Top Three Tips For High School Senior
ALPHA COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTING
August Newsletter
TOP THREE TIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
1. Complete your Common Application– it’s updated and live
2. Write your main essay
3. Finalize your college list
1. GETTING STARTED ON YOUR COMMON APPLICATION
·Many schools utilize the common app. For a complete list of all colleges and universities that do, see https://www.commonapp.org/explore/. Other applications not addressed here are the Coalition Application, Apply Texas, and the University of California application.
· Go to the Common Application account at https://www.commonapp.org/. Before you get started and to find out general information about how the common app works, check out https://www.commonapp.org/apply/first-time-students. This is a short and easy intro to the application and it includes some short videos which you may want to watch.
·Create your first-year account at https://apply.commonapp.org/createaccount. You are applying as a first-year student to start college in the Fall of 2021. Make sure you use a dedicated email address that you are willing to check regularly. Make sure you use your legal name as it appears on most documents, like your birth certificate and social security card.
·You will next come to the DASHBOARD. For the MY COLLEGES section go ahead and add all of the colleges from your list that utilize the Common app– up to 20, noting that you can easily add and delete colleges later without any penalty. You can see the specific requirements for application due dates, recommendations, test scores, and additional essays that individual schools require. They may differ widely. This information may help you adjust your final college list.
·Under the COMMON APP section, complete the PROFILE, as well as the information on your FAMILY and part of your EDUCATION section. NOTE: when you get to the area marked COURSES & GRADES, make sure you have an updated copy of your transcript, grades, and updated senior year classes (if you are required by colleges on your list to self-report).
· ACTIVITIES SECTION: We find that it is more effective to write a draft for your activities section and then copy and paste your activities when completed to your satisfaction. Look carefully at this section and note these important points:
1.You have 10 activities to highlight. Go with what you feel is the most important activity as your first and then put your activities in descending order of importance.
2.You have 150 characters or less to describe each activity. Characters are not the same as words, so they are much less. This is the only time when you are encouraged to use abbreviations and symbols to save precious character space!
3.You need to choose an activity type first from the populated drop-down list. If you feel that an activity can span two areas, write both down for now in your draft doc and then make a final decision.
4. Next, you only have 50 characters to name the position description and organization name. Yes, you can abbreviate titles.
5. Next, you need to describe the activity. Make this description brief but accurate. You need to make sure you eliminate unnecessary words. Complete sentences are not necessary!
6. You need to decide how much time you committed to an activity. There are about 36-40 weeks in a typical school year, so each semester is about 17-19 weeks. Be as honest and accurate as you can. For example: Count the number of weeks in the school year when your club was active. How many times per week does your club meet? Go from there.
2. WRITE YOUR MAIN ESSAY
· What is the main essay? The main essay, or personal statement, is the Common Application essay that answers one of 7 prompts and has a 650-word limit. It is different from a typical 5 paragraph essay that you write in high school and that is why it can often be stressful for students. This time, you can write a story from your perspective. Write as if you are telling someone a story. You can even use contractions! Don’t worry about the prompts right now; focus on finding your stories and later you will find that you can choose one or two prompts that apply.
· What is the essay’s job in your application? The purpose of your personal statement is to show who you are and what important characteristics you feel define you. You are revealing something important about yourself that admissions officers cannot find in the rest of your application.
· What if I’m not a good writer? Be yourself! Do not try to use words that you don’t normally use because you want to impress the reader. Practice writing. Your writing is like a muscle that needs to be warmed up, stretched and exercised regularly. Consider keeping a journal, or writing a few sentences on your phone when you are inspired. Try freewriting to your favorite music.
· What are admissions officers really looking for? A story that sounds like an 18-year-old wrote it. They are looking for insight into the real you and whether that resonates with the kind of student who will thrive in their academic community.
· How do I start? What do you talk about that brings a twinkle to your eye and a smile to your face? How would your friends describe you? Write down three of your most important character traits. Now outline some stories that illustrate these characteristics. Pick one story, making sure you include your thoughts and feelings. You are well on your way.
3. YOUR COLLEGE LIST
· Based on your academic profile, your goal is a balanced college list to include safety schools, target schools, and reach schools. Decide which other factors are most important: Location, size, type of school—liberal arts and sciences or research university—public or private, majors offered, net price, etc.
· We recommend that you apply to at least 10 schools. Find colleges that you can be excited to attend and that are a good fit for your academic, social, and financial priorities. This will give you options when you are ready to make a decision on May 1st of next year.
·Don’t apply Early Decision unless you are absolutely sure you won’t change your mind and if your parents can pay for it without comparing other financial aid offers. Early Decision is binding.
· Apply Early Action to as many schools on your list that offer it. Unlike ED, it is not binding, but you will find out your decision earlier than regular decision. Some schools, like Virginia Tech, take most candidates from their EA pool.
·NOTE: The process of choosing your school list varies greatly for each student and the above tips are very general and are designed to get you started. If you need more assistance, please feel free to reach out to Alpha College Admissions Consulting!
OVERWHELMED and NEED HELP? We are offering special senior packages to focus on these three aspects: reviewing your final college list, applications and essays. Contact us today to get started.
https://alphacac.com/