How do We Apply for College?

Ivy League schools. When students come across this term, some of them immediately think with a sinking heart that it is an impossible dream while some students aspire to get into their dream schools despite the terrible odds. In recent years, if not decades, there have been controversies regarding the college admission process. Parents and students alike seek the best educational opportunities for children; however, acceptance into a prestigious college is not always the result. No matter how hard a student tries to get into the colleges he or she wants, there is not a 100% guarantee that they will make it. For these reasons, many students feel distraught, and some even give up their pursuit of academic success.

Given the rigorous college admission process, students must be able to understand how the system works and what colleges are looking for. That way, they can start preparing in advance, set concrete goals, and work towards those goals during their time in high school.

Let’s first take a look at the college admission process in the United States. In order to apply to an American college, students should be well aware of the key components of a college application. The college application can be mainly broken down into four parts: personal information, high school transcript, standardized test scores and letters of recommendation. Personal information is the easiest, but the most crucial step where students fill out their information such as their school and their family, and in most cases compose a brief narrative essay (or, for many schools outside the U.S., a more informational personal statement). Then, high school transcripts are a record of a student’s semester grades and IB predicted grades. Next, what many consider the most controversial component: standardized test scores. Not all, but many schools require standardized test scores, predominantly from the SAT, SAT subject tests, and ACT. Every college has different score expectations, so it is necessary to look at specific colleges and their requirements to understand one’s chances with a particular school. For instance, the SAT score comparison among Ivy League schools are shown on the diagram below. The 25^th percentile figure means that 25% of students who actually enrolled in the college received this score or below; the 75^th percentile figure means that 75% of students who actually enrolled received this score or higher.

Lastly, there are recommendation letters from teachers. Most colleges ask for at least two letters of recommendation to learn about students’ academic aptitude, reactions to setbacks, key personality traits, interactions in class, and relationship building with teachers and peers.

These college applications can be easily submitted through Common Application, which is a platform that allows students to fill out the data they want to send. The benefits of utilizing Common App are immense. For instance, students can apply to multiple colleges at once without the hassle of applying one by one. Seniors who are especially busy with other work can take advantage of this app, but not all colleges accept their applications through the platform.

There are more requirements specific to each college, and they vary substantially from schools to school; therefore, students need to have a keen insight regarding the college admission process and what they have to prepare for. Although there are many ways to prepare, the best and the most efficient methods involve paying attention in class, having a goal, and students putting their utmost effort into their studies.