Let’s continue our journey investigating the ins and outs of the Additional Information section of The Common App. To review: the Additional Information section is a section that every applicant can find a use for. Its purpose is to give you a space to elaborate upon parts of yourself that you think an admissions reader should know that you did not have room for elsewhere in the application.
What is the Additional Information Section of the Common App for?
The elusive Additional Information section on The Common Application isn’t something that is often talked about, so we’re going to break it down for you. This is the beginning of a series on the Additional Information section where we’ll go in-depth on why it’s there, how to use it to your advantage, and how not to use it. Let’s start with the basics:
How to get into Yale - Admission & Acceptance Advice
Getting accepted to Yale would be the achievement of a lifetime for not only any student in the world, but any valedictorian in the world. There are 33,000 high schools in America, which means there are 33,000 valedictorians every year. As impressive on paper as these students are, most of them would not get accepted to Yale. After all, with an average class size of only 1,200 students, Yale could reject 31,800 valedictorians and still fill their entire freshman class with the top students in their respective high schools. The students we work with who have gained admission to Yale would all tell you the same thing: Grades matter, but they are only a fraction of the picture.
What to do if you don’t have the Grades and Scores: Alternative Admission Strategies
Hopefully you are beginning the college process on the best possible footing. By this we mean you have achieved excellent grades in difficult classes, received high scores on not only your primary standardized test but any subject tests as well, and have a litany of highly-developed interests and extracurriculars. But we understand, this isn’t always the case.
How to Write the Hamilton College Supplement
While the primary criteria for admission to Hamilton are academic achievement, intellectual promise and community engagement, Hamilton also seeks to admit candidates who are a good fit with the programs and experiences offered by the College. Please take this opportunity to tell us about your interest in Hamilton and, particularly, why you believe it is a place where you can thrive. Be open. Be honest. Be brief. (250 word maximum)
The Difference Between a Deferral and a Rejection
How to Write the Michigan Supplement
Michigan has three essay questions of varying lengths. But don’t be confused. Just because an essay is 100 words long doesn’t mean the school will ignore it. Every question is included with the purpose of giving you the chance to tell the school more about you, and for the school to gauge if you’re a good fit.
What Books Should I List for Columbia and Stanford?
The 3 Things High School Freshmen can do to Prepare for College
We know freshmen year sounds too early to begin the college process. You (or your child) just finished middle school, you’ve just started high school, and already it’s overwhelming. There’s no time for adjusting because you’re thrown right in and the prospect of taking on more than you’re already doing seems unreasonable. We hear you. But, there are small things you can (and should!) do during 9th grade. Remember that the college process is a marathon, not a sprint, and colleges will look at what you did 9th grade, even if it’s not weighted as heavily as what you do your junior year. This doesn’t mean you have to cure cancer or start a sustainable agriculture program, but you do have to fill your time with something.
How to Write the Colgate Supplement
How to Write the Syracuse Supplement
The “Why X school?” question on the college application is often considered one of the easiest. You research the school and find classes that catch your eye and extra curriculars that match your interests. Unlike some of the more amorphous Common App questions, there’s a relatively standard formula. Syracuse’s supplements, however, throw a bit of a wrinkle into the equation.
Which SAT II Subject Tests Should I Take?
There are a few ways to answer this question. The general advice we give is that you should take as many tests as you can in the subjects you excel in. If you feel comfortable you should take at least one humanities SAT II and one STEM SAT II. Of course there are always students who take two humanities or two STEM tests and still gain admission to top tier schools, but generally it’s a good idea to have one of each.
Why You Shouldn’t Apply to all the Ivy League Schools
What to do if you get Deferred
Many students apply early decision to a school because “they want to be done” with the college admissions process or they believe it will increase their chances of getting in. Despite the higher admit rates afforded by early decision, the majority of seniors will still be rejected or deferred. It’s important to remember that a deferral is not a rejection. If the school really didn’t want you, they would have simply rejected you. The majority of seniors who apply early will not get in; for example, 6173 students applied for the Harvard class of 2020. Only 918 students were admitted, while 4,673 were deferred or rejected.
Engineering Extracurricular Classes for Students in New York
Get your Regular Decision Applications Ready
We know it feels great to finally have submitted the bulk of your applications, but just in case you don’t get accepted to wherever you applied early, we suggest starting your regular decision applications. We recommend starting the next round of applications sooner rather than later because although applying early will help you in the process, a lot of students will end up getting deferred. This means they must apply elsewhere in case they are eventually rejected during regular decision.
Five Major Tips for Editing your College Essay
Editing is a necessary skill to ensure your essay is coherent and also communicates enough about you. A lot of students get stuck on the idea of telling the admissions officers exactly what they think they want to hear, which can lead to their submission of an essay that realistically says nothing unique. By revising your essay, you can see how and where your narrative fails. This allows you to fix your essay’s flaws and submit a version of the essay that best reflects who you are.
How to Schedule an Interview for College
Most colleges offer some kind of interview as part of the application process. These are conducted in a variety of ways; some are on campus with an admissions officer, some are in your local coffee shop with an alumni, some are via Skype. These interviews tend to be relatively informal and offer the admissions office a chance to get to know your personality. An interview will probably not make or break your chances of getting in, but it can add one more dimension to your application, and ensure that you’re not a psychopath.
Should I Make a Resume for College Applications?
At the start of high school you probably walked through the club fair and signed up for more clubs than you could ever possibly manage. Now, as you apply to college, you’re probably only a member of about half of them. You’ve stayed in these clubs because they piqued your interest and clearly relate to what you’re passionate about. The reason that the college admissions committee wants to know what you’ve spent your time doing in high school is because your engagement speaks to your character. If you’ve been going home everyday directly after school ends and doing nothing, they see that you’re not engaged in your community. But, if you’ve been volunteering as a tutor or raising money for a local charity, then that gives them insight into your personality.
Do’s and Don’ts of Applying Early Decision to College
DO: Consider all of your options. It’s common to overlook schools when considering where to apply ED because you feel the pressure of only being able to choose one school. When you’re considering applying ED, be sure to actually imagine yourself at the school because your potential admission is binding.