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College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step |  |
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College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step | |
"This guide can be beneficial to students of any background and at any stage of their college search process…Mamlet and Vandevelde’s guidebook provides significant and helpful direction at every stage of the college search. To reinforce their advice, they close every chapter with validation and wisdom from experienced admission deans and high school guidance counselors. Families that look to this guidebook will have a balanced sense of how to navigate the college search without feeling overwhelmed. With their new knowledge, students will traverse the college application process with a sense of ease." -- National Association for College Admission Counseling
"This guide is a must-have resource for any student planning to enter college. No other publication offers this level of expertise and all-encompassing, reassuring wealth of information [...] Whether there is a sophomore, junior or high school student in the home, this guide will help connect the dots and show the way to help an applicant possibly receive an acceptance letter for the college of their choice." -- The Tuscon Citizen
“COLLEGE ADMISSION avoids all stratagems for shoehorning your child into Harvard. Instead, it shows us how to treat the app process as a chance for self-reflection, culminating in acceptance to a school that’s an authentic fit.” -- Eli Wolfe, San Francisco Magazine
"Hurrah! An upbeat, practical book on college admissions [...] it's well organized and readable [...] covers the basics (getting ready, selecting colleges, the application process, paying for school, deciding which to attend, etc.), enhanced with insights from 50 deans of admission, high school counselors and educators. And, dare I suggest this? It is good reading for your prospective college freshmen, too." -- Karen Horton, The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
"A new college admissions bible [...]Here is a new book jam-packed with information on every aspect of the admissions process [...] College Admission does what the title promises, in an accessible format that taps the knowledge and experience of admissions directors and others involved in the process." -- Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post
ROBIN MAMLET is the former dean of admission at Stanford, Swarthmore, and Sarah Lawrence, where she made over 100,000 admission decisions. Today, she helps colleges and universities find and select their deans of admission, leading the Enrollment Search Practice for Witt/Kieffer.
Journalist CHRISTINE VANDEVELDE's work has appeared in theSanFrancisco Chronicle,Parenting,Self, andUSAToday.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xii
Foreword xvi
PART I THE BIG PICTURE
1. DON’T SKIP THIS CHAPTER! 3
Getting into college is not as hard as it looks— the real challenges and opportunities
2. IS THERE A “SECRET” TO ADMISSION? 12
There is no “secret,” but it’s not random ■ Understanding what colleges
want ■ The perfect candidate may be imperfect— but authentic
PART II GETTING ORGANIZED
3. THE 9TH AND 10TH GRADES: BEFORE YOU BEGIN . . . 19
When and how to start ■ Dialing down the anxiety
4. COLLEGE COUNSELORS AND ADVISORS 27
The high school counselor, a powerful advocate for the student ■
Private counselors— the benefits and drawbacks ■ How colleges interact
with counselors ■ Overpackaged applicants
PART III BECOMING COLLEGE- BOUND
5. THE ACADEMIC RECORD 51
The cornerstone of the application ■ Defining a challenging curriculum ■
How to select courses ■ Course work options: electives, honors courses,
international baccalaureate programs, and advanced placement classes ■
How many APs? ■ Grades and the GPA ■ Class ranking ■ Grade
inflation ■ How colleges evaluate your grades and courses ■ Achieving
balance between high grades, demanding courses, and personal time
6. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 66
The myths about extracurricular activities ■ Beyond the classroom: sports,
community service, summer programs, school clubs and activities, jobs and work
experience, international programs ■ Activity lists and resumes ■ What colleges
are really looking for ■ Depth versus breadth, passion, leadership, and hooks ■
The strategy that works: pursuing genuine interests ■ Well rounded or specialist
■ How students can figure out who they are and what really interests them
7. TAKING THE TESTS 82
Standardized testing: the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests ■
The National Merit Scholarship Program ■ What the tests evaluate ■ When to
test ■ Making a testing plan ■ Optimal preparation ■ Coaching: does it work?
■ Test- taking techniques ■ Testing reasonably: how many times to take the test
■ Test- optional schools ■ Scores ■ How colleges view standardized tests ■
The controversy surrounding standardized testing
PART IV WHERE TO APPLY
8. CREATING AN INITIAL LIST OF COLLEGES 109
The four- step strategy for creating your initial list ■ Evaluating the student and
the schools ■ Researching the schools ■ Information sources and selection
criteria ■ Covering all the bases with “statistical reach,” “ possible,” “probable,”
and “solid” schools ■ Rankings— the controversy, the benefits, the pitfalls ■
Selectivity— where a student fits into a school competitively ■ How to think
about cost ■ Reference guide overview ■ How to get started and when to stop
adding to your list
9. COLLEGE VISITS 137
When to visit ■ Tours, group information sessions, overnight stays, meetings with
faculty or coaches, and classroom visits ■ Setting up appointments ■ Campus visit
etiquette ■ Getting off the beaten path on campus ■ Questions to ask tour guides
and admission officers ■ The proper role for parents
10. TURNING YOUR INITIAL LIST INTO YOUR APPLICATION LIST:
THE EIGHT TO TEN COLLEGES WHERE YOU WILL APPLY 155
Identifying patterns that show where a student will thrive ■ Balancing what
students want with where they fit ■ Assessing a student’s chances of admission ■
The “right” number of schools to apply to ■ Balancing the list ■ Demonstrated
interest ■ Don’t get hung up on the “name game” ■ The right school isn’t always
obvious
PART V APPLYING
11. COLLEGE INTERVIEWS 171
Informational versus evaluative interviews ■ Admission offi ce interviews ■
Alumni interviews ■ Scheduling ■ What happens step by step ■ What not to
wear ■ Critical preparation ■ Questions to ask ■ Admission offi ce etiquette
12. RECOMMENDATIONS 189
The role recommendations play in admission ■ FERPA— waiving privacy
rights ■ Whom to ask ■ How to ask ■ Supplemental recommendations ■
Follow- up
13. ESSAYS 202
What colleges look for ■ Self- reflection is critical ■ Basic writing advice ■
The long essay or personal statement ■ The sh*#@ty fi rst draft and the nine drafts
that follow ■ Short essays ■ Dos and don’ts ■ Plagiarism ■ How much help is
too much ■ How the essay shows a student is a good match for a school
14. THE APPLICATION FORM 223
The infrastructure of the admission fi le ■ The Common Application ■ Mistakes
to avoid ■ Information integrity ■ Criminal convictions and disciplinary actions
■ Last- minute must- dos ■ Submission of supplemental materials ■ What your
signature means ■ Deadlines
PART VI TIMING
15. DECISION PLANS 243
When to apply ■ Regular decision ■ Rolling admission ■ Early action ■
Restricted early admission ■ Early decision I and II ■ Who should apply early
■ Who should not apply early ■ Early programs and financial aid ■ The colleges’
philosophy and strategy behind early programs ■ What it means to sign on the
dotted line ■ Options for students deferred or denied under early plans
PART VII PAYING
16. FINANCIAL AID 265
Does my family qualify for aid? ■ Financial aid calculators and getting
an early estimate of what you will pay ■ Need- based aid ■ FAFSA ■
CSS Profile ■ Merit- based aid and scholarships ■ How to find merit aid ■
Scholarship search services ■ Scams ■ Deadlines ■ The financial aid package:
grants, loans, work- study ■ Evaluating your financial aid awards ■ Financial
planning ■ How to ask for more aid ■ Glossary of terms
PART VIII DECIDING
17. NOTIFICATION AND MAKING THE DECISION 301
You’re in ■ How to decide: return visits, problem solving, and other decisionmaking
tools ■ Waitlist strategies ■ Denials ■ A gap year ■ Dealing with
disappointment ■ Senioritis: don’t succumb ■ Sharing the news ■ A final
checklist ■ The last steps: the reply, the deposit, the thank- yous
PART IX SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
18. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL TALENTS 319
Athletes: Division I, II, and III programs ■ Timing ■ Creating the list of schools
■ Scholarships ■ National Letters of Intent ■ Artists: Deciding between an arts
program and an arts school ■ Submission of supplementary materials ■
Artistic review
19. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES 335
Students with learning differences or physical or emotional challenges ■
Home- schooled students: Providing a narrative for the transcript ■ Testing
■ Demonstrating academic readiness ■ Accommodations ■ Disclosure ■
Documentation ■ Making the right match ■ Undocumented students: The
challenges: researching your possibilities, completing the application, financial
aid, where to go for help ■ Legacies and major donors: Special consideration ■
Etiquette for those with family ties ■ Influence and its implications
20. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 347
Navigating the American college system ■ Testing ■ Credential evaluation ■
Financial aid ■ Advice for foreign nationals applying from U.S. high schools and
U.S. citizens applying from abroad
21. TRANSFERS 357
Making the case for making a change: testing, essays, interviews, and letters of
recommendation ■ Eligibility, articulation agreements, and transfer of credits
PART X APPENDICES
I TIMELINE: THE PATH TO COLLEGE 369
II A RECOMMENDED COURSE OF STUDY 374
III WORKSHEETS 376
IV RESOURCES 380
V SAT/ACT CONCORDANCE TABLES 385
Notes 387
Index 000
CHAPTER 15
Pay Attention When Early Plans Are Discussed
You may hear early action and early decision lumped together and discussed under the single heading of “early programs.” This is appropriate at times. For example, depending on the colleges on your list, your consideration of whether to apply early may encompass early action and an early decision option. But EA and ED are very different plans, with distinct rules, requirements, deadlines, and notification dates. Each has advantages or disadvantages depending on the applicant. In addition, the schools to which you are applying may offer both EA and ED plans. And deadlines and notification dates can be different from school to school, with some schools offering both EA and ED or even multiple rounds of
EA or ED. Pay close attention to the designation of the plan being discussed and the specific details of the decision plans at each college on your list as you consider where, when, and if you will apply under an early plan.
Restrictive Early Action
This option is offered by only a handful of colleges, but if a school you are interested in happens to be one of t...
