Tips from ‘How to Survive Getting Into College’

Here are the top 10 tips for acing the college admissions process — and getting into the college of your dreams

1. Apply to about five or six schools with a few true safety schools (including at least one public school) and a few reach schools.
2. Write an essay that shows what makes you tick — do not write an essay that you think an admissions committee wants to read.
3. Ask questions of your interviewer — the interview is a two-way street and you should approach the interview as a conversation.
4. Find positive, true passions to fill your time — there is no "right" activity, so choose a passion not an obvious resume builder.
5. Dress to casually impress when you visit schools — you never know, you could meet your admissions officer.
6. Craft truthful applications — admissions officers are great detectives and can spot exaggeration and insincerity.
7. Apply for financial aid even if you think you may not qualify — schools consider more factors than you realize.
8. Work hard through the end of senior year — these grades can be critical for admissions so do not jeopardize your application.
9. Ask admissions officers your questions about their schools — public Web sites are full of misinformation.
10. Remember that the goal of this journey is to find the school where you can be yourself and thrive.

Hundreds Of Heads Books

Information was excerpted from "How to Survive Getting Into College" edited by Rachel Korn. Copyright © 2006, Hundreds of Heads Books, LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Hundreds of Heads Books. No part of this excerpt can be used without permission of the publisher.

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