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The application process
 You can obtain an application by
e-mailing or writing to the colleges and asking for one. Some schools also accept
the Common Application,
which can be completed online (although some colleges will want additional
information) and will cut down on the hours of work filling out forms. Check,
though, to be sure the colleges you're interested in will accept the common
application.
The key pieces that will be evaluated
on your application are listed below with some comments:
1. Grades - Do your best in
every class, particularly focus on college prep classes and honors and AP
classes, if you feel you can handle them. If you didn't do too well your
freshman year, just show improvement your sophomore through senior years and try
to take increasingly challenging courses.
2. Class rank - The higher the
better, if you want more choices of colleges. If grades are weighted in your
high school (meaning that honors and AP grades count for more than regular
classes), that can make a big difference. Getting an A in an weighted honors
course can certainly improve your rank.
3. Standardized test scores -
The higher the score the better for more college choices. Find out what test
your targeted schools want. You can take either test more than once and you can
take both the ACT and the SAT. Certainly, if you take a test more than once, do
some preparing for it in order to boost your score. There are a variety of test
prep options available from free studying to high-priced private tutoring.
4. Extracurricular activities -
Colleges tend to want to see a concentrated effort in a smaller number of
activities. They always look for signs of leadership, creativity, special
achievement and/or overcoming unusual circumstances. Honors and awards are a
part of this category as well.
5. Essay - Colleges usually ask
the students to respond to a variety of possible questions with the goal of
getting to know more of the actual person behind the grades and test scores.
This is where your self-knowledge and your ability to articulate it will shine
through.
6. Recommendation letters - The
best letters talk not just about how great you are, but who you are, so you want
to choose the letter writers carefully. Usually, a teacher or two will write a
letter, along with your high school counselor, but in most cases you can have
others write too - a coach, a music instructor, an employer, a friend.
A
recent survey of admissions counselors shows how differently these parts of
the application are weighed by various
schools.
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