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CHAPTER 2

A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS:

WHO ARE YOU?

College admissions reps work very hard to put together each year’s incoming class. The goal of the admissions office is to build a qualified, well-rounded first year class. Your goal is to find a college that meets your needs and matches your profile. Colleges generally look at applicants from several angles to determine whether they’re a good fit. Your academic performance and test scores are the starting point for admissions, but there’s so much more that will be considered. Think about the person you would like admissions officers to get to know. Reveal your identity through your extracurricular interests and involvement, your social media presence, your essays and the words of your recommenders.

“Both colleges and students have a duty to communicate who they are as effectively as possible to ensure the best possible matches.”

—ALISON ALMASIAN, Director of Admissions, St. Lawrence University

ACADEMICS

Your academic record is the foundation of your application. Colleges view the grades you’ve achieved as the best predictor of your future academic success. The level of difficulty of the classes you’ve taken and your grades are the primary yardstick by which you will be evaluated. You can find a college’s core academic requirements listed on its website. Beyond meeting the requirements, admissions reps want to see what academic interests you’ve pursued. Highly competitive schools are looking for students who have taken the most rigorous courses offered at their high school, such as AP, IB and honors, to name a few. Consult with your guidance and/or college counselors to plan the high school curriculum most suited to you. But, the process doesn’t end here.

EXTRACURRICULARS

Each student brings his or her own identity to the campus. You can show Admissions who you are through your extracurricular activities, including athletics, community service, work experience and summer activities. Colleges look at the breadth and depth to which you have explored your interests. Your choices reflect your values and your personality. Your extracurricular involvement not only tells schools what you’ve done throughout high school, but also conveys how you may contribute to their community as a prospective member. Everyone has different interests and one interest is not necessarily better than another. What’s important is why and how you chose to become involved, and what it means to you. Don’t paint a picture of who you think Admissions is looking for. Demonstrate, with authenticity, the real you. You’ll have the opportunity to share your personal profile with Admissions on your applications, either in the Activities section of the Common App, in an individual school application, or if requested, in an uploaded resume. Whether you’ve just started high school or are an upperclassman, explore school clubs and organizations, volunteer opportunities and hobbies in order to identify extracurriculars you would enjoy pursuing. Once you’ve found what interests you, get involved. What counts is the extent of your commitment, not the length of your activities list. Your engagement outside the classroom speaks to who you are and may be what differentiates you from your peers. Balancing schoolwork and commitments outside the classroom also demonstrates your time management skills.

“Students should consider highlighting the things into which they have poured the most time and effort, finding the things that have meant the most to them and the things in which they have made the greatest impact. Students need to understand that college admissions officers are trying to get a sense of the individual by evaluating how that individual has spent his or her time.”

—PAUL W. HORGAN, Director of College Counseling, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach, Virginia

“Representing all that you do beyond academics with authenticity is very important.”

—DARRYL W. JONES, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Gettysburg College

This chapter provides seven Who Are You? worksheets to help you easily fill in the activities sections of your applications. These worksheets will also help you to create a resume to submit either as a supplement to the Common App or to individual school applications. Your resume can also be used when you apply for internships and jobs. Identify the worksheets that apply to you and gather the information necessary to compile a complete and accurate profile of your high school years. Although you’ll find some of the categories overlap, list your activities on the worksheet you think fits best. Think about all the things you were involved with outside the classroom and list your activities in order of importance to you. You don’t need to include everything you’ve been involved in during high school, but instead list the things you feel help define who you are. If it’s hard to remember everything you’ve done, ask your family to help you put together your list.

Clubs & Extracurricular Activities worksheet: include activities such as academic and social clubs, student government, school newspaper, yearbook, music, theater/drama, culture and art, both in and outside of school. Any hobbies you spend a considerable amount of time on are also relevant. Schools are particularly interested in any leadership positions you’ve held, so don’t forget to include your titles and responsibilities.

Sports worksheet: list all your teams, tournaments and awards for athletic involvement in school-sponsored and independently run leagues. Again, emphasize any leadership roles.

Community Service worksheet: note your service involvement, both school-sponsored and independent. Include volunteering, tutoring and fundraising activities. What’s important here is your level of involvement and genuine commitment, so there’s no need to include your one visit to the local food pantry.

Awards worksheet: explain all the academic achievements and non-academic distinctions you’ve earned throughout your high school years. Include significant commitment to programs such as science research or athletics. Awards include anything from a math fair placement to a hip-hop dance trophy.

Competitions worksheet: describe any contests in which you participated or are currently involved. These may include, but are not limited to, science, math or engineering events, writing submissions, art exhibitions and debates.

Work Experience worksheet: demonstrate your work ethic by noting any paid and unpaid jobs and internships you have had. There are all types of jobs, including caring for your younger siblings while your parents are at work.

Summer Experiences worksheet: note any summer activities including work, travel, academic courses or programs, athletics and community outreach. How you spend your summer breaks shows Admissions what you choose to do with your free time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations are an important component of your application because they allow colleges to see beyond your grades and test scores. A good recommendation letter is one that offers admissions reps a chance to get to know you. Most colleges require a recommendation from your guidance counselor and a letter from one or two of your teachers.

Letters from your guidance counselor will help admissions officers understand more about your school, its resources and requirements, and the student body. These letters help to define your standing within your school community and your achievements relative to those of your peers’. Teachers’ letters provide insight into your learning style and your academic development, which speaks to your potential for engagement and achievement in a college classroom. You may consider including an additional letter if you’ve made a significant commitment to a program (such as science research or athletics) or if there’s someone outside the classroom who can share a valuable perspective. Here are some helpful tips to consider when requesting your recommendations:

If you attend a large school and don’t know your counselor, set up a meeting to give your counselor the chance to get to know you. If you have any special circumstances (health, family, finances) that you’d like them to explain in their letter, let them know at this time. Talk to them about your hopes and dreams for college and give them as much background information as possible so they can write a strong letter in support of your applications.

Offer your recommenders a copy of your resume to give them a more complete picture of who you are, so they can write an effective letter.

Make your request for recommendations in person. The ideal time to ask is in the spring of junior year, confirming in the fall of senior year. If you’re a senior and have not yet made this request, ask now. Many teachers receive more requests than they can fulfill, so asking in advance allows them to put you on their list.

Most colleges require that letters be written by instructors you had in junior or senior year. If possible, ask primary subject teachers. Also, remember, a recommendation will be more valuable if written by a teacher who knows you well and likes you.

Provide your teachers with information that will help them write a letter that speaks to your learning style, aptitude, potential and character. Give them an outline of the highlights of your time spent in their classroom, your favorite assignments and samples of your work. Let them know what you enjoy(ed) most about their class. Share anything you’ve done outside the classroom that is relevant to their subject matter. Help them write a letter that ties together all your related experiences.

Give each recommender a list of your schools and the application deadlines. If your high school mails in the forms, provide each writer with a recommendation form for each college along with a stamped, addressed envelope. If your school participates in an online program, your writers will submit their recommendations electronically.

Use the Letters of Recommendation worksheet to jot down the date you give your teachers the forms. Check on the schools’ online portals or call the admissions offices as the process progresses to confirm receipt of the letters.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Your social media profile is another way to define yourself to Admissions. Much has been said about social media and its impact on college applications. Your online presence is a very important consideration. Use social media to project an image you are proud of. Make sure you aren’t represented in a way you would be uncomfortable sharing with your admissions reps or alumni interviewers. Before you begin the college prhe following:

Use social media to connect with college reps and demonstrate your interest in their school.

Make sure your photos convey the image you want to project, highlighting activities that are important to you and reflect your interests.

Make sure to delete any photos that are inappropriate.

Remove yourself from any groups that you don’t want to be defined by.

Don’t write anything that you wouldn’t want an admissions rep to read.

Use social media sites to highlight positive things about yourself.