<p>So this is were all the 2005-06 applicants (or should I say survivors) scatter thier pearls of wisdom on to the next generation of CCers... so include useful info and what school you are going to/ hurt you to turn down. and if you are really high on yourself, you can post your stats for the last time, because in college, im sure they wont matter one bit!
School I will be attending:
Columbia University
Schools that I cried over when I told them I wasnt going:
Stanford, Brown, University of Chicago
Extra Info:
Im an international
My pearls of wisdom:
1. Dont apply to too many schools, especially if you know which one you really want to go to. First of all it will ruin your senior year and its selfish. Realize that the more applicants these schools have, the more competitve it is- you are only screwing you and people like you over
2. SATs are a load of crap. Yes, they are a great way to boost the industry (you know you have already purchased those big fat books, might be considering a prep course, and are wasting priceless moments of your life studing)- it is just a test. I scored 2050 and decided to screw it. Filling in bubbles can say nothing about who you are, and if it does- get a life.
3. Stop this "hook" nonsense. The biggest hook is being yourself, and no being anally proud of an accomplishment is not having an identity. Sure things like being a gold medalist or researching since age 14 are amazing but they should blow ad coms out of the water because they reveal attributes of your character that say more than "i really want to go to an ivy league!"
4. Pick your schools carefully. Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, pretty names. And pretty faces to match. But if that is your reason for picking them (and no they have great dorms or cool sweaters with their names stamped on the front is not a reason), you will not get in. They have plenty of generous alumnni's children to fill THOSE spaces.
5. Dont rush, be honest. The hardes part about applying is honesty. Lets admit it, honesty is unnatural, especially when you are trying to make yourself a scrumptous applicant. Dont put too mcuh icing on your cake or the ad coms will gag. be yourself, and rember YOU MAKE YOUR EDUCATION. Being rejected by harvard or by yale or columbia does not signify the end of a dream or era, it is just an indicator that better things await you! Good luck applicants and just a side note- COLUMBIA ROCKS!</p>
<p>Thanks for this post, I myself am guilty of trying too hard to make colleges like me. I guess at this point of my high school "career" I can just lay back, enjoy the ride, and most importantly be myself :)</p>
<p>haha nice post =]</p>
<p>I hope I don't forget any of that advice when the insanity with college apps start next year .. </p>
<p>just a quick question .. did you visit all of your schools before you applied?</p>
<p>i doubt they visited...considering they mentioned that they're international.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the heartening words...</p>
<p>youre really cool for posting that haha... thanks so much</p>
<p>Well about visitng... I didnt know where I was going to be accepted... and I wasnt going to spend money going to see the schools if I wasnt going to get in. So I picked them by 1) writting my educational philosophy and then seeing who matched 2) seeing how had the best internships, research opportunities 3) seeing where students like me went and stuff like that. So basically I picked via researching and by talking to alumni. Also I went to summer school in boston so that helped me become aware. Once I did get my acceptances however, I went on a mad rush to visit them, I ended up going to see Columbia, U of Chicago, Yale, Brown, and Stanford all in two weeks any all by myself! I was good fun but i dont recommend it because once i had visited I only had 4 days to make my desicion.</p>
<p>I'll add some advice, too... I will go to Wellesley (my first choice) with a generous scholarship, turning down Smith, Mount Holyoke and Wesleyan College, GA. I'd say, whatever else you do, try to interview with every single school! I'm from Switzerland, and I was still able to interview with most of them... also, come prepared with specific questions, so it will look (if it isn't so) as if you are/were really prepared.
Also, even though I agree with a_nicte about SATs and find that they say nothing about a person, or even not very much about a person's intellectual abilities, use Princeton Review's "How to crack the new SATs". For me, it boosted my SATs by more than 200 points.
And else... good luck, prospective seniors!</p>
<p>I'm going to my dream school, The University of Tennessee.</p>
<p>My advice is...</p>
<p>Don't let anyone tell you that you have to go to Harvard or something of the like to get a good education. Not everyone has the desire to go to a school like that, so don't let those words effect you. Find what is right for you. If your heart is telling you a school is a good fit, then it really is. And ALWAYS go visit schools your interested in. It really does help.</p>
<p>Good avice. Amen.</p>