Appartment & Home

Repeat info covered in another part of the application.
Students often repeat themselves in the college essay “just to be safe.” However, admissions officers have already read, or will read, the rest of your application. Reading the same thing twice is boring. Trust them to do their job and read the application as thoroughly as necessary. Give them some insight into your motivations and how they indicate your abilities. If you mentioned something briefly on the application, you can go into it in more detail in the essay.

Don’t do this:

“In freshman year I was in Key Club. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about helping others. I also joined the lacrosse team, which took up a lot of time. However, I still found time to volunteer at a soup kitchen every weekend. All of this demonstrates that I am responsible and capable.”

Whining about circumstances instead of explaining why/how you overcame them.
Nobody likes a sob story, no matter how true or heartbreaking it is. Don’t look for pity. Instead, show admissions committees how you surpassed difficulties to achieve a high GPA, leadership position, or some other accomplishment. Impress them with your determination.

Don’t do this:

“Because my parents had to get rid of the babysitter after we had money issues, I had to quit the soccer team to watch my little sister. It was a real shame to have to leave my teammates and give up the chance of being state champions, but family comes first, so I didn’t mind making the sacrifice.”

Talk about how you want to go to a particular college because it has a great reputation or you want to make money.
Many students want to go to a top school and make money. Why does this make you special and different? Self-promotion is a given. Instead, distinguish yourself through your desire to intensively study the subjects that interest you or to expose yourself to a wide range of ideas.

Don’t this this:

“University X is well-renowned, and many famous people like _____, ____, and ____ graduated from there. With a degree from University X, I’ll be sure to be a success in life and make my friends and family proud.”

Misrepresent your achievements and goals in the essay.
If you graduated in the middle of your class and have no extracurriculars/recommendations to back up the following…

Don’t do this:

“I was one of the top students in my school and hope to reduce world hunger or find a cure for cancer.”

The following need no example:

Use “cute” techniques to stand out.
Covering your essay in glitter and perfume, enclosing a link to a YouTube video of yourself performing goofy antics, or writing the entire essay in Pig Latin.

Say you want to go to College X in College Y’s application.
It’d be a shame to mix up the two essays and get into neither one as a result. Double check.

Include careless grammatical errors, overly wordy phrases, and clichés.
You already know the stakes are high when it comes to college admissions. Show admissions officers that you care enough about the process to write an amazing college essay.

1. Mediterranean and Baltic almost aren’t even worth buying.

It takes money to make money. It’s great to study for the SAT, but only studying a few minutes each day is barely even worth your time. The SAT’s an all-or-nothing deal. Go for the most expensive properties possible (spend as much time studying as possible) in order to reap the biggest reward (a high SAT score).

Similarly, it’s great to buy SAT materials (properties), but if you don’t study intensively (build houses or hotels on your properties), their value will always be limited. The best SAT prep books increase in value to you when you “upgrade” them by learning what they contain.

2. The more railroads you buy, the better a return you collect from each one.

Studying for the Reading Section will help you with the Writing Section, and vice-versa. The more studying you do, the more it increases the benefit of your previous studying. Things start to click.

3. Everyone begins Monopoly with the same $1500. It’s how you use that money that makes all the difference.

Sure, there are a few rolls of the dice on the SAT too – you might get sick or have a noisy test center. However, everyone has the same amount of time on the SAT. It’s how you use your time that makes all the difference, and you need a refined strategy in order to succeed. The time you devote to studying, the strategies you use, and your familiarity with the SAT determine how you’ll do on test day.

1. Get a well-regarded alumnus to send a letter on your behalf.
It’s like having their closest friends vouch for you.

2. Apply on the day the college begins taking applications.
Be the first one to ask them to the prom and beat the competition.

3. Win the hearts of teachers and employers to get killer rec letters.
It’ll make them jealous and wonder what their college is missing.

4. If they “play hard to get” and waitlist you, be persistent (but don’t overdo it).
Otherwise, you’re just being creepy.

5. Donate several million dollars to the college.
When all else fails, showering them with money can do the trick.

1. Don’t start at the beginning.
Write any random potential anecdotes, details, or ideas as they come to you. You can work on connecting them later. It’s possible (and highly likely) you will write the most effective sentences of your essay only after a great detail of free-writing. Feel free to use any format that works for you in the brainstorming stage – it can be bullet points, an outline, or just a word or two. Your goal is just to get as much down on paper as possible.

2. Ask a friend to interview you.
Find someone you know and trust to ask you several questions about your passions, experiences, hobbies, authors, TV shows, etc. This is much more effective than the broad (and scary!) question: “What do you want to do with your life?” After having this focused interview, your “interviewer” will be able to give you extended feedback on your interests, strengths, and weaknesses. This will be helpful in figuring out your essay topic.

3. Use writing prompts.
Filling in the blanks can help you overcome writer’s block. Ex. “I like ____ because it makes me feel ____.” “A global issue that excites me is _____ because ______.” “I enjoy learning about ____ because ______.”

4. Browse your first-choice college’s website.
Since you’re probably passionate about your first-choice school, looking over its website may help you figure out themes to discuss in your essay.

5. Make a list of your passions.
You’ll notice the idea of passion comes up a few times here. That’s because passion is necessary for engaging writing. If you don’t enjoy what you’re writing, the admissions officers probably won’t either. On the other hand, if you’re clearly excited about whatever it is you have to discuss, it’s more likely the admissions officers will be, too.

Reason #1: You have at least a few months to study for an SAT retake.
The SAT’s given several times each year: October, November, December, January, March, May and June. You’ll have plenty of time to prepare, especially since you’re already familiar with the exam.

Reason #2: You can still be the early bird when you submit your college application.
You can study hard and take the SAT in June or in the fall. You’ll still be able to submit your application on the day colleges begin accepting them. Applying early to college gives you a better shot because more seats are available.

Reason #3: You have more time to plan your applications and future.
Being forced to retake the SAT in June or in the fall means that you’ll have at least another few months to master the exam. You can still work on your personal statement, get recommendation letters, and cultivate relationships with alumni who can help you.

Reason #4: An addendum might help.
If your PSAT score (or high school entrance exam score) wasn’t an accurate indicator of your high school GPA, you can submit an addendum explaining that the SAT may not accurately reflect your potential in college either.

Reason #5: I’ll be there with you every step of the way.
As you study for your retake, you’ll have several months of Get Into College Blog posts to read, memorize, and share with your friends. All 100% free!

1. Keep a “brag sheet.”
A “brag sheet” is a list of all your activities and hobbies. It’s important to keep track of any recognition you receive so you can list it on your application. Freshman year of high school is not too early to begin compiling this list and thinking about how your academic interests and extracurriculars will come together on your application. The brag sheet and essay are the two “subjective” (interesting) criteria that admissions officers use to understand you.

2. Distinguish yourself through extracurricular activities.
Instead of joining every impressive-sounding club at your school, pick a few meaningful ones. Show a substantial contribution to your school and how that participation or leadership has influenced you. Be able to explain why you’re involved in a club and the contributions you made so admissions officers know you weren’t just shooting for a fancy title.

3. Look beyond your school to the community.
At top high schools, it can be difficult to gain leadership positions in school clubs when everyone else is going for the same position. If you’re in this situation, I recommend you pursue your extracurricular passions outside of school. Think about ways you can engage with the “adult world.” Opportunities exist through community organizations, nonprofits, and internships. Many students launch innovative fundraising campaigns for worthy causes or mobilize a group of peers to tackle a problem head-on. Teachers, parents, friends, and college counselors can help to plan and advise these endeavors.

4. Pay attention in class.
It’s amazing – if you pay attention in class instead of texting, talking with friends, or napping, you’ll actually be able to spend less time studying in your free time. That leaves more time for extracurriculars, SAT prep, and hanging with friends.

5. Cultivate relationships with teachers without being a suck-up.
Of course, #4 (above) is a big part of this. However, it’s not enough. Teachers are people, too, which means they like to be liked. Treat them with respect, but don’t be afraid to share your interests and passions with them. You might even make a joke or two during class every now and then (if appropriate). Come to extra help and find excuses to stop by and chat for a few minutes when they’re on hall duty or on their off period. The other kids will never have to know, and your GPA will benefit as a result. It never hurts to befriend those in power.

6. Visit the campuses of schools that interest you.
When you visit a college, you’re indicating your interest in going there. Colleges take notice of this and begin a file on you. One way colleges are ranked in “US News and World Report” is by their yield (the number of accepted students who choose to go to their college). For this reason, colleges accept the best students who are likely to choose their school upon being accepted. Convince them you’re one of those people.

7. Take the SAT early, and prepare for it right the first time.
Get the SAT out of the way by studying for it the summer before junior year and taking it in the fall of junior year. This allows you to focus on your GPA, extracurriculars, and relationships with teachers.