Take the top courses your high school has to offer, if appropriate to your level of achievement. Examples:
For competitive colleges, it is better to sacrifice a little on the GPA to demonstrate that you have challenged yourself .
Take at least 5 academic courses all four years (math, science, English, social studies, language). Do not drop a course in the senior year. Challenging electives can add to your application.
For competitive colleges requiring the SATs or ACTs, be sure your scores are solidly within the range of the middle 50%. Example:
Most colleges say that SATs are secondary, but their admission statistics suggest otherwise.
At Dickinson, and the two dozen or so other selective colleges for whom standardized testing is optional, scores for those who elect to submit are secondary, and the optional policy emphasizes this.
You don't have to be president of the school, but if you lead an event, if you organized a major food drive, if you started a support group for teens who have experienced cancer in their families, this will help you to stand out.
Earlier, we spoke of using email to get your questions answered when assessing the "personality" and programs of a college
As you continue to develop your interest, use email to create "top of mind" awareness. Email your admissions counselor several times during the process (not every day or week please!) asking new questions, updating the counselor on your progress, and demonstrating your interest in the process. The counselor is sure to remember you at admission decision time, and while no amount of contact will help a candidate who is not well qualified, this can help those who are solidly in the range of admission.
You can develop advocates on the faculty in much the same way. Ask intelligent questions and you will get answers from faculty at colleges that value teaching undergraduates.
If possible, arrange for an on-campus interview Examples:
Not all colleges provide on campus interviews, and those that do may use students or part time interviewers to satisfy demand, but there is no substitute for a face to face meeting with the admissions officer who will make a recommendation on your application.
If interviews are not offered, you may be able to arrange to meet the counselor with whom you have been in email contact by simply asking to meet him or her during your campus visit.
The interview gives you an opportunity to make an impression. Come with specific questions in mind that are sophisticated (e.g "how can I be a bio-chem major and still study abroad?")
Come prepared to talk about a subject about which you are passionate (e.g. if you are interested in health care, you might want to talk about what has happened to the American health care system)
Realize that the interview is not usually evaluative in a formal sense, and the interviewer may steer the conversation in any direction. Relax and be yourself.
Admission officers read thousands of essays a year. Most are just fine - they answer a question literally, have no grammatical errors but add little to the application.
In order to stand out, we advise students to tell us a story - a true story - about an event or a person or a thing that is meaningful to you and that allows us to know you beyond your resume.
Allowing admission officers to learn about you through a story is an interesting and engaging process. Your essay will be read start to finish and will make an impression.
Prepare those who will write your recommendations Examples:
If you ask a teacher to write a recommendation without telling her why, you will get a good letter that will tell the admission officers not too much more than they already know about you.
If you make clear to your teacher WHY you are applying to each college -how each college matches your learning/interaction styles and objectives-and if you ask the teacher to cite examples of these in class, you will have a recommendation that is much more helpful to the admissions office.
Do not overload your application with recommendations. One or two teacher recommendations is fine, along with the counselor recommendation. A recommendation from a community member who knows you is ok, but not essential and usually doesn't help unless, again, it talks about your characteristics as a fit for the college's.
