage because my mom works there.
As for my stats...
I have a pretty high GPA, rank 3/172, current SAT Is is 2200 (Math & Writing 760, CR 680), but I will take again. I have a variety of ECs and a couple leadership positions, etc. but no HUGE awards. Possibly a NMSF because PSAT was 228 (MA)...
so I don't know... the schools on my list are all the ones I'm pretty sure that I will apply to, but there are others that I'm not so sure about that are less selective.</p>