Questions and Answers Thread for Canadian Applicants

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>Hey,</p>

<p>First of all, the whole purpose of this thread is to help Canadian students who are applying to US schools. When I first started my own admissions process last year, I was very confused, scared, anxious and, most of all, nervous about where to apply and whether I would get in. Being one of the only people from my high school applying to the US was a difficult task. I'm sure many of you are in the same position now so I (others who have gone through the process can join me) am here to answers any questions you may have about the US admissions process. The questions may be specific or general. So ask away!</p>

<p>Side Note: Recently, I've been getting many PMs asking me about the US admissions process and I've replied to them... but I figured that making this thread is much more efficient because many students have similar/general questions. Also, I don't claim to be the know-it-all guru about US admissions but, like I said, I have gone through this process and am heading off to Emory next year so I may be able to answer your questions.</p>

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<p>I think this is a great idea and my D is just finishing Freshman year in the States. Loved it and is anxious to get back. This may the wrong place for it but I also think many Canadian parents needs some advice or suggestions as well when their child is applying to go State side. I too am not a guru but would gladly help out if possible with some suggestions. One of the biggest problem we had for example on a simply social scale was getting a reasonable cell phone plan or long distance calling card. They sound trivial but it takes research. Or what to do when your child is stopped at the border one weekend with what is perceived as an invalid F1 Visa (this happened and it is not fun).<br>
alam1 I hope you don’t mind my putting a parents edge on this.</p>

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<p>Thank you alam1 & percussiondad! Hopefully you will be here in the summer as well so I can ask you lots of questions.</p>

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<p>Happysunshine, Ill be here as well. Im a 2014’er, from Canada but goin to the US. If you have questions fire away!</p>

<p>Like Alam, I dont know everything, but I have had a different side of the admissions process (I was recruited for sports), so I may have a different perspective.</p>

<p>PS, Alam1… what drove you to Emory over another US school or Canada?</p>

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<p>^ I remember him answering this before, I asked him almost exactly the same question. xD</p>

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<p>How long does it take to write all the essays and do a great job with them? And how many schools would it be wise to apply to (the ideal range…as in the number to apply to)? What are some time saving and things that you all wish you had done if you were to go through the process all over again?</p>

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<p>@thatguy: In short, it was a great fit for me. For me, it was ideal academically as well as socially. This is completely subjective, but (for what I want) I feel that Emory provides a better undergraduate experience than the Canadian universities. I wanted small class sizes, amazing facilities, heavy undergraduate focus, student-professor interaction, warm weather etc. I felt I would receive most, if not all, of this at Emory… however, I did not feel the same way about Canadian unis. This is not to say Canadian schools are not great… but for what I want in an undergraduate education, Emory was a better option. As for picking Emory over other US schools… I had a choice between U. Chicago, Emory, Notre Dame, NYU and some others… when it came down to it, I wanted to go where I felt like I would fit in… when I visited Emory, I felt a strong sense of belonging, which I think is really important. These were the so called intagible factors that drew me to Emory… However, it is academically also very good and is top 20 school… so I guess a combination of everything drew me to Emory.</p>

<p>@Viggy: Hmm, this is a tough one to give advice on because everyone writes at their own pace and everyone is inspired by different things… If writing essays come easy to you, then it won’t be difficult… but for others, it can be a pretty stressful process. If you are talking about the individual essays for each school such as the “Why College X” essays, I suggest you really do your research on the school and SHOW them that you did the research. The BIGGEST rule in essays is “SHOW DON’T TELL”. For example, its better to say “My interest led me to volunteer with sick kids at my local hospital” rather than “I am interested in medicine”… provide solid real-life examples. Also, look over the college’s website and find interesting info and mention that in the essays… For example, for one of my essay, I mentioned the name of one particular association that I would like to join at that school… it was listed on their website… By mentioning the association’s name, you are telling the school that you did your research on them. Many schools want you to take an interest in them… this is especially true for Emory and Wash U… when you take interest in them, they will take an interest in you. If you are talking about the general Common App essay that ALL schools will see, similar rules apply. Show, dont tell. Be authentic. I wrote about my overwhelming positive nature and the pros and cons of that nature and how it affected me when I grew up… I included many personal examples. This is important… because including person examples makes your essay unique… many people can write about their positive nature but noone will have the same life examples that I had. Also, the biggest thing to NOT do in an essay is list your accomplishments… they already know your accomplishments from other parts of your application… use the essay to show them who the person is behind all the stats and the numbers.</p>

<p>Oh also, most people advice domestic students to apply to 4-7 schools… but as an international, its more competitive so applying to a bit more than that is alright. Just don’t overdo it. Some time saving measures? Hmm, I would probably stop worrying about the small things… I worried a lot about how my grades would be perceived and how schools would look at my SAT. After you’ve done your part, all you can do is wait… I would say that frees up a lot of time to focus on more important things. Hope that helps.</p>

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<p>Alam1, same thing for me. Im headed to Yale, and it is the absolute perfect fit for me. Not only does the name help a lot for future prospects, but I felt “right” when I was visiting. The people, the atmosphere, the sports teams (I was a recruit), basically everything. Its awesome you found Emory to be your top choice… I know the amazing feeling you get knowing the college youre going to is perfect for you.</p>

<p>Viggy, I fully agree with alam for the essays. It isnt a time limit. It would be similar to a teacher saying he wanted a 1500 word essay, so you rambled about something off topic for 1500 just to say you did the essay to his specifications. For me, I wrote my first draft VERY fast (as in 25 minutes) then spent a few hours (spread out over days, as I thought about it more and had more experiences to put in, etc) editing it before submitting it. All in all, it took 3 weeks, but that wasnt 3 weeks of me writing, I probably only sat in front of a computer for about 3 hours… it took 3 weeks for everything to really formulate in my head. After all, you have, what, 300 words? You need to make sure every word has a purpose.</p>

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<p>Congrats on Yale thatguy… I guess if anyone has questions about getting good grades and good SATs, I should refer them to you. Also, I agree with the idea that there should not be a time limit. The only time you should stop is when you feel you have a convincing and unique essay.</p>

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<p>^yea, I understand it takes people different amounts of time but what I meant to say was how much of the application process are just essays? Is the rest really quick and easy stuff? Are the essays the only time consuming things? </p>

<p>And when you visit schools, do they keep track of that (so they know you’re interested)? How do they know if you visited or not (unless you mentioned it somewhere then how would they know)?</p>

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<p>You can inform them that you visited. That doesn’t mean they would care. The Ivies don’t need to rely on demonstrated interest.</p>

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<p>Alrighty, lets see… Essays? You have to write two for Yale, the Common App essay and then the Yale supplement essay. The Common App is the essay that will be sent to all colleges you apply to in the states through the App, so that wont take too long considering effort per application. </p>

<p>For the Yale supplement, you are given a list of topics that you must write from, you choose one. I chose the option to write about someone who inspired me and how they did so (Wrote about my calc teacher… Cheesy? Yes. Effective? VERY). </p>

<p>However, for the Yale supplement as well, there is a lot of writing involved. There are six questions you must answer in 25 words or less… MUCH harder than it sounds. Then there is the “tell us about you” writing piece, where, in 300 words (and they do mean that… mine was 299 words… they want to see you can use the allotted space appropriately and not give them either 100 or 400 words), you have to tell them why you chose Yale. </p>

<p>On the topic of mentioning a visit, it is neither here nor there. Much like the SAT IIs, it will help you if its good, but if its bad it becomes irrelevant. I personally mentioned my visit and how it shaped my opinion of Yale and how proud I would be to call myself a Bulldog. That being said, I personally know at least two admits off the top of my head that did not visit before getting accepted, and used Bulldog Days as their method of choosing Yale to matriculate.</p>

<p>Electronica, I dont mean to be callous with you, but you seem quite sure of yourself for a grade 11’er that is self confessed to having no idea about where you want to go. You are semi correct, I will give you that, but…</p>

<p>Basically, the entire supplement requires intense thought and preparation, at least for Yale, UPenn, Lehigh, Columbia… etc… Just assume its necessary for all… Im sure Alam1 can attest to its importance for Emory or U Chicago or NYU as well. It is very writing based, because colleges want to know if you can present all that is “you” in a very short amount of words.</p>

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<p>^did you know that you were going to be recruited for sure before you sent in all the things for Yale’s application?</p>

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<p>I never visited Yale either before I decided to apply. I just researched a lot about the school beforehand and it seemed like a place I would really like to attend. My visit during Bulldog Days simply confirmed the fact, even though I already accepted their offer before lol.</p>

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<p>Vig: Ya, I had been recruited since Nov/2009, so writing my application in Dec/2009 I was fully aware I was being recruited and I had verbally committed to Yale already</p>

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<p>^so did you even have to try hard on the application or did you kinda just give it less effort?</p>

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<p>Oh god, I gave the application everything I had! Sure, I was a recruit, but I wouldnt allow that to define me as an applicant. How useless would I be if I only got accepted to Yale cause Im good at sports? I mean, come on. I wanted to thrive at Yale, not coast just to say I went to a top notch school</p>

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<p>ViggyRam - where are you going to college?</p>

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<p>^I’m a junior who is still struggling with the SAT.</p>

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<p>I have a feeling this thread will get more popular as the admissions cycle approaches.</p>