Students applying for financial aid and merit scholarships may be required to complete the financial aid form called the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, a financial aid form required by many schools. Record the user name, password, and PIN you create for this account on the worksheet.
You’ll need to gather information from your family members about their education history to complete your applications. Store all of the information and facts about your parents and your siblings on the Family Education Information worksheet.
Details about your education thus far should be noted on the Secondary School Information worksheet. You’ll need to know your school’s international SAT and ACT codes, found on the testing websites, in order to register for your standardized tests. Use this worksheet to write down your secondary school contact information, as it will be required when you complete the Common App. This same information is also needed for colleges and universities that only accept their own applications. Spare yourself repeated searches by looking all this up once and recording it in the designated space.
CHAPTER 2
A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR SECONDARY SCHOOL YEARS: WHO ARE YOU?
Admissions reps work very hard to put together each year’s incoming class. The goal of the admissions office is to build a qualified, well-rounded first year class. Your goal is to find a university that meets your needs and matches your profile. Keep in mind that the terms “college” and “university” are used interchangeably in the USA in everyday speech. An institution of higher learning is most often referred to as a college. Colleges and universities generally look at applicants from several angles to determine whether they’re a good fit. Your academic performance and test scores are the starting point for admissions, but there’s so much more that will be considered. American universities evaluate students holistically. In addition to your grades, admissions reps are also interested in your extracurricular activities including athletics, community service, clubs, competitions, work, and summer experiences. Think about the person you would like admissions officers to get to know. Reveal your identity through extracurricular interests and involvement, your essays, the words of your recommenders and your social media presence.
“Both colleges and students have a duty to communicate who they are as effectively as possible to ensure the best possible matches.”
—ALISON ALMASIAN, Director of Admissions, St. Lawrence University
ACADEMICS
Your academic record is the foundation of your application. Universities view the grades you’ve achieved as the best predictor of your future academic success. The level of difficulty of the classes you’ve taken and your grades are the primary yardstick by which you will be evaluated. You can find a university’s core academic requirements listed on its website. Beyond meeting the requirements, admissions reps want to see what academic interests you’ve pursued. Highly competitive schools are looking for students who have taken the most rigorous courses offered at their secondary school. Consult your counselor to plan the curriculum most suited to you. But, remember the college process in the USA is not only about academics.
EXTRACURRICULARS
Each student brings his or her own identity to the campus. You can show admissions representatives who you are through your extracurricular activities, including athletics, community service, work experience, and summer activities. Universities look at the breadth and depth to which you have explored your interests. Your choices reflect your values and your personality. Your extracurricular involvement not only tells colleges and universities what you’ve done throughout secondary school, but also conveys how you may contribute to their community as a prospective member. Everyone has different interests and one interest is not necessarily better than another. What’s important is why and how you chose to become involved, and what it means to you. Don’t paint a picture of who you think Admissions is looking for. Demonstrate, with authenticity, the real you. You’ll have the opportunity to share your personal profile with Admissions on your applications, either in the Activities section of the Common App, in an individual school application, or if requested, in an uploaded CV. Whether you’ve just started secondary school or are an upper-level student, explore school clubs and organizations, volunteer opportunities and hobbies in order to identify extracurriculars you would enjoy pursuing. Once you’ve found what interests you, get involved. What counts is the extent of your commitment, not the length of your activities list. Your engagement outside the classroom speaks to who you are and may be what differentiates you from your peers. Balancing schoolwork and commitments outside the classroom also demonstrates your time management skills.
“Students should consider highlighting the things into which they have poured the most time and effort, finding the things that have meant the most to them and the things in which they have made the greatest impact. Students need to understand that college admissions officers are trying to get a sense of the individual by evaluating how that individual has spent his or her time.”
—PAUL W. HORGAN, Director of College Counseling, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach, Virginia
“Representing all that you do beyond academics with authenticity is very important.”
—DARRYL W. JONES, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Gettysburg College
This chapter provides seven Who Are You? worksheets to help you easily fill in the activities sections of your applications. Worksheets are provided for four years of secondary school. These worksheets will also help you to create a CV to submit either as a supplement to the Common App or to individual school applications. Your CV can also be used when you apply for internships and jobs. Identify the worksheets that apply to you and gather the information necessary to compile a complete and accurate profile of your secondary school years. Although you’ll find some of the categories overlap, list your activities on the worksheet you think fits best. Think about all the things you were involved with outside the classroom and list your activities in order of importance to you. You don’t need to include everything you’ve been involved in during secondary school, but instead list the things you feel help define who you are. If it’s hard to remember everything you’ve done, ask your family to help you put together your list.
•Clubs & Extracurricular Activities worksheet: include activities such as academic and social clubs, debate club, school newspaper, yearbook, music, theatre/drama, culture and art, both in and outside of school. Any hobbies you spend a considerable amount of time on are also relevant. Universities are particularly interested in any leadership positions you’ve held, so don’t forget to include your titles and responsibilities.
•Sports worksheet: list all your teams, tournaments, and awards for athletic involvement in school-sponsored and independently run leagues. Again, emphasize any leadership roles.
•Community Service worksheet: note your service involvement, both school-sponsored and independent. Include volunteering, tutoring and fundraising activities. What’s important here is your level of involvement and genuine commitment, so there’s no need to include your one visit to the local food bank.
•Awards worksheet: explain all the academic achievements and non-academic distinctions you’ve earned throughout your secondary school years. Include significant commitment to programs such as science research or athletics. Awards include anything from a math fair placement to a hip-hop dance trophy.
•Competitions