The College Application Process

The College application process can seem quite daunting but does not have to be so. The following is a general step-by-step guide to assist you with the process.

• Research and identify 5-7 colleges to which to apply. Most school websites can be found by typing www.schoolname.edu.
• Request applications from colleges or visit the school website. More and more schools are giving students the opportunity to apply online. You can even take campus tours online.
• You might find it helpful to set up a folder for each school to which you plan to apply and then place all relevant forms and documents in each folder as you receive and complete them. On the outside of the folder, you can put the name of the college with the application deadline.
• Make photocopies of the application form so that you can use it as a rough draft. Read carefully the application instructions. This is a simple instruction but extremely important. Some colleges will request specific information or may request that you NOT send specific forms. For example, while many do so, some colleges will not accept the Common Application Form.
• Work on a rough draft so that you can make as many changes as you need to before filling out the final application.
• Complete college applications and other required forms such as financial aid applications.
• Complete the student portion on the Teacher Recommendation Forms if you are using the specific college form sent to you.
• Print legibly. If possible, type your essay.
• Attach the correct application fee. Do Not Send Cash. You must either send a check (please note: if you are applying to universities in the USA , please send a US Dollar check) or fill in the space for payment by credit card.
• If you choose to apply online (some colleges encourage you to do so) please make sure you have a credit card to use for the application fee.

Your application is now ready to be mailed!

The Registrar will mail the official school records (transcripts, recommendation forms, school profile etc) in a separate envelope. Official school records MUST be mailed by Yanbu International School. Any records mailed by the student will be marked "issued to student."

The application packet should include the following:

1. Student's completed application and fee
2. Student's essay (if required)
3. Official YIS transcripts
4. Copies of transcripts from referring schools (students are responsible for requesting official school transcripts from transferring schools to be mailed to the colleges/universities to which they are applying)
5. YIS-School Profile (this explains the grading system for YIS)
6. Confidential recommendation forms/letters
7. Any other forms/information required by the college/university

*Be careful to note the application deadline and the tests required for admission. DO NOT wait until the last minute!

Components of an Application

Colleges and universities use a number of different criteria when assessing incoming applications. The student's high school transcript is the most important document. Other components of the application which are important are: standardized test scores SAT I, SAT II, TOEFL, recommendations, essays, extracurricular life, and interviews.

Transcripts:

This is the most important factor in the college admissions decision. Admissions officers are looking to see which level courses are taken, number of courses taken, types of courses and finally the grade you earned.

Standardized Test Scores:

Students should note carefully which tests are required by the colleges of interest. Colleges view standardized test scores differently. The more selective colleges will place more weight on these test scores. These usually refer to SAT I and SAT II, but also included is the TOEFL score for students whose first language is not English.

College Essay:

This is the part of your application which is completely under your control. Take time to think about and write your essay. Focus on what makes you unique! Show your essay to your English teacher for critique. Many colleges will also ask the applicant to write a personal essay/statement. Use this to your advantage to let the admissions officer(s) reading it learn more about you.

School Recommendations Letters:

The school recommendation is usually written by the counselor. The letter will include information about your academics, extra-curricular involvement, and your character. Seniors will be asked to complete the Self-Recommendation Survey to assist the counselor (and teachers) in recording the activities they are involved in and to highlight personal attributes and situations which make the student stand out. Students can also provide teachers with a list of activities to highlight in the recommendation.

Teacher Recommendation Letters:

Colleges will usually request two subject teacher recommendations while some will ask you to select the teachers of choice to write the recommendation letters. If you are choosing your teachers to write your recommendation letters, make sure you ask a teacher from either your Junior or Senior year.

Application:

Neatness and legibility are important. Make sure you follow the instructions and complete the application in its entirety.

Extracurricular Life:

Colleges want to know what students are passionate about and committed to outside the school setting. Colleges like to see a commitment and involvement in non-academic areas on the student's part. The quality of activities over quantity is what admissions officers will view as a genuine devotion and investment of time. Students who are active in organizations can also demonstrate this commitment. When putting together a class, admissions officers look for students who can add diversity to the campus.

Special Talents/Achievements:

Colleges are looking for unique individuals who will enhance their student population and make contributions to their college community. Unique talents can include a variety of areas such as outstanding musicians, writers, athletes, dancers. This includes students who have a rich life experience from living in other countries and have mixed with different people and cultures from different parts of the world. This also includes students who have earned their seat with an honorary organization such as the National Honor Society.

The Interview:

Colleges that require an interview as part of the admission process can accommodate students through meetings with alumni living within or nearby the applicant's community. The primary purpose of the interview is to answer any questions a student may have about the college and to get 'acquainted' with the applicant. Some interviews may be conducted by telephone.

Legacy Status:

Some colleges will award special consideration to children of alumni. Although this does not guarantee acceptance, it does help the applicant get a 'second look'.

Recommendation Letters

Letters of recommendation provide an opportunity for teachers and the counselor to share a student's attributes with the reader that they would otherwise not see. The admissions officers are impressed with letters of recommendations from staff members who can site examples and anecdotes. These are important to staff and of course to students. Students are therefore encouraged to handle recommendation requests responsibly.

Tips when asking for a letter of recommendation:

• ALWAYS give your teachers enough time to write you a letter of recommendation. Students are encouraged to give at least two weeks notice.
• ALWAYS thank the teacher for agreeing to write a recommendation for you.
• ALWAYS give a teacher a list of extracurricular activities, organization memberships, and other information that you think may assist the teacher in writing on your behalf. Or complete the Self Survey form for your teachers.
• ALWAYS fill out the student information requested on the top of the form which the university provides you with. If you are using the Common Application Recommendation form, make sure to circle the university on top to where you are applying.
• ALWAYS give the teacher addressed envelopes for each recommendation. The envelopes need only have the university address; there is no need to put your address on the envelope but only your name in the upper left-hand corner.

If you are asking a specific teacher to prepare several letters for you, please attach a cover sheet with the list of universities' names and the due dates of the recommendation letter.

For example:

Mr. Bloggs,
Thank you for agreeing to write recommendation letters on my behalf. The following are the universities of interest and deadlines:
Stanford University November 1, 2003 (Early Decision)
University of Texas, A & M January 14, 2004
University of Virginia January 1, 2004

Waiving your rights? On most recommendations forms, you will notice underneath the section to be filled out by the student, there is a question of whether the student is prepared to waive his/her rights to reading the recommendation before it is mailed. If you do waive your rights, the admissions officer believes the recommendation writer will be more honest in their appraisal of you hence a more credible recommendation than if you were to be unwilling for the recommendation to be sent before you had a chance to read it.

Counselor recommendation letters or Secondary School Report will be completed, if necessary, by the counselor for each student. Please complete the Self Recommendation Survey form and return to the counselor.

Self-Recommendation Survey:

Please answer the questions to the best of your ability. In filling out this "self survey" you are providing the person who is writing your letter of recommendation with important information. This will aid that person in writing the best recommendation possible!

• What personal characteristics do you possess which distinguish you from others?
• Have you had an unusual experience that has positively affected your life/beliefs?
• What are some of your goals?
• What extracurricular activities/organizations have you participated in?
• Describe your international experience and how you have learned from it.
• How many languages do you speak fluently?
• What else would you like someone to know about you which will assist him/her in writing a letter of recommendation for you?

*If this is a confidential letter of recommendation, be sure you have given the person an addressed, stamped envelope so he/she can seal it and mark it confidential!

Writing Your College Essay

It seems that the most daunting part of the entire college application process is the writing of the essay. Good essays are important. They give the reader the opportunity to learn more about the applicant: an opportunity to learn about strengths which are not reflected in grades or standardized test scores and other objective data. The essay is the time to 'make you real' to the reader.

Here are some tips and samples adapted and revised from the AIS handbook:

• Leave enough time so that you can write several drafts. Meet with your English teacher for feedback on your essay before your final draft.
• The opening and closing of your essay are critical. Use a grabber in the first paragraph. Keep in mind that the admissions officers are reading many essays a day so this is an opportunity for you to grab the reader's attention in your opening sentence. By the same token, use the same 'attention getting' technique in your closing. If you start with a quote, you may want to end with a quote. Otherwise you might want to refer to the opening sentence to make your conclusion. This will remind the reader of your opening sentence. It will also make your essay look polished. One important item to remember is that the conclusion should be powerful, persuasive and memorable.
• Give your reader a Big Idea. Refer to the bigger picture of how your essay has to do with the larger world and issues that might be relevant to all our lives. Readers will love this.
• Don't try and write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. The essay should be about you! It should reflect your ideas and opinions. It is an opportunity for the reader to learn more about you. There is much more to you than standardized test scores and academic grades.
• Answer the question directly. This involves reading the essay question carefully. This is why it is helpful to write several drafts. Just before reading your draft, read the essay question again. This might help you in judging whether or not you are answering the question.
• Focus on yourself... show your best side! You might have overcome an adversity, worked through a difficult process, or made the best from a specific incident. A narrow focus is more interesting than a broad-based generalization.
• The topic of your essay does not have to be dramatic or unusual. You can write about the most ordinary daily activity, a story you read, or an incident you witnessed. (The dean of an Ivy League School reported one year that the best essay of the year was entitled "Five Minutes Waiting in a Gas Station". Never use an essay to explain a poor grade or how you promise to improve your grades.
• Do not highlight your weaknesses. Your essay should be about your strengths. If you have a good explanation for poor grades, discuss it with your counselor. Your counselor is the one to share the excuses with the admissions office, not you.
• The more selective the college, the more the emphasis is placed on the essay. Good colleges expect good writers.
• Be positive about yourself without bragging. Avoid put-downs.
• Keep your reader in mind. You are introducing yourself to an admissions committee/university, not to a roommate.
• Use "I" to express a thought, not "You", e.g. instead of, "... a good grade on a test makes you feel..." use "...makes me feel..."
• Use the writing skills you learned in English class.

Sample University Essay Questions:

(Remember these essay questions may change from year to year)

Common Application :

• Evaluate a significant experience or achievement that has special meaning to you.
• Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.
• Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
• Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

University of Pennsylvania :

• If you were given the opportunity to spend an evening with any one person, living or deceased, or fictional, whom would you choose and why?
• You have just completed your 300 page autobiography. Please submit page 217.
• Please cite and discuss a quotation, phrase, or statement which has had an influence on your life.

Cornell University :

• Think about something that you never did in high school but wish you had done. Now imagine your time at Cornell. Propose taking up something daring and new, and describe how it might affect your life.
• "A stone, a leaf, an unfound door", Look Homeward Angel, Thomas Wolfe. Write about three objects that would give the admissions selection committee insight into who you are.

College of William and Mary :

• In his song, "Growing Up" from the album Greetings from Ashbury Park, Bruce Springsteen sings, "when they said 'sit down', I stood up". Discuss a time in your life when you "stood up".

University of Southern California:

• Tell us a story which will help us to know you better. Illustrate one or more themes, events, or individuals that have helped shape you. Be clear and forceful.

Stanford University :

• Jot a note to your future college roommate relating a personal experience that reveals something about you.
• Sharing intellectual interests is an important aspect of university life. Describe an experience or idea that you find intellectually exciting and explain why.