<p>That would be better than putting it on wikipedia itself, as it would quickly be AfD'd as per WP:Notability.</p>
<p>Somebody needs to add a section on "Money".</p>
<p>I added some on the ACT and SAT II.</p>
<p>This website should be given to all 7th grade parents/students. By the time junior year rolls around, it's too late for some of the advice! Great idea OP!</p>
<p>I'll created a section for International Students. Anyone else who's knowledgeable, feel free to add to it!</p>
<p>Even in this computer-using age, there is something to be said for those thick college guide books. We got a couple during my daughter's junior year and the whole family perused them. My daughter found her perfect college through this browsing, applied early, and was accepted.</p>
<p>Fantastic idea! So much better for an applicant to get advice from a peer, rather than from a neurotic mom (that would be me!)</p>
<p>Do you guys think work experience is important for admissions? I don't have time for a job because of my other extracirriculars, but I don't feel good about leaving that section blank on my app. I know it doesn't hurt to have it, but does it really matter if I don't?</p>
<p>^ if you can provide a good reason as to why you didn't (i mean, good not just "oh i don't have time" unless you really don't.), then it shouldn't affect you. but adcoms always like to see that you have it.</p>
<p>Great effort so far everyone!. I totally agree with "rileydog", it's too bad that more students and parents do not have this information by 7th grade. We started about then planning out courses, EC, and volunteer activities as well as each summer's activity, travel or training. Neurotic??? Not at all, just ahead of the game and well informed. Since I only have one S, I read many, many books on college admissions and researched out the stats in preparation. Did it work... YES.</p>
<p>Future expansions: Planning sections. What you should be doing as a freshman, sophmore, junior, etc... I'm sure there are timelines out there, as well as lists of general stuff like doing sports and clubs, getting leadership, doing community service, etc. </p>
<p>I don't have time tonight(procrastinating as it is!), but I might be able to throw something together later. I'll watch the thread to remind myself.</p>
<h2>Thanks to all for the support and contributions, here's version 0.2 of the Strategy Guide (pasted directly from the wiki</a>). Note that most maintenance is being done directly on the wiki now, so contributors should probably make their changes there rather than on the thread, and transcripts of the pages will be posted here from time to time...unless anyone has a better suggestion for what to do.</h2>
<p>CC Admissions Strategy Guide, v0.2</p>
<p>Where should I apply?</p>
<pre><code>* A good thing to do is to buy a college guide book (Kaplan's 331 Most Interesting Colleges, or something like that) during your sophomore year or the beginning of junior year, after taking the PSAT. (Although your score will increase when you take the SAT, the PSAT gives you a good sense of what type of schools you should be aiming for.) Read through the book periodically and start thinking about what you want in a school: size, academics, location (urban or rural), campus life, etc.
* However, be careful not to focus too much on rankings as a means of evaluating a school's quality (they can be very biased). Talking to students, visiting, etc. may be more beneficial.
* It is advisable to start visiting colleges and thinking about which ones you want to go to in junior year, if not earlier. Keep in mind that the later you do this sort of stuff, the more busy you'll be.
* Do not apply to too many or too few colleges.
* Always apply to at least one "safety" school. Two or three will be even better. Requirements for a safety school:
1. you would be happy to go there, and if you were accepted to no schools except your safety school, you would not consider yourself a failure
2. you'll almost certainly get in (it may be advantageous to pick a safety that admits purely on stats and publishes minimum cutoffs
3. you can pay for it no matter what (in-state helps for this)
* In addition to your safety schools, apply to some reaches (dream schools) and matches (schools where you think you'll have a realistic shot at getting in). Look at mid-50% GPA/SAT score ranges (published by US News & World Report).
* It is usually unwise to apply to more than ten-twelve schools (unless they're all on the Common App, etc.). Doing so will give you less time to perfect each application and provide you with an overly stressful senior year. Start your tentative list with 2-3 match schools, 2-3 reaches, and 2-3 safeties. Then add an additional school to any category(ies) where you feel insecure or have a school that fits that you want on your list.
* Special rules apply for people applying under an Early Decision, Early Action, or Single-Choice Early Action plan.
</code></pre>
<p>Link</a> to section on college rankings</p>
<p>ED/EA/SCEA</p>
<pre><code>* Some colleges allow you to apply under an Early Decision (ED), Early Action (EA), or Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) plan. These programs all allow you to apply and receive your decision earlier than under regular decision (RD).
* Early Decision confers a contractual obligation, meaning if you apply and are accepted there, you are promising you will go there. If you are accepted there, you have to withdraw your applications to other schools.
* In some cases you may be able to opt out of Early Decision (if your family can't pay), but this happens rarely, so do not count on this happening.
* If you apply Early Decision, you should
1. know you can pay, no matter what financial aid is offered
2. be sufficiently committed to the school
3. be prepared to apply (have taken all required SATs by then, etc.)
- The advantages of applying Early Decision (ED) are
1. at some schools, it is easier to get in ED than under regular decision
2. if you are accepted, you don't have to work on any other applications
- Early Action also allows you to apply early, but is not binding (you don't have to go if you're accepted). You can apply EA to as many schools as you want. Having an EA school on your list can be a great advantage, particularly if it's a school that you have a realistic chance of being admitted to. If you get in EA to a school, you can be more relaxed during the period when you are waiting to hear from regular admission schools. Additionally, you may be able to shorten your application list and only apply to those other schools that you would prefer to the EA to which you have been admitted.
- Single-Choice Early Action is like EA, except you can only apply SCEA to one school. You do not have to attend if accepted, however.
- If you are deferred, your application will be looked at again in the regular decision round and you will know your final decision in March.
- However, bear in mind that if you are deferred/rejected, you will have to write many, many applications in a time span of approximately two weeks. Not to mention some deadlines might happen before decisions are received (for instance, this year Caltech decisions came out after the deadline for scheduling an MIT interview had passed). </code></pre>
<p>The College Process</p>
<pre><code>* Most colleges require you to submit applications by sometime in January, and will give you your decision by sometime in March or the beginning of April. Check carefully, however; some schools have regular admission application deadlines as early as the end of December. (A good plan is to shoot to have your regular admission applications ready by the end of Thanksgiving vacation; that way, if you run a bit late, you have pleanty of time to recover.)
* Not all colleges follow this rule. Some have unusually late or early deadlines. Rolling admissions schools (e.g. University of Michigan) will review your application whenever you send it (and will give back your decision pretty quickly), but you should apply as early as possible to such schools since fewer spots will be available for you if you apply later.
* Some colleges allow you to apply Early Decision, Early Action, or Single-Choice Early Action, meaning you must submit your application in November and they give you your decision sometime in December.
* College applications usually ask you to provide your identification information, family background, SAT/ACT scores, list of extracurricular activities, summer activities, academic honors, and essays/short answer questions.
* Additionally, you may be required to provide two teacher recommendations (this number varies).
* You also have to get your guidance counselor to fill out a school report, which includes your rank, GPA, description of your courseload, and a counselor recommendation. (Colleges understand that counselor recommendations may be generic and will not penalize you.)
* In March you will receive your decision: accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. The waitlist is used by some colleges so that in case not enough people decide to come to the school, they can invite people on the waitlist, thus giving them enough students to fill the class. In most cases this does not happen, and very few students on the waitlist get invited to come.
</code></pre>
<p>High School</p>
<pre><code>* It's good to be from a prestigious high school (since people realize it's harder to get a 3.8 at some schools than others).
* At the same time, the more courses your school offers, the harder courses you're expected to take.
* At a more difficult high school, your rank will probably be lower. (not good!)
* Schools often send a profile with your transcript detailing the distribution of grades, course offerings, etc. at your high school.
* Do not think that, because you go to a public school, you have no chance. Every accredited high school has the potential to get kids into great schools.
</code></pre>
<p>Courseload</p>
<pre><code>* No, you do not need a certain special number of APs to get into School X.
* The type of courses you need to take depends largely on what your school offers. If your school offers 2 APs, it's good to take 2 APs. You don't need to take an AP in every class, of course. 2-3 per term should be plenty for most competitive colleges.
* The guidance counselor has a large role in determining how hard your courseload is judged to be. On the Common App School Report, they ask whether your courseload is "most demanding," "very demanding," "somewhat demanding", or "not very demanding" (I forget if those are the exact words, but that's the gist of it)
* Try to take courses that reflect your interests.
* Regardless, take the hardest courses your school offers in all areas. Even if you hate a certain subject, push yourself to excel in difficult courses in that area. Warning, however. Getting a B in an AP course is acceptable; do NOT take an AP course if you think it will likely get you a C.
* It is better to take a lower level chemistry, physics, biology, or calculus than AP Environmental Science or AP Statistics.
</code></pre>
<p>GPA/Class Rank</p>
<pre><code>* The higher, the better (obviously)
* (In general) Above 3.5 is pretty good, anything below 3.0 is considered a flaw
* In some cases GPA may be considered relative to your courseload and the reputation of your high school.
* Usually people look at a combination of unweighted GPA and class rank since GPA weighting systems vary hugely by district.
* If your school ranks, it is highly recommended that you be in the top 25%.
* It's good if you're in the top 5%, especially at a large public high school. (This rule of thumb works for top tier colleges; below that adjust down accordingly).
* A person who's ranked second in his class will be treated pretty much the same as someone ranked third in his class.
* To the question, "is it better to take an AP class and get a B or a regular class and get an A?", some would say the answer is always "to take an AP class and get an A." Obviously that is not possible for everyone. As above, do NOT take an AP class if it likely will bring you a C; a B in an AP class is acceptable at most schools. Not all AP classes are created equal and colleges realize this. "AP-lite" classes are usually ones that top colleges do not give credit for.
</code></pre>
<p>Standardized Exams - SAT/ACT</p>
<p>The demographics of ACT and SAT takers are divided geographically. Most colleges accept both the SAT and ACT. Generally, the SAT has trickier questions but the ACT is faster paced. The SAT's essay prompt is more abtract than the ACT's, which usually relates to high school life. Applicants can choose which ACT scores to send to colleges. SAT score reports contain all sittings. </p>
<p>SAT Reasoning Test (SAT I)</p>
<pre><code>* The SAT is split into three parts: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Each section is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, which are added together to produce your SAT score on a total of 2400. The higher your score, the better. The Writing section was only added a few years ago, so some people make references to their "old SAT" score (the sum of their Critical Reading and Math scores). Some colleges distrust the Writing score due to its newness and other factors.
* The national average on the new SAT (the sum of all three sections) is somewhere from 1500 to 1600 out of 2400.
* A 1270 (Critical Reading + Math) is considered pretty good (in-state and with suitable GPA it'll get you a full ride at a state school in Florida). If you do comparably on the Writing section this translates to about a 1900.
* For the top 20 or so schools, it's good to have a score of at least 2100. For the top 10, it's good to have a score of at least 2250. It is best to break 700 in all three sections, as well as on SAT IIs. MANY top schools are still basically ignoring the new writing section and pay substantially more attention to your two-part score out of 1600 for math and critical reading.
* Taking the SAT more than three times to improve one's score is generally frowned upon.
* All major 4-year colleges accept both the ACT and SAT.
* The SAT is required for National Merit Scholarships (though high PSAT scores are required to make the first cut). Still, an increasing number of applicants are also trying the ACT for various reasons.
</code></pre>
<p>SAT Subject Tests (SAT II)</p>
<pre><code>* Many high level colleges require 2-3 SAT IIs, which are subject tests. Take them after taking a minimum of 1 year of the subject (or if taking an AP course, after the AP exam). Wait until you've had the most experience with a foreign language before taking a foreign language SAT II, as these tests tend to be geared towards fluent or native speakers of the language.
* Many colleges recommend (and some even require) taking a Mathematics SAT II.
* Math Level I (Formerly IC) includes math up to and including Algebra II. The curve is similar to the SAT math curve.
* Math Level II (Formerly IIC) includes math up to and including Precalculus. The curve is very generous, but the material is more challenging. Missing 7 questions can still translate into an 800, if all other questions are correct. It is recommended to take this test at the end of a Precalculus course.
* Scores on the subject tests vary depending on the subject. For the Ivy's and high LAC's, a 700 on any subject test (other than Math II) is a good score. For Math II, since the curve is generous, a score around 750 is considered very good. For most colleges, a 650 is a very respectable score. In order to gauge how strong a particular score is, the percentiles provided with the score report are usually helpful.
</code></pre>
<p>ACT</p>
<pre><code>* The ACT is divided into four sections: Science, Mathematics, English, and Reading. Scores range from 0-36.
* There is an optional writing test. Most colleges either recommend or require that the ACT be taken WITH the writing test. It is graded 1-12 like the standard SAT essay; however, the topics on the ACT writing are more relevant to high school students.
* A score in the mid to upper twenties is a good score for most colleges. For upper LAC's and Ivy's, a score of 30 or above is recommended.
* Some people find the ACT easier, as the questions are more straight-forward. However, it does require a higher level of knowledge than the SAT. The mathematics section includes some material from Precalculus (Basic trigonometric functions and properties), and it also has a Science section. The science section, although it does not test scientific knowledge directly, it requires a great use of inference and both qualitative and quantitative reasoning (a good grasp of scientific concepts does help). This skill is not tested on the SAT and should be practiced before taking the ACT -- the science section is widely considered the most difficult, as it has strict time constraints, and tests rather different skills from other standardised tests.
* ACT also uses Score Choice -- unlike on the SAT, scores from all ACT tests you've taken do not need to be reported. When you submit scores to college, you select which test date you want to submit on the ACT website. This factor is very beneficial, and therefore taking the ACT multiple times is strongly recommended. However, be careful when selecting which test to send: a balanced test looks better than a lop-sided one. For instance, a score of 29, 30, 31, 32 on the four tests looks better than a 25, 29, 33, 35, although they yield the same composite (31).
* Note: most colleges do not super-score the ACT. Unlike the SAT, schools take your highest COMPOSITE, rather than your highest score in each section.
</code></pre>
<p>Extracurricular Activities</p>
<pre><code>* It's better to devote yourself completely to a small number of clubs and activities that you're really interested in than to join every club you can find and not do anything for it.
* Officer positions are good.
* It helps if you can get something external out of the activity that shows your commitment (a great recommendation letter from your sponsor, or a paper if you worked in a lab, or a few awards if you did sports/debate/etc.).
</code></pre>
<p>Essays</p>
<pre><code>* Make them interesting, a sense of humor helps. But forced humor that falls flat is far worse than no humor at all.
* Your goal is to provide admissions committees new insights of who you are. Do not simply rehash accomplishments presented elsewhere in the application.
* Even if you must recycle essays, it's usually wise to tailor essays to the school you are applying to (this may mean changing a few words or a paragraph). In particular, it is unwise to list all the reasons you want to go to Yale in an application bound for Harvard. This even applies for schools on the Common App (they have a way of letting you send different applications to different schools).
* Try to avoid
o anything overdone
o sex, or anything known to be taboo in America
o sob stories
o anything you wouldn't want your parents to read
o anything you wouldn't want a complete stranger to read
o anything you wouldn't want pasted all over the Internet
* Be cautious when talking about risky, sensitive topics (mental illness, politics, anything that incriminates yourself, etc.) Do not go down this route unless you're a good writer.
</code></pre>
<p>Awards</p>
<pre><code>* For the top 20 colleges (See College Rankings), it's nice to have some of these.
* Local awards are good, but national and international awards are much, much better.
* National Honor Roll, Who's Who Among America's High School Students, National Society for High School Scholars, etc. are not prestigious.
* Significant awards are not a pre-requisite for admission, however.
</code></pre>
<p>Summer Activities</p>
<pre><code>* It's useful to do something over the summer other than sitting at home watching TV.
* Certain summer programs and internships are considered quite selective (most of them are in the sciences). Often the most selective ones are free (for instance, RSI).
* The most selective ones usually have their own threads in the Summer Programs forum.
* RSI is excellent for sciences, TASP for the humanities. Note that these programs are very, very difficult to get into, yet often provide great benefits for admissions (I think the majority of people who attend RSI get into MIT).
* If taking university courses, you should be graded in direct competition with degree-seeking college students.
* Use summers to pursue your interests and passions.
</code></pre>
<p>Recommendations</p>
<pre><code>* Any teacher can say you're "excellent"; the box that will really push you over the top is "best in career."
* It helps if teachers use specific examples from class that show exactly how excellent you are.
* Bring them a short resume beforehand so they know something about you.
* Ask teachers two weeks to a month in advance. Don't ask them for a recommendation a week before it's due.
* If a teacher says no, do not be offended, or ask him multiple times. You would probably not receive a stellar report from him or her.
* Put all relevant materials in a folder with your name on it and give it to your teacher. Write her a letter explaining what you need him/her to do.
* Make your teacher a checklist.
</code></pre>
<p>Other</p>
<pre><code>* Certain colleges may give you special preference if you are
1) an underrepresented minority or URM (black, hispanic, native american, etc.)
2) a recruited athlete (i.e., the coach of that school is recruiting you.) They will usually have a say in the admissions office, but the amount of influence they have varies from school to school. For Division 1 sports, coaches have a lot of influence and can usually get you in as long as you are not an academic failure if your exceptionally talented at said sport. If you are within the schools 25%-75% for the SAT, chances of admission probably exceed 80%. For DIII sports, the coaches will have less influence, but nevertheless can help get you in as the school will know that you have something to contribute to the athletics program. Again if you are within the 25%-75% for SAT and have a respectable gpa, chances of admission are comparably higher compared to regular applicants.
3) a legacy (parent went to the school you're applying to, etc. Sometimes, Master's and Doctorate degrees will also qualify as legacy. However, Harvard for one only considers legacy in regards to attending the undergraduate college. Some public schools do not consider legacy. (University of California) Check with the colleges to see their guidelines.)
4) a first-generation college student (your parents didn't go to college)
5) have overcome tremendous obstacles (as shown in your essays -- lots of caution is advised in case your essay ends up turning into a sob story)
- International students sometimes have lower chances at top 20 schools than their domestic counterparts
- At most colleges, transfer admission is significantly more competitive than freshman admission; in other cases, it will be easier IF you have an excellent record at your intitial school. </code></pre>
<p>Financial Aid</p>
<pre><code>* Financial aid by colleges can be divided into four types.
o Need-blind: These colleges will not consider your financial status when making their decision. All Ivys do this, in addition to MIT, Williams, and Middlebury.
o Need-aware: These colleges will only award aid to a few Internationals and take your financial situation into account when making their decision. Several top private colleges fall into this category (for example, Caltech, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, or Duke.)
o Merit-based: These colleges will not give you need-based aid, but do offer merit-based aid and scholarships to the top of the international pool. An example would be Rice University.
o Aid not offered: Most public universities fall into this category.
* FAFSA
* CSS PROFILE
</code></pre>
<p>Scholarships</p>
<p>College costs are becoming very expensive these days. Luckily, many scholarships are available to help pay for college. There are two types of scholarships:
* Need-based -- based on economic need, which means family income and a whole host of other factors.
* Merit-based -- based on academic merit. This includes essay contests, National Merit Scholarships, etc. Many top schools do not give merit scholarships. A list of schools that do is available here.
* Some scholarships are based on a combination of need and merit.</p>
<p>A great website to find scholarships is Fastweb.</p>
<p>Other Options</p>
<p>There are various other options to pursue:</p>
<pre><code>* Apply to a cheaper school. Often the cheaper ones are public and in-state.
* Take out lots of student loans.
</code></pre>
<p>International Students</p>
<p>As an international student, you might not have the same resources and information available that a US student might have. Keep the following points in mind:</p>
<pre><code>* Most colleges you will apply to (though there are exceptions) will require either the SAT I or the ACT. For details on these, check the Main Page of this wiki.
* Register early for these tests (they'll normally be offered at an American school (or a well-known one) in your region).
* Make sure you're familiar with the format of these tests. Purchase or borrow guide books and practice in order to prepare yourself as well as you can.
* SAT II Subject Tests are required by some colleges. Make sure you know if any college you're applying to requires or recommends that you take them -- even if they are 'recommended' rather than required, it's usually a good idea to have the scores available.
* The TOEFL test:
o If you have a sufficiently high SAT Critical Reading score, or have attended an English-language high school (in certain countries), some colleges will waive your TOEFL test. This varies from college to college.
o Most Public Universities will not waive your TOEFL requirement.
o Register early for the TOEFL; seats fill up very quickly as it is taken by many International job-seekers and not just college applicants.
</code></pre>
<p>Again, the most of the maintenance is moved to the wiki:</p>
<p><a href="http://collegeadmissions.pbwiki.com/%5B/url%5D">http://collegeadmissions.pbwiki.com/</a></p>
<p>To edit, the password is "niagara".</p>
<p>Wish I had this when I was applying... great posts!</p>
<p>fizix, do you give permission for this to be posted on other sites besides CC sites? After all, technically you own the copyright, but you can state that the information is available for all to use with certain clauses, so people can feel free to post this around for other people who don't go on CC.</p>
<p>Awesome guide, especially for the newbs. :) I wish I had something like this when I first started.</p>
<p>One correction:
"o Need-blind: These colleges will not consider your financial status when making their decision. All Ivys do this, in addition to MIT, Williams, and Middlebury.
o Need-aware: These colleges will only award aid to a few Internationals and take your financial situation into account when making their decision. Several top private colleges fall into this category (for example, Caltech, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, or Duke.)"</p>
<p>The Cornell in the need-aware section contradicts the all ivies in the need-blind bullet.</p>
<p>Caltech is also need-blind in admission and will meet all demonstrated need for domestic applicants.</p>
<p>Great idea but that's gonna be a pretty big nutshell!</p>
<p>General Advice on choosing a college:</p>
<p>Don't commit to attending a particular college if you have never seen the campus in person and talked to some students there.</p>
<p>Don't underestimate the importance of a "good fit" between your character, needs, interests and the college "culture(s)".</p>
<p>Those last 2 are a luxury really. Most college applicants can't afford to visit colleges and so are forced to commit based upon all the information they can scrape together on a second hand basis. "Fit" is important, but is secondary to actually getting in.</p>
<p>But sometimes--especially at smaller LACs-- the adcoms recognize a good fit and may admit you partially on that basis.</p>
<p>Also visiting "shows interest" and is also a factor in admissions.</p>