Many applicants to the most selective university programs share high grades, high test scores, solid recommendations and generous doses of community service and volunteer activities. Yet, if they want to set themselves apart from the pool of exceptional students, a significant research experience in STEM or the social sciences helps.
Recently I reviewed an application essay with an ambitious senior who had written about a water project in Africa that had produced a safe source of clean water for a rural village. I had written in the margin that he must have gotten gratification by improving the lives of those in the village, and possibly that’s worth mentioning in the essay.
A Reddit article by Hayden Shumsky, ‘Top 10 College Admissions Mistakes,’ (https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/5ozuc7/top_10_college_admissions_mistakes/) caught my attention with mistake number 1: ‘Sending in Poor Quality Essays and Applications.’
Just like any good marathoner, when you’re writing your college essays, always be prepared for that hill right before the finish line. It’s rare that the first review of admissions requirements will discover all the essays required, so keep an energy reserve, and, of course, start the application process as early as possible.
Undoubtedly the Common Application is a useful tool allowing an applicant to apply to numerous colleges with one main application, and usually a supplement. Through the Common App, recommendations can be sent electronically, and its cloud-based Slideshow application enables applicants to upload portfolios and musical performances to be shared among the colleges. Moreover, the Common App has over 500 college members. It’s a convenient tool when it works.
One alternative to the Common Application is the Universal College Application (UCA).
Stress is in all our lives. It’s designed for those threatening occasions when one is jolted out of a deep sleep in the wee hours of the night and must roll out of bed and investigate. Initially the stress hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine burst into the system, followed by the release of cortisol.
Discounting Carnegie Mellon has proven unwise. On 28 November 1926, Knute Rockne decided not to join his nationally ranked Notre Dame football team that was playing against the tiny Carnegie Institute of Technology; instead, he headed to Chicago to scout the Army Navy Game. Carnegie Institute went on to one of the major upsets of the 20th Century by shutting out Notre Dame 19-0.
