In last week’s column, I discussed the main criteria used by US university admissions committees in determining undergraduate admission. These include, in order of importance:
1) The strength of a high school applicant’s academic record, not only grades received, but the rigor of the completed curriculum;
2) Scores on standardised tests, such as on the TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, and SAT II;
3) A history of continued participation and leadership in extracurricular activities, such as in school clubs, sports, and community service.
This week’s column will address the importance of the personal statement, supplementary essays, college interviews, recommendations, and demonstrated interest. While these lesser-understood factors play a lesser role than the previously aforementioned ones from last week, they can determine the difference between admission and denial among borderline candidates with similar academic qualifications and backgrounds. Their importance should be taken seriously and should not be underestimated.
THE FAMOUS FIVE
The Personal Statement
The Personal Statement is one of the most feared and least understood components of the American university application. While limited to only 500 words, it routinely causes significant stress for students who often do not how to effectively address the questions posed. For this coming applications cycle, students are able to choose from five topics on the Common Application, accepted by almost 500 American universities, which include questions such as “Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work of art and that influence on you, and explain that influence” and “Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.”
The previously available option of creating and answering your own question has been eliminated from this year’s upcoming Common Application.
Most common error No. 1: The most common error that students make in addressing one of the personal statement essay questions is that they routinely answer only the first half of the question; instead of evaluating a significant experience’s impact on the student, for example, the experience is simply described and recounted.
Common error No. 2: Students believe the personal statement should be a comprehensive narrative of their academic and extracurricular achievements in totality.
There are other areas in the application in which students list and describe their academic honours, extracurricular activities, and work experience. Students should not waste the wonderful opportunity the personal statement presents to them to offer insight into their personality, experiences, and outlook to the admissions officer reading it. The personal statement, along with the optional interview, is the only opportunity a student has to transcend the letter grades and numerical test scores and put a human face to her application in her own words.
Most importantly, the personal statement should be just that - personal - and students should take particular care to ensure that they produce an essay that is unique and unable to be replicated by anyone else. It is also critical that the student ask that the personal statement be revised for language and grammar errors by native English speaker, preferably one familiar with American English.
Supplementary questions
Many selective American universities require that students answer supplementary questions as part of their applications. The University of Chicago is notorious for its supplementary questions, which have in the past included “How do you feel about Wednesday?” and “If you could balance on a tightrope, over what landscape would you walk? (No net.)”
The aim of these questions is not only to allow admissions officers to assess the applicant’s creativity, thinking, and writing skills, but also to dissuade those applicants who may not be genuinely interested in applying to that university, as they can be quite challenging.
More typical questions include “What is your proposed major” and “Why do you want to study at University X.” The latter is quite important, as students that can describe in detail why University X is right for them, academically, socially, geographically, etc in an informed and educated manner make a much more compelling case for admission than a student who has simply chosen to apply there based on reputation or rankings alone. Students should complete all “optional” questions, as failure to do so will demonstrate a lack of seriousness in the desire to be admitted.
College interviews
Interviews are typically optional and some universities, such as Stanford, do not offer them. Whenever they are available, however, students should opt to request and participate in them. There are two types of interview: that offered by a member of the admissions staff on the university campus to which the student is applying and that offered by a member of the Alumni organization from the university in the student’s home country, both of which should be requested and scheduled in advance. Occasionally, Skype interviews are also conducted.
The purpose of the interview, like the personal statement, is to allow students to express themselves in their own words and allow them the opportunity to ask questions about the university that may not be readily answered through the university’s informational materials and website. Interviewees should be well-dressed, punctual, and extremely well prepared to describe why in fact the university they are applying to offers the proper fit for both parties; if applicants have trouble describing in detail why they should in fact be allowed to study at University X, then University X is probably not the right place for them.
Recommendations
Most universities require a recommendation from the school’s college counselor and two teachers who know the applicant’s academic work well. Students should preferably request recommendations from teachers who taught them during their junior year in classes, in which they excelled. Students should request these recommendations at the beginning of senior year, in as far advance as possible, and provide their teachers with copies of their transcripts, summary of extracurricular activities and awards, and samples of their academic work in the class. Students should also try to secure recommendations from teachers with a good command of the English language and from teachers of courses that are related to their intended major. It is also important for students to request recommendations from teachers with whom they have a good relationship; if the student received an “A” in the class, but routinely handed in assignments late or did not participate in class, this potentially damaging information typically will be disclosed in the recommendations. Recommendations from powerful or influential people typically do not improve the chances for admission, unless the recommender knows the candidate well and in some formal capacity, such as a former supervisor of a meaningful internship.
Demonstrated interest
Applying to US universities should be viewed as a courting and match-making process, in which the university seeks to attract not only the most qualified academic candidates, but ones that will actively contribute to campus life. Many rejected applicants to selective universities are fully capable of satisfactorily completing the academic work required of them, but are not accepted for reasons of diversity, personality, and depth of character. Students should make every effort to present themselves as multi-faceted, mature, and informed individuals that are genuinely interested in enrolling in the universities to which they apply. Many universities keep track of demonstrated interest - the number of interactions an applicant has with the university prior to the submission of the application - and the most successful candidates will be able to effectively express and describe why the university to which they seek to secure admission to is a proper fit for both themselves and the academic institution. Sincerity is very difficult to manufacture and admissions officers are experts at identifying applicants that are not candid in their communication or application materials. Preparation and understanding are the keys to success in this endeavor and the better grasp an applicant has of the numerous assessment factors involved, the more positive the results will be.
(Peter Davos is the Founder and Managing Director of Carian College Advisors, a Dubai-based educational consultancy focused on helping students secure admission to American universities. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins, Oxford, and Harvard Universities, as well as a post-graduate Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. More information can be found at www.carianet.com.)
