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ingeniusprep.com | the smart way to get in
Making your application 
stand out – Part III
What We’ll Cover in This Lesson 
Background – Data, Numbers and the Common Application 
How Applications are Reviewed, Debated, and Decided 
Standing Out: Find Your “Diverse Factors” 
Using an Application Persona
Recap: In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
You Submit Your 
Application 
The 
Admissions 
office adds it 
to their pile of 
thousands of 
applications 
The applications are 
separated, each 
admissions officer 
get’s a pile of 
applications 
That admissions 
officer reviews all of 
the applications in 
their pile, and selects 
a handful of students 
they would like to 
accept 
All the 
admissions 
officers meet 
as a committee 
and debate 
whether to 
admit selected 
applicants
In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
What things “make an impression”? 
 Unique (i.e., “diverse”) experiences, 
achievements, interests, and backgrounds (more 
on this later) 
 Engaging essays with lots of personality and 
human-ness 
 Clear, powerful passions 
 Emotional and intellectual maturity 
 Recommendations from reputable individuals, 
which say the right things (more later on recs)
In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
What about GPA and SAT’s/ACT’s!? 
 GPA and test scores are only a 
“threshold issue” – once you have 
met a certain standard, they 
become less important.
In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
Example – Cindy and Frank both apply to Harvard. 
 Cindy has a perfect GPA (4.0) and a 2400 on her SATs. 
She participates in several student groups. 
 Frank has a 3.9 and a 2280. He is a national debate 
champion. 
The Result? 
 Frank gets accepted, and Cindy gets rejected. 
 Admissions offices don’t actually care about the difference 
between a 3.9 and a 4.0, or a 2280 and a 2400. Frank is 
far more unique, and is likely to excel at Harvard (in class 
and on campus).
In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
Here’s a real-life example of two Harvard 
applicants: 
Ziggy, our student 
His GPA was a 3.5 (he was not in the 
top 30% of his class) 
His SAT was 2300 
He attended a public school 
Ken (not our student) 
His SAT was 2390 
He attended a reputable private 
boarding school 
He was not a legacy 
He was president of multiple school 
groups, and competed in several 
varsity sports (soccer, track) 
BUT, Ziggy was unique: he grew up 
speaking only Hebrew, was the first in 
his family to attend college. He had 
also traveled the world, and had 
completed several serious pieces of 
scholarship 
His GPA was a 4.3 (4.0, unweighted) 
Both of Kne’s parents and one of his 
siblings attended a Harvard Graduate 
School
In the Admissions Office 
How Applications are Processed and Reviewed 
The Result? 
Ziggy was accepted to Harvard! 
Ken was waitlisted, and then rejected
Why?
Contact us now for your 
consultation! 
Website: www.InGeniusPrep.com 
Email: Info@ingeniusprep.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ingeniusprep 
Twitter: @ingeniusprep

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Making your app stand out: Part III

  • 1. ingeniusprep.com | the smart way to get in
  • 2. Making your application stand out – Part III
  • 3. What We’ll Cover in This Lesson Background – Data, Numbers and the Common Application How Applications are Reviewed, Debated, and Decided Standing Out: Find Your “Diverse Factors” Using an Application Persona
  • 4. Recap: In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed You Submit Your Application The Admissions office adds it to their pile of thousands of applications The applications are separated, each admissions officer get’s a pile of applications That admissions officer reviews all of the applications in their pile, and selects a handful of students they would like to accept All the admissions officers meet as a committee and debate whether to admit selected applicants
  • 5. In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed What things “make an impression”?  Unique (i.e., “diverse”) experiences, achievements, interests, and backgrounds (more on this later)  Engaging essays with lots of personality and human-ness  Clear, powerful passions  Emotional and intellectual maturity  Recommendations from reputable individuals, which say the right things (more later on recs)
  • 6. In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed What about GPA and SAT’s/ACT’s!?  GPA and test scores are only a “threshold issue” – once you have met a certain standard, they become less important.
  • 7. In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed Example – Cindy and Frank both apply to Harvard.  Cindy has a perfect GPA (4.0) and a 2400 on her SATs. She participates in several student groups.  Frank has a 3.9 and a 2280. He is a national debate champion. The Result?  Frank gets accepted, and Cindy gets rejected.  Admissions offices don’t actually care about the difference between a 3.9 and a 4.0, or a 2280 and a 2400. Frank is far more unique, and is likely to excel at Harvard (in class and on campus).
  • 8. In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed Here’s a real-life example of two Harvard applicants: Ziggy, our student His GPA was a 3.5 (he was not in the top 30% of his class) His SAT was 2300 He attended a public school Ken (not our student) His SAT was 2390 He attended a reputable private boarding school He was not a legacy He was president of multiple school groups, and competed in several varsity sports (soccer, track) BUT, Ziggy was unique: he grew up speaking only Hebrew, was the first in his family to attend college. He had also traveled the world, and had completed several serious pieces of scholarship His GPA was a 4.3 (4.0, unweighted) Both of Kne’s parents and one of his siblings attended a Harvard Graduate School
  • 9. In the Admissions Office How Applications are Processed and Reviewed The Result? Ziggy was accepted to Harvard! Ken was waitlisted, and then rejected
  • 10. Why?
  • 11. Contact us now for your consultation! Website: www.InGeniusPrep.com Email: Info@ingeniusprep.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ingeniusprep Twitter: @ingeniusprep

Editor's Notes

  1. Today we will discuss: the essential background information regarding applications to U.S. Colleges and the Common app The actual process by which applications are reviewed, debated over, and chosen for admission or rejection The importance of diversity and identifying those factors which make you diverse And the application persona – something which is essential if you want admissions officers to remember you, advocate for you, and ultimately, accept you
  2. One of the reasons that so many chinese applicants fail to get into U.S. Schools is that they don’t understand the nature of the american admissions process. Unlike admissions to Chinese universities, where grades and GaoKao scores are essentially the only factors which determine whether someone is admitted….in the U.S., admissions decisions are based on a holistic assessment of applicants. In the U.S., grades and test scores are just one part of the whole equation. Applicants are not reject or accepted solely based on their grades and test scores. There are literally HUNDREDS of other variables.
  3. Note: average GPA of students admitted to harvard is a 4.0
  4. Why? Because Zalman had an interesting story, and he worked tirelessly with his counselors to craft essays which made him seem likable, intelligent, and mature. Although we didn’t work with Ke on his undergraduate application, we DID have a chance to look through his personal statement. It was completely bland. He seemed boring, robotic, and didn’t appear to have any clear passion that would propel him to success in college and beyond.