2. School Transcript
• Take your grades seriously, especially in your junior and senior
year of high school
• Avoid senioritis! If you mess up your GPA even in you get
accepted to a college, that college can decide to revoke your
admission
• If colleges see that you are improving over the years, (C+A-)
vs. (B+, D+, B-) for a class, they take that into consideration
• Take advanced courses such as AP or IB
• If your high school doesn’t offer any courses, look into local
colleges in your area
3. AP and IB Courses & Credits
• Advanced Placement
• You may take in any grade as long as you take the prerequisites
• 1-5 exam scoring, 5 being the highest (4+5s are acceptable for
colleges but varies)
• More familiar with colleges
• International Baccalaureate
• Only juniors and seniors are eligible with prerequisites
• 1-7 exam scoring, 7 being the highest
• Despite which course you choose, you must score a certain score
for the college that you apply for in order to receive college
credits
You can find the requirements on the college’s website
4. Involvement
• Is there something you are passionate about?
• Be involved in related activities & take leadership
positions
• Quantity vs. Quality: the # of afterschool programs
doesn’t mean anything. It’s whether you’ve been an
active member making a difference
• Community Service
• Yes, it looks good! However, make sure it’s something
you actually care about and do consistently
• If you are constantly active you might be eligible for
scholarships
5. Work Experience &
Internships
Part-time job such as working in the public
library, etc.
Internships
• A field that you are interested in
• Local companies in your area or
corporations
To find internships you can go to websites
such as fastweb.com, internships.com or talk
to a counselor in your school
Make sure you do something productive each
summer!
6. Resume
Think of it as your elevator or rocket pitch!
Make sure that your resume makes YOU stand out &
gives the colleges a reason as to why they should pick
you over other students
• Lists your skills, involvement, leadership, community
service, honors/awards, and working experience if any
• Only 1 page long, sometimes 2
Example of what to put: Babson Summer Study!
7. SAT & ACT
SAT
Out of 2400 & 4 hours long
Most colleges require it
National average score for 2013 was
0 Critical Reading: 496
0 Math: 514
0 Writing: 488
ACT
Out of 36 & 2 hours long
Some colleges accept it but it varies
Average score for 2013 was a 24 in Massachusetts
It’s up to what college you want to attend but you should always try
your best!
8. The Common Application
Most or all colleges require you to fill out the common app!
0 Create an account via https://www.commonapp.org/Login
Make sure to fill out EVERYTHING with ACCURACY!
0 It will slow down the admissions process if you have mistakes
Each college/university has different supplements so be very
careful when it comes to reusing them
Always have a counselor or a teacher look at it before
submitting
9. Personal Statement/Essay
Make it about YOU
No sob story or sports related unless you actually mean it!
If you start to BS then you should change the topic!
Topics:
0 Someone who inspires you
0 A challenged you faced
0 A moment you were a leader
0 Something you are passionate about
Be very careful in how you edit, it’s always a great idea to have your
English teacher look at it!
Doesn’t have to be perfect the first time
11. Deadlines!!!
0 VERY important!
0 You risk your admission to the college if you hand it
documents late
0 Try to send documents 2 weeks before the deadline or
even before then
12. Finding HOME
0 Available degrees
0 Location
0 Campus Lifestyle
0 Cost
0 Clubs/Organizations
0 Sports
0 Class Size
