When I filled out my college application form, the worst part was the essay. I struggled with it for days: “Tell us about yourself. What’s your typical day like? What are your interests? Who are you, really?”

Eek! 

How can I fully describe myself in 500 words? How can my dynamic personality pop off a page that only has black ink on it? That’s quite a challenge, if you ask me.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring standardized tests since 2005. She has taught throughout the greater Los Angeles area and is a proud member of the Grockit team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and has studied abroad in London.

In part 1 of choosing a college, we discussed a few things to keep in mind when researching colleges. Next, you’ll need to think about a plan before working on all the applications in front of you.

Strategize

Applying for college can be a bit like gambling in a casino. To ensure that you “win” (i.e. get into at least one good school), it’s important to divide the schools into three categories: Safety, match and reach.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring standardized tests since 2005. She has taught throughout the greater Los Angeles area and is a proud member of the Grockit team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and has studied abroad in London.

Applying to college can be a daunting process, but it is also an incredibly exciting time.

Attending university is an experience that will shape the rest of your life so it’s important to put some serious thought and consideration into your application choices.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just because April 1 has slipped by on the calendar, does not mean that you are necessarily stuck.

If you did not get accepted to your choice college, one possibility to consider is the wait list. If you got wait listed at a school you would love to go to, there is still a chance! Be sure to send in the notice you get with your decision letter and also try to send something in that will set you apart. Send in a picture of yourself doing something you love, send multiple pictures, or have another teacher write you a recommendation letter. Another great way to show interest, is by writing the school a letter yourself explaining why you are still interested in the school and why you should be considered to be taken off the wait list. Just don’t be too pleading or whining in this letter, because it may come across badly. Read the rest of this entry »

Monday morning I sat down with my college folder and thumbed through all its contents, going through a mental checklist of everything I was supposed to have in my folder. I looked over everything two (OK, maybe three times!) making sure nothing had dropped out or gone missing. I then proceeded to my College Adviser’s office (who also happens to be my IB counselor), ran inside and placed the folder at his desk. He slowly went through the file folder just as I had and made sure I had everything in my folder. When he told me good job and said I had everything in my folder, I couldn’t help but smile and do a little happy dance. The folder I had worked on for so many hours was finally complete and turned in.

Of course this isn’t anywhere near the end of the college application process, unfortunately.

Another great thing about the Common App website is that on the website you can find not only schools’ applications, but also their supplement, if they require one.  So now that I have picked my schools, turned in my college folder, and almost completed all the little boxes for my common app, I now get to begin my supplements for all my schools! Exciting, I know…

For most schools, the supplement is simple and asks a few short questions such as “Why are you considering -insert school name here-?” or “What makes you think that -insert school name here- is a good match for you? What can you bring to the school?”. Whereas other schools have much more in-depth supplements that involve mini-essays and even a full blown essay. The point of these supplements is to add a more personal touch to your application. So rather than just viewing numbers and letters from teachers and your counselor, the supplements allow the schools to see you within the application, you get to give your application a personal touch!

So when it comes to supplements, be sure to put a lot of thought and effort into each one. Remember that a supplement can set you apart from all other applicants because this is the most personal and insightful part of the application for each school you intend on applying to.

I’ve been back to school now for a week and a half and already it seems the teachers enjoy piling on the homework! Not only do I have homework to manage, but golf and other outside (yet school related) projects that need to be finished! Here’s where my time management skills pay off right? Well there is also something that most seniors deal with at some point in their final year of high school and I don’t think time management skills can really help with this ‘disease’.

I’m sure for those who know how I feel (and by the title of my blog!) have already labeled this so-called ‘disease’: Senioritis. Symptoms include: not wanting to do school work, avoiding homework, and overall procrastinating more so than usual. I know this is something I shouldn’t have to face until my second semester, but it’s already starting to nip at my heels. Of course, first semester is much easier to deal with. You must keep your grades up, you must apply to your schools, there are so many things you must accomplish first semester that you don’t have time to let senioritis sink in and really effect you. It’s second semester most students struggle with.

The biggest problem a lot of seniors see is their grades slipping second semester. They assume that once they are accepted to a school, they have it made. Well keep in mind that your college will not only want a midyear report, but also a final report. The final report shows your second semester grades because the college wants to be sure you are still the same hardworking person that applied. Colleges have been known for revoking scholarships from students because they didn’t manage to keep their GPAs up to par with what the scholarship requires. Keep in mind then second semester than you aren’t totally set in stone going to a college with a set amount of money, things can easily change!

So the next time I decide to blow off a psych assignment or put off a calc assignment, I’ll be sure to recheck myself and make myself do the work. I hope all of you that face the same problems do the same! Don’t let senioritis cause too many problems!

If you’re applying for college, you’ve probably heard that colleges want to see a record of extracurricular activities on your high school transcript. But how many extracurriculars do you need—and can you participate too much?

Yes, you can participate too much—if your extracurricular activities are interfering with your ability to get the best grades possible. While schools are looking for activities, what they’re looking for most is grades. They want to see that you’ve taken the at least some of the most challenging classes available to you in your high school, and that you’ve done well in these classes. And they want to see an outstanding GPA. If you have to choose between an A and an activity, the decision should be a no-brainer.

As for the number of activities, you don’t have to join everything in sight. What colleges like to see is commitment to one or a few activities over the course of a few years. Ideally, they like to see that you’ve taken on leadership positions in these activities. For example, writing extensively for the high school newspaper for four years, and then becoming the editor, looks fantastic, even if that’s your only activity. Belonging to a dozen activities for shorter periods of time with no leadership position doesn’t look nearly as strong.

In addition, colleges like to see activities that relate to other parts of your application, including your proposed major, if you have one. If you’re the editor of your school newspaper and want to major in English or journalism, that looks great.

This doesn’t mean you can’t join activities just because they sound fun, or that you can’t try out a bunch of stuff until you find something you like. However, keep in mind that some extracurriculars look better than others, and that you can overdo it if your grades suffer.

College admissions are competitive, especially at elite schools. High school students put a good deal of effort into applying for the most selective schools, and one of the strategies they use is to take Advanced Placement classes. But can you overdo it and take too many AP classes?

First, in case you’re not familiar with the concept, an Advanced Placement class is an academically rigorous high school course that’s designed to help students do well on an Advanced Placement test, which is administered by an organization called CollegeBoard. These courses are designed to mimic the difficulty level of a college course. Students who take Advanced Placement classes are not required to take the AP test. If they do take the test, they are scored from on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. Most colleges will give students college credit if they earn at least a 4 on the AP test, and some also award credit for a score of 3.

Why take an AP class? Aside from the opportunity to earn college credit, AP classes look great on a college application. They demonstrate that a student is willing to work hard and do college level work. And because of this, it’s become the norm for students to take AP classes– and lots of them– if they want to apply to selective colleges.

But can you overdo it and take too many AP classes? Some students take as many as they possibly can. If you’re applying to a competitive school, this will certainly look good on an application, especially since you’re competing with so many other worthy students who will have taken lots of AP classes.

When deciding how many AP classes to take, keep in mind that many high schools weigh them differently than regular classes. Often an extra grade point is given for an AP class. Thus, you may work your tail off for a C+ in AP Calculus, but this may count as an B+ on your GPA. This may make it easier to take a heavy load of AP classes.

However, you can overdo it—if you take so many AP classes that your grades drop overall. Remember, these classes are designed to be as difficult as a college class—so if you’re taken 4 or 5 at once, you’re taking a full college schedule, along with your other high school requirements! If you can actually pull this off while still maintaining a stellar GPA, good for you—but this is a tall order. And since selective schools also want to see lots of school and community involvement, a schedule filled with AP classes can interfere with your ability to participate in these activities.

It may be worth your while to pick and choose the AP classes that are most valuable to you. If you’re interested in a liberal arts degree, courses such as AP English and History should be priority, and if you want to be an engineer, take AP Physics and Chemistry. But if you’re never planning to take Physics in college, why take AP Physics? And if you struggle a bit with writing and hate classic literature, why suffer through AP English? The time you’ll spend struggling though an AP class that’s excessively difficult for you will be taken away from time you could spent in a AP class that you really need for your major.

So, yes, take advantage of Advanced Placement classes. But be smart when choosing them. There probably are better things you can do to enhance your college application than to take a class you loathe.