Preparing for College (SAT’s and More)
The most important step in the college admissions process is the preparation. The preparation begins as soon as the student enters high school. The admissions committees are very tough when it comes to accepting or rejecting potential attendees, but there are different tricks to standing out amongst the crowd. If the student has dreams of attending an Ivy League school, the first step in preparation would be academic excellence.
Maintaining academic excellence throughout the high school career is absolutely imperative in preparing for college. The toughest courses the school has to offer should be taken. For example, many schools offer “Honors” English programs that employ a much more exhaustive and rigorous curriculum in comparison to the conventional English program offered. Honors English will especially help prepare a student for the writing aspect of the college admissions process and the scholarship process that will be discussed in a future section. The school may offer, as well, “Advanced Placement” courses. Also know as AP courses, these classes are college level. In fact, the students involved in an Advanced Placement course are welcomed to take the Advanced Placement test at the conclusion of the year. Some colleges will award college credit hours to students for equivalent classes should they achieve a worthy grade.
Enrolling in the most difficult classes the high school has to offer and succeeding in them is just one part of preparing for the admissions process. Many people tend to focus too much on academics and forget extra curricular activities. Extra curricular activities define individuals. The trick to standing out to an Ivy League admissions committee is to of course succeed academically, but to supplement with extra curricular and volunteer activities. Almost all admission committees are not just looking for an academically excellent individual; they are seeking a well rounded, socially excellent individual. When beginning high school, it may be of help to talk to the guidance councilor to form a list of the clubs and activities available through the school. Anything from band and pep club to manager of a varsity sports team will appeal to the admission committees. Student council, student government and class offices (President, Secretary, etc.) are also great activities to take in part in that will show the committee leadership abilities.
One area to not ignore throughout high school is volunteer work. Volunteering will immediately make a student stand out amongst a crowd of applicants. It shows values, morals, work ethic and demonstrates how well rounded a student may be. Finding volunteer work can be very simple, and many students will find they actually enjoy giving back to the communities. A great place to volunteer is at a local church, nursing home, homeless shelter, pet shelter or child day care. Whatever the volunteer work may be, it will reflect excellently on the student when it is written on the application. Showing the students dedication to service will also be essential when applying for sought after scholarships.
Another major part of college admission preparation is the standardized tests. As previously mentioned, there are Advanced Placement (AP) exams, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT’s), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT’s) and the Scholastic Aptitude Subject Tests (SAT II’s). The testing process will always begin with the PSAT’s which should be taken in either the sophomore or early junior year of high school. The PSAT’s will give the student a general idea of how the SAT’s are compiled and what their general score range will be. The PSAT’s also offer another great benefit: the college mailing lists. In completing this test, the student will check a box to be added to college mailing lists. The College Board, the sponsoring corporation of the PSAT’s and the SAT’s, teams with many colleges and universities to release the names of students that score in a certain range to certain universities. Some colleges and universities are even interested in the students that do poorly. By scoring well enough on this preliminary test, the student can “make a name for themselves” at the Ivy League schools they wish to attend. Also, the student should also begin to receive literature from different universities depicting what campus life is like and what they have to offer.
The SATs and the SAT II’s are usually taken near the conclusion of the junior year or the beginning of the senior year. AP exams are taken whenever the student completes an AP course. Generally, most Ivy League schools are looking for students that score over 1400 combined on the math and verbal section, however, lower scores that have an impeccable application have still been accepted. The SAT’s can be taken as many times as the student wishes, but there is a fee for each test, not to mention the fact the test lasts for over six hours and can be somewhat mentally draining for a young adult. The SAT II’s are extra tests taken to demonstrate a student’s ability in a particular subject and sometimes are required by Ivy League schools for admission. AP exams will also show a student’s ability in certain areas, as well as the student’s ability to perform well in a college level course.
The preparation period is certainly the most important part of the college admissions process. Essentially, the student is doing all the hard work in this period and the other periods of the process just involve the documenting of it. Proper preparation will lead to a stellar, unique application that will catch the eye of the Ivy League admission’s committee.