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| College and Career Planning - Applying to College |
If the college you are applying to requires a written essay, use it as an opportunity to help you stand out from the crowd. Admission officers admit that essays can make or break an application, giving an ordinary applicant an edge if the essay is great, or tipping the scales to the ‘reject’ pile. So, follow these tips to write an essay that’s interesting and inspired:
 | Essays should reveal two things: Your writing ability, and something of your personality. |
| Avoid a long list of activities or life history. Focus instead on one event, a person or experience that has affected you, one you feel passionate about or threw yourself into. |
| Avoid topics that are overdone and ordinary ‘textbook’ answers to questions. Travel, sports, and overused social issues like world hunger and AIDS are tough to make interesting and unique. |
| Don’t choose a topic that merely looks good. Choose one that you truly care about. The sincerity and passion for the topic will come out in your writing. |
| Avoid bragging or outright lying about your many accomplishments. Instead, be honest and present yourself fairly and balanced, not as a super hero. This will show your ability to learn and grow as a person. |
| Revise and rewrite: Edit your essay for accuracy, clarity, story development, style, and a unified theme. Avoid run-on sentences, using briefer or more condensed thoughts. Use action words to stimulate interest. And proofread your work several times, because there is no place for mistakes in your application essay. |
Before the Test
| Know the test directions for all six question types. |
| Use the time you save to answer questions. |
| Get familiar with the answer sheet. |
| It has four pages, and you need to know what answers go in which section. |
During the Test
| Answer easy questions first. You earn just as many points for easy questions as you do for hard questions. The easier questions are at the beginning of the section and the harder questions at the end—except for Critical Reading questions, which are ordered according to the logic and organization of each passage. |
| Guess smart. If you can rule out one or more answer choices for a multiple-choice question as definitely wrong, your chances of guessing the right answer improve. For math questions without answer choices, fill in your best guess; no points are subtracted for wrong answers as they are in all other question types. |
| Omit questions that you really have no idea how to answer. But if you can rule out any choice, you probably should guess from among the rest of the choices. |
| Don't panic if you cannot answer every question. You do not have to answer every question correctly to get a good score. You can get an average score by answering about half of the questions correctly and omitting the remaining questions. |
| Use your test book for scratch work. You can also cross off choices you know are wrong and mark questions you have omitted so you can go back to them if you have time. |
| Keep track of time. If you finish a section before time is called, check your answers in that section only. |
(Adapted from www.collegeboard.com)
| The college application maze |
So, you’ve decided where you want to apply? Now get going! But keep in mind these helpful hints:
| Remember to apply to at least one college that you may like but may be too tough to get into. Plenty of factors are considered in selections and who knows, maybe you’ll get in. It could be worth the hour or so to fill out the app. Also apply to one backup school that you’re sure you can get into. |
| Keep track of the application deadlines. Some applications have two parts with different deadline dates for each. |
| Take advantage of the electronic (on-line) application, if available. Some schools actually prefer on-line applications because they reduce paper clutter. |
| Do not lie or exaggerate. Facts are easily checked by the Admissions staff at the college. |
| Line up your recommendation letter-writers well in advance. Choose teachers who feel you are special and have examples to back it up. Provide them with a resume for easy reference and submit multiple school request together. |
| Proofread your application and copy it for your records. |
| Notify your guidance counselor of your application as soon as possible so your transcripts can arrive in time. |
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