The Guide to Getting In Winning the College Admissions Game Without Losing Your Mind

by Harvard Student Agencies, Inc.

• ISBN13: 9780312300449
• ISBN10: 0312300441
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-02
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

Getting into a college can be the most stressful ordeal a student can face, with endless planning, test-taking, competition, the torturous wait for an answer. . . . Now six undergraduates at Harvard reveal the secrets they learned while applying to the country's top colleges. With wit and common sense, they share tips you won't get from college counselors-because these students have actually faced the process themselves . . . and beaten it! Learn how to: - Clean up your image in high school and capitalize on your strengths - Choose the right college using factors that really matter - Make your personal essay stand outæwith examples of essays that worked and why. - Finance your education, no matter what your means Also including: - Surprising, fun facts, and a useful glossary of common admissions terms - Quotes from current students on their experiences and regrets

Author Biography

Harvard Student Agencies, Inc. was founded in 1957 on the ideal of financing a Harvard education through student employment. Today, HSA is the world’s largest student-run corporation and also produces the bestselling travel series Let’s Go. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
A Note to Our Readers	p. xiii
High School: An Era of Hall Passes, P.E., and Cafeteria Romance	p. 1
Classes: Easy As or Impressive Honors?	p. 2
Academic Attitude	p. 5
Finding a Purpose	p. 8
A Word on Shyness	p. 10
Extracurriculars	p. 11
Summers: Go Join the Circus	p. 16
Workin' It	p. 18
Read	p. 20
Don't Sell Yourself Short	p. 22
College Counselors	p. 23
Independent Counselors	p. 24
Listen to Your Elders	p. 26
How It All Adds Up	p. 27
Tiny Bubbles: The World of Standardized Testing	p. 31
What Are Standardized Tests?	p. 32
The SAT: The Biggie	p. 32
The PSAT/NMSQT: The Biggie Lite	p. 35
The ACT: The Biggie's Cousin from the Midwest	p. 37
The PLAN: The Biggie's Cousin from the Midwest Lite	p. 39
The SAT II: The Half-Brother of the Biggie	p. 40
The AP Exams: The Big Brother of the Half-Brother of the Biggie	p. 42
The TOEFL: The Foreign Exchange Student Living with the Biggie	p. 43
Where/When/How Do I Take All These Tests?	p. 44
Preparing for Standardized Tests	p. 49
Approaching the Tests	p. 49
Taking the Tests	p. 53
First, They Hunt You, and Then, You Hunt Them...: Starting Out in the College Search Game	p. 57
Organize Thyself	p. 59
Whaddaya Want?	p. 64
OK, Now Decide!	p. 74
A Note for Parents	p. 76
A Whole Other Ballgame: The College Search as an Athletic Recruit	p. 81
To Be or Not To Be a Recruit	p. 82
I Wanna Be a Recruit but I'm Not	p. 84
Oh, You're So Recruit Material	p. 85
The NCAA and Eligibility	p. 86
All Those Rules	p. 87
All Those Divisions	p. 88
Non-Monetary Perks	p. 89
Pros and Cons of Athletic Scholarships	p. 91
Athletics or Academics?	p. 93
First Contact: The Coach Quandary	p. 94
The Recruiting Trip	p. 96
The Money	p. 98
The Application	p. 101
Personal Data	p. 101
Educational Data	p. 103
Test Information	p. 104
Family	p. 105
Academic Honors	p. 106
Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities	p. 108
Work Experience	p. 111
Letters of Recommendation	p. 113
Choosing an Academic Recommender	p. 113
Supplemental Recommendations	p. 115
Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?	p. 117
Time Frame	p. 119
Personal Statement	p. 120
10,000 Words on Your 500: Our Chapter on the Essay	p. 121
The Essay: Why They Like It and Why You Should, Too	p. 122
Choose Your Own Adventure: Picking a Topic	p. 126
General Essay Writing Advice	p. 134
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words	p. 135
Danger!	p. 137
Words, Words, Words: On Diction and Syntax	p. 139
Sample Essay #1	p. 143
Critique of Essay #1	p. 145
Sample Essay #2	p. 153
Critique of Essay #2	p. 155
Sample Essay #3	p. 157
Critique of Essay #3	p. 160
Reviseing and Pruefreeding You're Essay	p. 164
Face-Off: The Interview	p. 171
Why Interview?	p. 173
Who Should Definitely Interview	p. 173
Who Should Think Twice	p. 175
On- vs. Off-Campus Interview	p. 175
Who Interviews?	p. 176
The Attitude They're Looking For	p. 180
Preparation	p. 182
Some Sample Questions	p. 186
The Rules	p. 186
The Perfect Thank You	p. 188
Financing College	p. 191
Where Does the Financial Aid Package Come From?	p. 191
Visiting the Office Itself	p. 194
The Wide and Wonderful World of Forms!	p. 195
Getting Started	p. 197
Words to the Wise	p. 198
CSS Profile	p. 199
Putting Your Poorest Foot Forward	p. 199
Why Is Stafford Lending Me Money When I'm Going to Harvard?	p. 202
Types of Aid	p. 203
The Hunt	p. 212
Applying	p. 215
So, How Big Is YOUR Package?	p. 217
What's That Smell?	p. 219
Pain in the Assets--Saving for College	p. 221
College Choice	p. 222
Community College vs. Four-Year	p. 223
Hopping Ponds: Applying as a Transfer Student	p. 225
Preparing to Transfer	p. 225
Selling Yourself...the Legal Way!	p. 229
The Application	p. 230
Your Odds	p. 233
Athletic Transfers	p. 233
Getting In and Going	p. 235
International Applicants	p. 237
Into the Woods (a.k.a., the Admissions Office)	p. 237
Study Abroad vs. Four Years Abroad	p. 238
Differences Between International and U.S. Universities	p. 240
Freely Footing the Bill	p. 241
State and Private	p. 242
Financial Aid, Please	p. 245
Checklist for Choosing a School	p. 247
The Eight Golden Rules of International Applications	p. 249
Spinning Yourself	p. 251
A Note to Canadians	p. 252
Testing Requirements	p. 252
Post-Acceptance Paperwork	p. 255
Key Points Before You Go	p. 256
Culture Shock	p. 257
Those Loose Learners	p. 257
All-American Attitude	p. 258
Student Life	p. 259
Clothes	p. 259
Vacations	p. 260
Getting the News: The Envelope Approacheth	p. 261
"Thank You For Playing--Please Try Again"	p. 261
An Extremely Short Glossary of Terms for Rejection	p. 264
Calls from the Governor--Getting Off the Waitlist	p. 265
The Z-List	p. 266
"Do You Want Fries With That?"	p. 267
For the Fat Envelopes: Choosing from Many Options	p. 269
The Reply Card	p. 270
Taking Time Off	p. 271
The Post-Acceptance Party: Some Good Advice Before You Go	p. 273
The Housing Form Crapshoot	p. 275
Things You Didn't Know About Yourself: Form-Filler Tips	p. 278
Roommate Ruminations	p. 280
Dorming Decisions	p. 282
The Medical Exemption	p. 284
The Rooming Info Is Assigned	p. 285
Course Confusion	p. 287
The Ws of Course Selection	p. 289
The Buying Bonanza	p. 292
The Great Computer Decision	p. 296
Bikes and Cars	p. 299
The Budget	p. 300
Glossary	p. 301
About the Authors	p. 315
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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