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Making your app stand out: Part III
The document outlines the application review process for college admissions, emphasizing that unique experiences and engaging essays matter more than just GPA and test scores. It uses examples of applicants to illustrate that distinct backgrounds and achievements can lead to acceptance, even over higher academic scores. The document promotes the services of Ingenius Prep for applicants looking to improve their chances of getting into prestigious schools.
Making your app stand out: Part III
- 1. ingeniusprep.com | thesmart way to get in
- 2. Making your application stand out – Part III
- 3. What We’ll Coverin 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 theAdmissions 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 AdmissionsOffice 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 AdmissionsOffice 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 AdmissionsOffice 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 AdmissionsOffice 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 AdmissionsOffice How Applications are Processed and Reviewed The Result? Ziggy was accepted to Harvard! Ken was waitlisted, and then rejected
- 10.
- 11. Contact us nowfor your consultation! Website: www.InGeniusPrep.com Email: Info@ingeniusprep.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ingeniusprep Twitter: @ingeniusprep
Editor's Notes
- #4 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
- #7 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.
- #9 Note: average GPA of students admitted to harvard is a 4.0
- #11 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.