John A. Ferguson Senior High School



ANATOMY OF THE APPLICATIONSource: ??How to Apply to CollegeTranscript:College admissions officers are looking at your grades, rank (if provided) GPA, and rigor of your coursework relative to what is offered at your school.Know that you are only evaluated within the context of your school. For example, if your school’s curriculum does not offer Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, you will not be penalized for not taking those courses.441960-1016000?????? ??Do not hesitate to ask for an unofficial copy of your transcript in order to know what it looks like and to make sure that it has all of the correct classes and grades.Standardized testing:Colleges have various requirements for standardized testing, so play close attention to what the schools on your list want.Score Choice, through the College Board, gives students the option to pick specific SAT scores they want to send to specific schools. To find out more about Score Choice check out the?Score Choice webpage.You cannot go wrong with reporting all standardized testing scores because most colleges super-score (take the highest of the individualized parts of the SAT) and will give you the advantage of the highest testing overall.? ?Many institutions, including some of our finest, are test optional – meaning that testing is not required in order to complete your admissions application. For more information on test optional schools check out?The National Center for Fair & Open Testing.Recommendations:Your guidance counselor will always write a recommendation on your behalf (so be very nice to him or her).Colleges will require anywhere from 0 to 3 teacher recommendations. Pay close attention to each school’s requirements.Ask teachers who know you well!Teacher recommendations serve as academic references; therefore recommendations should be in the core subject areas: natural science, social science, math, English, and foreign Languages.It is recommended that you ask for a recommendation from a teacher that taught you in Junior or Senior year.Do not shy away from asking teachers from tough classes for a recommendation, even if you did not get an A in the course.Extracurricular Activities:Colleges like high school students who are involved because they want those same students to come to their campuses and be an engaged member of the community. They also want to see that there is more to you and your life than school and academics.The quality of your involvement is more important than the quantity of things you are doing. Highlight activities that you have been involved with for a long time and activities that you have a passion anize your activities from most to least important and fill out the Common or Universal application accordingly, and/o school specific application.Remember: List all things outside of your classes, including community involvement, jobs, research, responsibilities at home, etc.If your school requires you to do a resume , then send that along with your application. We suggest keeping this to 1-2 pages, max!Essays:Your personal essay should speak to your personal experience.It is recommended to stay away from addressing “hot topic” issues (i.e. war, healthcare, state laws) or controversial topics (i.e. religion, politics).Make sure you are reading the question(s) carefully and answering what the question(s) is asking.Many students try to write about too much in their essays – remember this should be just a slice of your life. Instead of trying to summarize 4 years, focus on 5 minutes.Don’t write what you think admissions officers want to hear. Write about something that is relevant, interesting, and exciting to you.Feel free to express your personality in the essays. Treat the essay as if you are having a conversation with the admissions officer.If you don’t normally consider yourself a funny person, the college essay is?not?the time to try to be funny!Read, re-read, edit and spell check your essays. Have someone else read your essays to make sure they are saying what you wanted them to say and that they sound like you (and not a 40-something lawyer)!Interviews:· There are generally two types of interviewing that colleges and universities do:Informational Interview: in this type of interview the person you interview with simply gives you more information about the institution that you are applying toEvaluative Interview: in this type of interview the person interviewing you asks questions in order to find out more about you and will typically do an evaluative write up after the interview to document what happenedIt is good to be aware of both types and be sure to ask specific colleges and universities what type of interviewing they doAsk schools about their interviewing policy in order to find out how to sign up for an interview and to find out who will be conducting the interview (i.e.an alum or an admissions officer, etc.)Come prepared to the interview with thoughtful questions to ask your interviewerSome colleges may also require the following:Peer recommendationsPortfolio review, usually for art/design/music majors.Writing sample/essay from English ClassSupplemental recommendations/portfolio/abstract from research, etc. ................
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