Questions for all you experienced applicants

Applying to College
1

<p>Dear all,</p>

<p>There are several questions that i need your clarification upon. I feel that I would get much better answers from all of you than my current school counselor. Some questions are as following:</p>

<p>1) Could someone clarify the difference between ED and EA? Can I apply to one ED university and apply to several EA universities? Or does it have to be either EA or ED? I understand that ED is binding.....if I need financial aid...lets say 70%....and the univ accepts me and offers only 20%....do i still have to go to this univ?</p>

<p>2) I took my SAT I ...i have registered to take SAT II on Oct- 4th, 08...
I definitely want to apply EA/ED which ends near Nov. 1, 08. My school requires us to turn in all app stuff for EA/ED by Oct-5, 08. Does that mean that I cannot apply early as I have no SAT II scores ready
I know for sure that Oct test results will come on college board website by Nov. 1.....can i send it then or do they have to be written on the common app????</p>

<p>3) How many times should I take the SAT I.....i already took it twice and got above 2000 but now...i want to raise it higher....would it be a good idea??</p>

<p>4) How many SAT II's should I take...i have already planned to take Math IIC, Phy, and chem?</p>

<p>5) What are some top univ/schools to study business/marketing.....I know and will apply to Wharton, MIT.....any other reputed ones?</p>

<p>6) What is a good no. of university that one should apply to....10, 15, 20 etc ?</p>

<p>7) Is TOEFL iBT score of 113/120 good enough to apply to top american universities like MIT, ivys etc...</p>

<p>8) Do american universities give some preference to IB diploma candidates?</p>

<p>9) Does anyone know a link to some websites to study sample application essays? I have heard that essay play a pivotal part in the process and I want to make sure that my essays are good</p>

<p>10) How good does one has to be in order to play sports like volleyball in top rate universities like Harvard, Upenn?? Is the school varsity team member a legible student-athlete applicant?</p>

<p>Please please please answer some of my naive questions above. I am really glad that I joined this website because it will keep me on track in fulfilling my dream...my family's dream</p>

<p>help.</p>

<p>Thanking you all in advance.</p>

<p>Sincerely,
hoping91</p>

2

<p>1) ED means it is binding and you have to attend if accepted. You can still apply to other places EA (however note that some places such as Boston College, Georgetown, Yale, Stanford will not allow you apply (SC)EA and also ED elsewhere) but if accepted you must withdraw all applications and attend the ED school. If you definitely need FA then ED may not be the best option since the school bases FA on their calculations not outside ones. Though technically if you aren’t offered enough then you don’t have to attend but realize it’s not a good idea at all to break an ED contract.</p>

<p>2) Taking the SAT in October is perfectly fine. Collegeboard sends the scores, not your High School so that shouldn’t be a problem. I’d probably just note on your common app that you are taking it in October (though obviously there won’t be a score to report).</p>

<p>3) Three times is fine, four is really pushing it.</p>

<p>4) Depends on the school, generally two but some require three.</p>

<p>5) Stern at NYU, Haas at Berkely, just do a search and you’ll find plenty of discussion.</p>

<p>6) I think 10 is a good number, some will apply to less some more you make the call based on how much time you have to put into applications.</p>

<p>7) Not familiar with TOEFL.</p>

<p>8) Not necessarily preference to AP, but they are regarded in the same light as AP.</p>

<p>9) The essay section on this forum is a good tool to use if people are willing to share. Also there are books published on writing good essays with examples and such.</p>

<p>10) Not real sure here but I’d imagine you’d have to be pretty top notch to get any leg up in admissions.</p>

3

<p>^basically agree with those but wanted to add some comments:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>ED is binding nomatter what your financial situation, be careful.</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldn't say four times is pushing it, I did four and i had no problems. However, I've seen this topic discussed a few times on here and the overwhelming majority seem to think any more than too is bad for some reason...</p></li>
<li><p>Many top schools require more than 2, some techs specifically require 1 Math + 2 Sciences so the ones you have listed should be fine though it really depends on the school. (I took those same three SATII exams! :P)</p></li>
<li><p>Start with 10 in mind and see how it goes as your progress through the admissions process. Having multiple schools which use the Common App also helps since it cuts down on how much you have to write (though only a little since many have individual Common App supplements). The number of schools can also become a financial factor due to high application costs.</p></li>
<li><p>IB=AP=advanced courseload</p></li>
<li><p>Very good.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

4

<p>Another note on #10: Yes, you have to be VERY good, but most (there are a couple exceptions, but Harvard isn't one of them) of the Ivies do not offer athletic scholarships - even to very, very good athletes. (Only need-based aid.)</p>