OK, so you've taken your SAT and are ready to apply to leading US colleges later this year. What’s the plan of action now? The first thing that any smart applicant will realize is that it takes much more than a high SAT score or strong school academics to get you into a good college. It is rumored that Harvard rejects close to 1200 applicants each year who apply with a perfect SAT score of 2400. Given that admission rates at selective schools are as low as 7%, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
So, the big question remains –- if it isn't academics alone that get you into college, what does? This is the million dollar question counselors, students, and parents have grappled with for quite some time now. The answer, like many of you would have already guessed, is your “story.” As vague as it sounds, your story is essentially anything that sets you apart from the thousands of other applicants who will be evaluated alongside you. While all admission committees undoubtedly look for academic potential in each student they admit, what they also constantly ask themselves is "what will this student add to our campus?"
Through your numerous essays, recommendations, activity sheets, and application forms, it is your story that will convince admission committees around the world to admit you into their college. In the next few paragraphs, we hope to shed some light on what we mean by “your story.”
It’s Personal
The first thing to keep in mind is that your story needs be about YOU. We have come across several highly intelligent applicants who waste the precious essay sections to write about global events or developments that have little connection to them. Don’t write about poverty or economic reforms, unless you've done, or plan to do something, about it! A brilliantly written analysis of the Godhra riots or the economic reforms of 1991 is not going to get you into college. It's as simple as that. However, if you’re involved in teaching underprivileged children and then write an essay on the appalling conditions in government classrooms, that’s something that may get you into college. The basic point is this – admission officers want to know more about you. They want you to think about personal questions: what motivates you; what excites you; what are your plans for the
future? And rather than picking obscure topics that you may think sound intellectual or scholarly, these are the precisely the sort of questions you should be thinking of.
It’s Meaningful
Picking up from the previous paragraph, your story must be something that is meaningful to you. What we mean by this is that it is imperative that you come across as a passionate, motivated, and insightful individual. The only way you will be able to do so is if you focus on experiences or activities that are actually important to you. For example, last year, we worked with an applicant who was admitted to Yale – her “story” primarily focused on her curiosity of the world around her as highlighted by her experience with several students from different countries during an international summer school program that she attended. Her story was not about an achievement or a single experience, but about a personality trait she was especially proud of. The bottom line is that as long as it matters to you, if you present it in the right way, it will seem impressive to admission committees as well.
It’s Not a Resume
While it is perfectly all right to talk about achievements and awards, it is important to remember you are not being asked for a resume. Cluttering essays or recommendations with a laundry list of achievements is going to back fire. Similarly, harping on the details of one particular accomplishment rather that delving further into the story behind it is bound to backfire. You’re not going to get into college solely based on, say, a sporting achievement –- unless you've done something truly spectacular like win a medal at the Olympics (in that case, you probably don’t need to read this!). For us lesser mortals, it is vital that too much space not be consumed by just listing achievements. The best way to understand this point is to consider how different applicants handle similar essay topics. Lots of students we work with want to write about their involvement with Model United Nations (MUN). While writing about MUN is perfectly fine, an approach some applicants take is to concentrate solely on showing just
how good of a public speaker or strategist they are. The better approach is to subtly highlight your achievements while stressing bigger “takeaways”. For instance, if you were to talk about what motivates you to participate in MUN conferences, positive attributes like leadership, academic curiosity, global awareness, commitment, and passion could be highlighted.
We All Have a Story to Tell
By now, most of you are already thinking about your own story. Many of you might also be racking your brains trying to come up with a story that you think will work. One thing to remember is that we all have a story to tell. Do not get anxious and start comparing your achievements with people around you. Rather, begin introspecting and think about the things that matter to you. With less than six months to go before applications get mailed out, now is the perfect time to figure out what you want to get across in your applications. Several essays need to be written and the more time you spend building your story now, the better these essays will turn out.
As a policy, College Connect spends the first few weeks mutually working with applicants on building strong, cohesive, and convincing stories. To talk about your own story, contact College Connect today to set up your free appointment.
No comments:
Post a Comment