SAMPLE TOPICS FOR THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY

In addition to the essays from the Common Application, individual college applications usually call for several essays of different lengths.  Here are a few typical topics to consider for your practice writing, as well as the link for the essay prompts for the Common App.  

“If you could go to dinner with anyone, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be, why, and what would you talk about?”

“If you knew that everything you owned was going to vanish tomorrow, but you could save only one item, what would it be and why?”

“It is 25 years into the future:  how does your specific life fit into the contemporary world?”

“Ask and answer the one important question which you wish we had asked.”

“If you were to describe yourself with a quotation, what would that quotation be and why?”

“Identify a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.”

Common App essay prompts: Click here

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Read more about writing a great college essay in College Admission – CLICK HERE.

THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY

THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY

When the moment arrives to actually write the college application essay, successful candidates will have given it much thought and preparation.  Here is some information to help kick-start the process.

Though each college may present its own, individual essay prompt, applicants should know that one of the primary purposes of the essay for all colleges is universal – to add to or to embellish upon a side of the applicant that is somehow special or unique, a side that, if possible, separates him or her from the pack.

A “good” essay need not be one that explains something extraordinary – such as how the applicant has started a business by selling heavy-duty excavation equipment to developing nations, and how he or she, at the tender age of 17, has become a multi-millionaire.  Rather, it need only present a special side of the applicant that the rest of the application does not adequately examine.  And, indeed, every applicant has a special side.  The object of the writing exercise is to discover and explore that side, and then to write about it as effectively and as eloquently as possible.

Let’s take an example.  As you may expect, many applicants travel frequently.     While the college would like to know where on this earth the applicant has visited, the essay is not the place to list the itinerary.  On the other hand, the essay could be the place to reflect about the travel experience or the places visited, and it could be the place to talk about how the applicant views the world – personally or globally – as a result of the travel.  The question to be answered is not what travelling have you done, but how has your travel affected you?  What, if anything, was unique about the experience?  How did the travel change you?  What separates your travel experience from the hundreds of other travel experiences that the admission officer will read about in his or her share of application essays?

It might be healthy to put yourself for a moment in the place of a college admissions officer in the height of the season.  Imagine, for example, it is winter; you are somewhere in the northeast, nestled into your room on a cold and snowy afternoon, with an enormous pile of essays on the desk before you.  Understandably, after reading for a while, the essays may begin to blend – different applicants but the same story, over and over again. You can see how an essay that presents a different story – a unique story – would be refreshing and well-received, and how it might put that particular applicant into a select group.

Though travel experiences might be the foundation of great essays, please know that many applicants choose that topic.  If you have a unique travel story to tell that describes a special side of you, by all means write about it.  But before committing to a topic, travel or otherwise, explore your likes and dislikes, your interests, your history, your passions, and explore the possibility of writing about a topic that is at once special to you and appealing to the admissions officer who will read it.

Most college admissions officers would agree that, while the essay by itself will not be enough information to accept or reject a candidate, a particularly good or bad essay certainly will be noticed, and could very well become a “tip factor” in a case where the decision for admission could go either way. 

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Read more about writing a great college essay in College Admission – CLICK HERE.

BEST COLLEGES - RANKINGS - STANFORD BEST VALUE

Every year there are several rankings of "best" colleges, each list using its own distinct set of variables to evaluate, analyze, measure, and rank.  US News and World Report seems usually to get the most press when its list is released, though it also gets consistently criticized by scholars and journalists alike for its "flawed" criteria.

Many in the college admissions world choose to focus on rankings generated by other sources, like Forbes or Money Magazine.  The theme for Money Magazine's rankings, for example, is, simply speaking, "best value".

Money Magazine has just released its rankings for 2015-16.  They use a variety of measures - such as educational quality, affordability, alumni earnings, tuition increases, and length of time to graduation -  to rank colleges for "best value for your tuition dollar".  Here are the top five:

1. Stanford
2. Babson
3. MIT
4. Princeton
5. Cal Tech

For a look at the full list of rankings,  click here

SAT DEADLINES AND TEST DATES 2015-16

When should you take the SAT?

According to the College Board, most students take the SAT for the first time in the spring of the Junior year, and then again in the fall of the Senior year.  (Of course, the PSAT, which may be considered a "practice" SAT, may be taken in the Sophomore year.)

Please note that the SAT will be redesigned, starting with the March test date.

SAT DATES

2015

Test Date: Oct. 3

*Registration Deadline: Sept. 3

Test Date: Nov. 7

*Registration Deadline: Oct. 9

Test Date: Dec. 5

*Registration Deadline: Nov. 5

2016

Test Date: Jan. 23, 2016

*Registration Deadline: Dec. 28, 2015

NOTE: The following dates are for the redesigned SAT

Test Date: Mar. 5

*Registration Deadline: Feb. 5

Test Date: May 7

*Registration Deadline: Apr. 8

Test Date: June 4

*Registration Deadline: May 5

*Late registration may be available for a fee.

Be sure to confirm all of these dates and get more detailed information at the College Board site. (https://sat.collegeboard.org/home)

For more information about the redesigned SAT, which begins in March 2016 -   https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/

COLLEGE ADMISSION GUIDE

COLLEGE ADMISSION: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide To Getting Into The College Of Your Choice
Click Here

6 SUMMER OPTIONS FOR COLLEGE-MINDED TEENS

Another year of school has passed.  That was quick.  Before you know it, it will be time to apply to college.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  It’s summer.  Time for fun and relaxation and a whole lot of doing nothing – right? 

Wrong. 

If college is in the future, the one thing teens should not be planning for the summer is doing nothing.  And this applies to all high schoolers, not just rising seniors.  Ninth graders, tenth graders, and eleventh graders should also be doing something productive this summer.

College admissions offices will look favorably at applications from students who spent their summers engaged in a meaningful activity.  And, in this context, sleeping until noon every day, going to the beach, playing video games, and watching cartoons would not be considered “meaningful”.

That is not to say that fun and relaxation should not be included in summer plans, but only that they should not be the primary focus. 

At this point, however, as summer is upon us, latching on to a meaningful activity – like a great job in a field related to a potential career – might be improbable, if not impossible.  Most or all of the great jobs are taken – filled by the teenagers who thought about this many months ago.  Then where does that leave others?

Here are several activities teens may consider:

1. Volunteer.  Choose an area that interests you and volunteer to help people or institutions in the field.  For example, hospitals and senior citizens homes are always appreciative of help.  Not only will you be contributing to a good cause, but you will be establishing an impressive entry for your resume.

2. Research.  Choose a field that interests you, a field that may end up on your career path, and map out a plan to explore that field thoroughly during the summer.  Your goals might include finding out exactly what people in that field do on a day to day basis.  If, for example, you think you might like to be a lawyer, make it your business to find out what being a lawyer really means.  There are many kinds of law, and countless types of positions in the field.  Narrow it down for yourself.  What is required to be a lawyer?  How does one apply to law school?  What is required to be admitted?  How long does it take to get a degree?  What is law school like?  What is the bar exam like?  Build a list of contacts who might be willing to help you in your project – friends, relatives, friends of friends – anyone connected to the field itself or connected to someone else with pertinent information.  Call them and set up appointments to speak with them.  If possible, arrange to spend time with them on the job.  You might be surprised at how willing people are to share their experiences and their thoughts.  Be thorough.  Research online, visit the library, conduct interviews.  At summer’s end, you want to have all your questions answered and establish yourself as an “expert”.  The benefits of this summer activity are practical: it will look good on your resume and you will be well prepared when it’s actually time to step on to your career path.

3. Profit.  So, you can’t find a job that makes sense.  Okay, start your own business.  This summer, be an entrepreneur.  Think big or small – just make it the best business it can possibly be.  Again, this will make a good entry on your resume and it will impress college admissions officers.  At the same time, it can put some money in your pocket.

4. Work.  All the “top” jobs may be taken by now, but that doesn’t mean there are no jobs at all.  If you search, you may well find a minimum wage position locally.  Try the grocery store, the schools, the shops at the mall.  Ask around and look at all the bulletin boards in town.  You may have to “piecemeal” here and there – like mowing lawns one day and delivering pizza the next – but, at this point, that’s okay.  Even if the job does not fit into your career plans, it will provide some “spending money” and will show colleges that you worked hard during the summer.

5. Create.  Write an article or a story, compose a song or piece of music, create a piece of software, invent something.  Put your creative, inventive talent to work, and then, when you have produced something, try to get it before the public.  For example, publish the article or story, if possible.  Send it to a magazine or newspaper or journal.  This certainly would be viewed favorably by an admissions committee.

6. Give.  Organize an event or start an activity or charity.  Select a cause that you believe in and plan a one-time event or a long-term activity that will advance the cause or raise funds for it.       For example, organize a fundraiser like a walk-a-thon or a music concert with local talent. Start now, but consider scheduling it for the opening month of school in order to gather as much support as possible and to give yourself the time needed to make it a smashing success.  Colleges will take note of an effort and achievement like this.

Any single, productive activity during the summer would be a big plus on the resume.  More than one would make quite an impression on college admissions officers.

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See Dr. Droge's book, College Admission, by clicking here.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING INTO AN IVY LEAGUE COLLEGE?

So you want to go to an Ivy League college.  Great.  You definitely should apply.  But what are your chances of getting in?

If we take the stats from this year's admissions - admitting for the class of 2019 - we can see that the acceptance rates are quite low (between 5 and 15 percent) compared to the average acceptance rates for the majority of not-as-selective colleges in the nation (60 to 70 percent in recent years).

Here is a list of Ivy colleges - including Stanford, the Ivy college of the West - with the number of applications, number of acceptances, and resulting rate of acceptance, according to Business Insider and other sources:

Total Apps/Accepted (Accept Rate)

Stanford 42,487/2,144 (5.05)
Harvard 37,307/1,990 (5.33)
Columbia 36,250/2,228 (6.1)
Yale 30,237/1,963 (6.49)
Princeton 27,290/1,908 (6.99)
Brown 30,397/2,580 (8.49)
Penn 37,267/3,697 (9.9)
Dartmouth 20,504/2,120 (10.3)
Cornell 41,907/6,234 (14.9)

In addition to the low acceptance rates for all these colleges, six of the nine lowered their rate from the previous year (not shown), while one stayed the same, indicating that, as far as the Ivies are concerned, it was slightly more difficult to get admitted to the Class of 2019 than to the Class of 2018.

For the Class of 2020, the rates may rise or fall slightly, but clearly these colleges will remain among the most selective in the US, if not the world.

Nevertheless, if an Ivy League college is on your radar, and you think that you have what they are looking for, then by all means you should apply.  Your specific chances of acceptance are tied exclusively to you.  If you have what the college wants, and if you present it properly (very important), you will be admitted, regardless of the admit rate.  Indeed, at that point, you will become a part of the admit rate.

Of course, though educated guesses about your chances of admission may be helpful in guiding your expectations, expectations will not get you in.  Only the admissions committee's assessment of your credentials and presentation will matter.

Seniors interested in the Ivies who wonder "Should I apply?" should understand this - in and of itself, an admit rate - no matter how low - should not prevent a candidate from applying.  Every year, at every Ivy League college, countless students are admitted even though they were not given much of a chance by their peers or their counselors.

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For more help getting into the college of your choice, see Dr. Droge's book, College Admission, by clicking HERE