The Secrets of Picking a College (and Getting In!)

Two award-winning professors, a former admissions officer at a major university (now a counselor at a prestigious high school), and a gifted high school senior (now in the throes of the college admissions process himself) team up to offer you over 600 tips, techniques, and strategies to help you get in to the college of your choice. Comprehensive, yet easy-to-read, this book will teach you: How to size up the colleges you're considering and come up with a coherent list. What are college nights, college fairs, and college rep visits and how you can use each to your advantage. What are "e;holistic"e;, "e;contextualized"e;, and "e;legacy"e; admissions and how each can work for you. How some schools count "e;demonstrated interest"e; and how you can take advantage of this little-known fact. What are Early Decision, Early Action, and Single-Choice Early Action and whether any is right for you. How to figure out the true costs of college, and what is the difference between "e;need-"e; and "e;merit-based"e; aid. What it means when colleges say they meet "e;100% of demonstrated financial aid"e; and what "e;loan-free"e; means. When and how to make campus visits and what to do on each. How to prepare for each section of the ACT or SAT and how to increase your scores. What admissions officers are looking for in your application and how to give it to them. How to write the all-important Common App essay and present your extra-curricular activities. How to prepare for an alumni interview and present yourself in the best light. Whom to ask for letters-of-recommendation and how to help them write the best possible letter. How to compare your final offers and, in some cases, substantially improve them. When it's good to wait out the "e;wait list"e; and when not. -and much, much more. When you understand the college admissions process, you can maximize your chance of success. Why not put yourself ahead of the pack?

Two award-winning professors, a former admissions officer at a major university (now a counselor at a prestigious high school), and a gifted high school senior (now in the throes of the college admissions process himself) team up to offer you over 600 tips, techniques, and strategies to help you get in to the college of your choice.Comprehensive, yet easy-to-read, this book will teach you:* How to size up the colleges you're considering--and come up with a coherent list.* What are college nights, college fairs, and college rep visits--and how you can use each to your advantage.* What are "holistic", "contextualized", and "legacy" admissions--and how each can work for you.* How some schools count "demonstrated interest"--and how you can take advantage of this little-known fact.* What are Early Decision, Early Action, and Single-Choice Early Action--and whether any is right for you.* How to figure out the true costs of college, and what is the difference between "need-" and "merit-based" aid.* What it means when colleges say they meet "100% of demonstrated financial aid" and what "loan-free" means.* When and how to make campus visits--and what to do on each.* How to prepare for each section of the ACT or SAT--and how to increase your scores.* What admissions officers are looking for in your application--and how to give it to them.* How to write the all-important Common App essay--and present your extra-curricular activities.* How to prepare for an alumni interview--and present yourself in the best light.* Whom to ask for letters-of-recommendation--and how to help them write the best possible letter.* How to compare your final offers--and, in some cases, substantially improve them.* When it's good to wait out the "wait list"--and when not.* -and much, much more.When you understand the college admissions process, you can maximize your chance of success. Why not put yourself ahead of the pack?

To You--The Future College Student xvTop 10 Reasons to Read This Book xixThe Professors' Guide(TM) Icons xxi1 STARTING YOUR SEARCH 110 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Begin Your College Search 2Learning the Landscape: The 6 Major Kinds of College 78 Things That Make Better Schools Better 132 BUILDING THE LIST 1910 Tips for Making Your Initial List 21Top 12 Websites to Help You Construct Your Initial List 27Top 10 Websites for Finding Scholarships 32Surfing the College Website: Tips and Techniques 3411 Tips for Going to See Your College Counselor 39Top 10 Ways to Make the Most of the College Night (or College Rep Visit) 45Do's and Don'ts for Attending College Fairs 51The 10 Biggest Financial Aid Mistakes--and How to Avoid Them 57Applying Early? 10 Questions to Ask If You're Considering Early Decision or Early Action 673 GOING ON TOUR 75FAQs for Planning Your College Visits: A Beginner's Guide 76Top 10 Things to See and Do on a College Visit 8321 Must-Ask Questions on the Campus Tour (and Why You Should Ask Them) 9110 Things to Look for When Visiting a Class (or Two) 97Top 12 Tips for Nailing an On- (or Off-) Campus Interview 1024 TAKING THE TESTS 111FAQs about Standardized Tests 113Your Step-by-Step Plan for Preparing for the SAT and ACT 121Top 10 SAT/ACT Test-Taking Tips 127Top 10 Tips for the English Section 132Top 10 Tips to Make Yourself a Mathmagician (or at least Kill the Math Section) 1387 Things You Need to Know about Your Calculator (but Might Not) 144Top 10 Strategies for the Reading Section 149The Science of Taking the Science Section on the ACT 15510 Best Tips for Writing the SAT/ACT Essay 160Flash! Big 7 Changes to the 2016 SAT--and What to Do about Them 1665 CONSTRUCTING THE APPLICATIONS 173Top 10 Strategies for Making Your Final List 1759 Things Admission Officers Look for in an Application 182Top 10 Tips for Writing the Common App Essay 18710 Best Ideas for Filling Out the Activities Section of the Common App 196Top 10 Tips for Getting Awesome Letters of Recommendation 2028 Secrets for Answering the Supplemental Questions 2086 MAKING THE CHOICE 215Top 10 Strategies for Making Your Final Choice 216Top 10 Tips for Assessing the Financial Aid Offer 223APPENDIX HOW ADMISSIONS DECISIONS ARE MADE (from a Presentation given at the 2014 Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions) 233Web Resources 247Index 255