The Building Blocks of College Admissions Success

The Building Blocks of College Admissions Success

WARNING: This blog post is FULL of information. Read carefully, and as always–feel free to email me or comment if you have questions.

THE 4 BUILDING BLOCKS: GPA, SAT/ACT, RESUME, ESSAYS

GPA

• Carefully choose your AP courses
  • Remember: Quality over quantity!
  • It is best to have an increase in AP course load over time
  • Work hard to earn a 4 or 5 on AP tests (these can count for college credit!)
• Stay on top of your GPA
  • Strive for an upward trend in grades
  • Junior year = most important year grade-wise
  • Get tutoring before it is too late!
• Consider taking courses that will count for college credit
  • Look into summer courses at HCC (these can also help substantiate your major choice)
• Choose electives wisely, NOT AT RANDOM!
  • Choose courses that show a demonstrated interest in a certain field
    • Ex: taking AP Anatomy for people wanting to go into medicine

STANDARDIZED TESTING

• Take practice ACT/SAT tests in 9^th & 10^th grade
• Begin test-specific prep the summer before 11^th grade
• Take SAT/ACT in 11^th grade
• Consider SAT Subject tests to demonstrate mastery of specific subjects like English, history, mathematics, science, and language

RESUME BUILDING: IMPACT & ENGAGEMENT

EXTRACURRICULARS:

• Over-scheduling –> under-impacting
• Find ways to be a leader (even if you don’t have the title of President, you can still find ways to lead new projects and initiatives!)
• Choose quality experiences that could possibly translate into a future career
  • Ex: joining HOSA if you want to go into medicine

VOLUNTEER/WORK/INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES:

• If possible, choose quality experiences that show a demonstrated interest in a certain field

SUMMER EXPERIENCES:

• If you’re not working/interning/volunteering, consider the following:
  • Take a class at your community college to get college credit
  • Learn a new skill (teach yourself how to invest online/speak a new language/create computer programs/etc.)

ESSAYS: MAKING YOU A HUMAN, NOT A FILE

• Essays are STORIES
• This is your chance to show maturity & the ability to self-reflect
• These can also be used as a tool to explain things that are not in the application otherwise

• Carefully choose your story
  • Avoid touchy subjects
  • The most important part of your story is how you GREW/CHANGED
• Start writing the essays the summer before senior year