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US Universities

US Universities. Applications and Experiences. If you have downloaded this presentation, please refer to the notes at the bottom of the page in Powerpoint for links and extra information. Contents. Academics and school Extracurriculars SATs The Common App and other applications

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US Universities

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  1. US Universities Applications and Experiences If you have downloaded this presentation, please refer to the notes at the bottom of the page in Powerpoint for links and extra information

  2. Contents • Academics and school • Extracurriculars • SATs • The Common App and other applications • Financial aid • Choosing schools

  3. School and Academics

  4. High-School Options • Private schools • Large school/small schools • High-school programs • International Baccalaureate • Gifted • TOPS • CyberArts • Other Arts • Athletic programs Finding your fit is important, even for high school.

  5. Academic Requirements • Goals • Meet academic requirements • Go beyond (competitions) • Have good relationships • Harvard-recommended: • 4 years of math • MIT: Requires Calculus • 4 years of science • MIT: 1 year of each of the 3 sciences (Grade 11) • 3 years of history • MIT: 2 years • 4 years of foreign language (French) • MIT: not required • Rigour • Academic < Enriched = Gifted < IB/AP • Do not sacrifice more than 5% for a more rigorous course, unless you are actually learning • Marks • Range: preferably >90 • Rank in top 10% • Not declining

  6. Recommendations Do: Don’t: Appear lazy or complacent Kill yourself over one subject Admit that we have strengths and weaknesses Take a course without knowing what it’s like Give up a course at school because of a conflict: there are other options • Work fairly hard, especially early on • Schedule • Take a variety of courses • Know the system & teachers • Be flexible to yourself if you can handle it • Procrastination may help if you have control over it • Balance schoolwork and extracurricular

  7. Competitions • Work for competitions • Shows interest • Shows academic ability (if you’re good at some of them) • Helps with the SAT and doing the SATs helps • Nice to do, regardless of skill • Common: math • Other great options: • Physics: CAP, OAPT, AAPT, SIN • Chemistry: CCO, Avogadro & Chem-13 • Biology: CBO, National BioComp • Computing: CCC Approximate

  8. Books for Science Competitions • Physics: Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday and Resnick • Olympiad level physics: Physics by Halliday and Resnick • Chemistry: Chemistry by Zumdahl • Organic chemistry: Organic Chemistry by McMurry • Biology: Biology by Campbell • Buy from U of T book store, online on eBay and bookstores, or from senior students

  9. Competitions • If your school doesn’t have it and you want to do it • Do invest time in preparing if you do this • Get helped! • Others • French • Philosophy • English speaking • Science fair • Tournament of Towns • Linguistics • Arts • Design/Engineering Aristotle Competition

  10. Extracurriculars

  11. Extracurricular Activities:In-School • Something you like

  12. Extracurricular Activities:In-School • Sports! • Common clubs and activities • Reach for the Top • DECA • Newspapers • Yearbook • Student government • Don’t have it? Make it! • Music and shows • Debate • Robotics • Model UN • Academic (science, language) clubs

  13. Extracurricular Activities:Out of school • Volunteering • Hospitals/Health care providers • Community organizations • YMCA • Toronto Youth Cabinet • Cultural organizations • Churches • Camps

  14. Extracurricular Activities:Out of school • Jobs • Something meaningful preferred • e.g. Librarian >> Canada’s Wonderland • Academics • University of Toronto Mentorship program • Ask teachers for opportunities (e.g. research, music groups)

  15. Extracurricular Activities:Out of school • Randomness! • Start a webcomic • Write a play • Ensemble music • Competitions, Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra • Start a serious band • Do film production • Start a website/write an application • Invent something and patent it or even better, make a company that sells it! • Meeting people is easy

  16. Summer Activities • Avoid • Summer school to get ahead, unless necessary • Doing nothing • Do • Meaningful jobs or volunteering • Camps: • Shad Valley! • Deep River • ISSYP • Olympiads • Study on your own, preferably while doing one of the above

  17. Make Your List • Keep track of what you do: example

  18. Robotics • United States FIRST Robotics Competitions • International: two Canadian regionals • Prestigious, started by world famous inventor Dean Kamen and MIT professor Woodie Flowers. • Over 1000 teams, from many countries. • Gracious Professionalism • Scholarships to American colleges and UT & UW • $6000 automatic sponsorship from TDSB • Business, engineering and math science oriented • Start-your-own friendly!

  19. SATs

  20. SAT • SAT I: Reasoning • Very important • Goal: >2200/2400 • Low scores will not prevent you from getting in if your other credentials are great Harvard MIT Princeton Amherst

  21. How to Study • Grade 9 and 10: • Read, read, and read • Great for reading and writing, and interesting • Use the books, do lots of questions • Contingency: do SAT classes • Study vocabulary: small investments of time can pay off

  22. Schedule • Grade 11 and 12 • Do SAT I: late grade 10 or early grade 11 • Redo if needed(score choice) • SAT II • Get the books • Finish before grade 12 • 800s much easier to get • Aim for 800 Grade 11 start SAT II (Math II, physics): November SAT I: November SAT II (Math II, chem): April SAT II (Chemistry): January SAT II (phys.): May SAT I: October (best) SAT I redo: December Grade 12 end

  23. Application

  24. Application • Electronic or paper • Common Application or Universal College Application • Single application, multiple universities • Pesky MIT • All have similar layouts

  25. Early Action and Early Decision • Can apply earlier than the normal deadline • Deadline: November 1 for most instead of December 31 • Early Decision: must accept offer if admitted • Higher admit rate; easier to get in • Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Columbia, Williams • Early Action: don’t have to accept offer if admitted • More flexible • Single choice: can only apply to one • Stanford & Yale • See notes for full list

  26. Early Application Acceptance Rates

  27. Sections of the application • Personal Info • Demographics • Family • Academics Info (schooling) • Academic Awards • Extracurricular • Employments • Short paragraph on one activity • Essay • Disciplinary actions • Recommendations(incl. ratings) • Other info

  28. Important Sections:Five Awards

  29. Important Sections:Seven Activities You must have seven activities

  30. The School Report • School profile • Ranking and estimations • GPA • Courses and difficulties • Counsellor/Principal rating • Counsellor/Principal recommendation letter • Transcript – read the Ontario Transcript Manual before Grade 11.

  31. Important Sections:Written • Components • Common application essay • 150-word snippet • Supplementary essays

  32. How to write your essay • Provide insights into your personal character and who you are outside of academics • Anything • Personal stories are popular and easy • Plays a crucial part in admission • Something you can start early • Get it edited • Read sample essays • Preferably not online

  33. Teachers’ Recommendations • Start building relationship with teacher early • The perfect teacher: • Taught you recently • Likes you and knows you well as a great student and person • Is familiar with the American admissions system • Is eloquent and knows how to write recommendations • Don’t be surprised if your teacher asks you to write a rough draft

  34. Asking for the Recommendation • Do you think you know me well enough to write me a strong recommendation letter for _____? • Sit-down interview: helpful, but rare • Give all materials at once • Do it online if possible; easier for teacher

  35. Teachers’ Recommendations

  36. Counsellor’s Recommendation • Principals/Vice Principals can do it too • Get acquainted with: • Guidance counsellors • Vice principals (and possibly principals) • Help with course selection, club creation, student govt, etc. • Ask early • Try to avoid bothering your counsellor for other trivial things, but do try to get to know them • Don’t be a flatterer

  37. Counsellor’s Recommendation

  38. Counsellor’s Recommendation • Also includes a part for any extra issues • Make sure they mention • Changes in schools • Long absences • Achievements that don’t fit on the Common App lists • Provide them with a list of activities, achievements at the school to help them

  39. Financial Aid

  40. Financial Aid • Don’t worry: No one left behind in many schools • Cost: Max $58,000 for 1 years and increasing • Income • <40~60K = (Nearly) Free • Between 60K and 100K = Cheap (no more than usual Canadian universities) • > 100K = larger percentage of tuition

  41. Evaluation of Need • Financial Aid is purely based on your need of funding, not your merit • You submit: • T1 forms • CSS Profile (CollegeBoard) • Offers are calculated using set formulae • See online calculators • # of children, etc. are considered • Can ask for more in some cases

  42. Need aware and need blind • Need blind: • College does not consider how much financial aid it will have to give you when making acceptance decisions • Need aware is the opposite • NB/NA is largely based on endowment • Policy could change over years

  43. Need-blind is fine Unlimited Limited – does not always give enough to satisfy full needs Brown Cornell • Harvard • MIT • Yale • Amherst • LAC’s (Williams, Middlebury) • Penn (Canadian citizen or PR) • Columbia (Canadian citizen, not PR) • Dartmouth (new policy?)

  44. Need-aware: don’t be scared • Rumor has it that some of the need blinds are actually need aware anyways • Need aware: • Smaller chance of getting in • If admitted, you will also receive 100% of your need. • Schools with a large endowment can be generous • Lots of people gets scared off by need aware, so it may not be that competitive

  45. Great need aware schools • Northwestern • Johns Hopkins (does not commit to meet 100%) • Duke (very recent donation, very generous) • Stanford • CalTech • Columbia for Canadian PR’s and intl’s • UPenn for internationals

  46. Merit Scholarships • “What’s so good about the Ivy leagues? No merit scholarships and crappy sports?” – A CC’er • Non-ivy leagues offer merit based scholarships • Full ride for 4 years plus possible summer/research benefits • Best for: • Students with large family incomes • Athletes

  47. Merit Scholarships • Morehead Cain • Duke Robertson • Duke Scholarships • UWSL (high school nomination) • Johns Hopkins Engineering (2) • Outside the US (discussed in choosing college section) • And more…

  48. Choosing a College

  49. Choosing a college

  50. Before choosing colleges to apply for: • Reflect on your goals • Know your academic interests (leave space for exploration) • Research, research, research! • Visit the campus early (strongly recommended) • Look into overnight stays

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