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The Application Process

The Application Process. Show them you belong there!. Where is there? Ask yourself these questions. How far do you want to be from your family? What is your ideal campus? (Rural? Urban? Historic?) What is your desired school size?

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The Application Process

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  1. The Application Process

  2. Show them you belong there! • Where is there? Ask yourself these questions. • How far do you want to be from your family? • What is your ideal campus? (Rural? Urban? Historic?) • What is your desired school size? • What kind of school would you like to attend? (Technical? Liberal arts?) • Which student life options appeal to you? (Greek life? Good sports teams? Certain clubs or honoraries?0 • How important is the school’s religious affiliation to you? • Is cost a major factor?

  3. Show them you belong there! • Colleges say they judge students 60-80% on academics and 20-40% on extracurricular accomplishments. If your extracurriculars aren’t school-related—for example, martial arts prowess, jewelry-making, or volunteer hours at a soup kitchen—make sure those activities are represented in your application. • Colleges want students who show initiative and passion, so when you describe your activities, emphasize your responsibilities. Sample: “As soccer captain, I was responsible for _____, _____, and _____.” • If your school of choice offers the accept the Common Application or one of their own, take the time to complete the individualized one. • When you ask teachers, coaches, and other adults for recommendations, provide information for them about your strengths, activities, and so on.

  4. Show them you belong there! • THE ESSAY *Most essay prompts are asking one of two questions: “Who are you?” and “Why do you want to attend this school?” *Focus on one small incident and expand it into an essay. *Be personal. *Write in the first person. (Yes, really!) *Write about something meaningful to you using vivid diction: make readers feel as though they’re there. *Get readers’ attention from the get-go with an effective hook. *Don’t forget to answer the question or address the prompt. It’s easy to get off-track, especially when you want to share so many things about yourself. Have a message and stick to it.

  5. Show them you belong there! • THE ESSAY (CONTINUED) *Don’t make excuses for poor grades or SAT scores. One excuse is usually acceptable; any more than one and you give the impression you’re just making excuses. *The essay should add something to your application, not just reiterate information found in it already. *Avoid a cliched topic unless you have an unique take on it. *Avoid pile-ups of adjectives and adverbs. Rely instead on sharp description and spare dialogue. *Make sure your essay has organization, probably a beginning that lays out the point, a middle that develops your insights and observations, and an end that summarizes and refocuses.

  6. Show them you belong there! • Brainstorm *Write the prompt and word count expectations at the top of a piece of paper. Then record everything you can think of that relates to the topic. Single words, even. Ask questions, speculate, recall, and connect. Brainstorm in this way for several minutes. You’ll end up with a stream-of-consciousness response that can be built into an essay by reviewing it, adding to it, and organizing the ideas. *You try it! Spend 3 minutes brainstorming your favorite television show’s relevance to viewers.

  7. Show them you belong there! • Brainstorm *Complete a chart of things that are important to you. This will give you several ideas from which to draw when you attempt to answer essay prompts.

  8. Show them you belong there! • Brainstorm *Using your chart, organize and expand the ideas. Look especially for clusters. Include questions about some of your information. Try to shape the list not by event or incident but by personal characteristics. Sample: • I like kids. -my little brother -babysitting: Andrew (a funny kid) -Community House work -Christmas pageant for church—too many angels—should it be just for 4th grade and under -psychology class addresses childhood and why kids behave the way they do – interesting to me

  9. Show them you belong there! • Outlining *As you approach each prompt, examine your clusters of ideas for inspiration. *Don’t worry about word count at this stage. Even in the drafting stage, it’s best to get your ideas down and then make cuts. • Drafting *Follow your outline. *Get the ideas on paper in a generally organized manner. Worry about word count, style guidelines, and so on in the revision stage.

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