ADMISSIONS

SECRETS
OF THE IVY LEAGUE
YOUR GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S MOST EXCLUSIVE UNIVERSITIES

A C R I M S O N E D U C AT I O N P U B L I C AT I O N


01
Introduction

02
TheIvyLeagueAdvantage
IvyLeagueJobStatistics
BenefitsofStudyingintheUS
BenefitsofStudyingintheUSforMedicineandLawStudents

03
ChoosingaUSCollege
TheIvyLeague
PrivateResearchUniversities
LiberalArtsUniversities
State(Public)Universities

HowtoApply

04
TheCommonApplication
SharedSystems
IndividualSchoolApplications
TheCoalitionforAccess,AffordabilityandSuccessApplication
IvyLeagueTips

05
StandardisedTests
SAT
ACT
IvyLeagueScoreExpectations
OtherCollegesScoreExpectations

06
CraftingthePerfectEssay
Recommendations
Timeline
IvyLeagueEssayTips

07
FinancingYourEducation
AreUSCollegesActuallyExpensive?
YourFinancialAidDictionary
IvyLeagueCosts

08
FinalThoughts

01
Introduction

Youdidit.YouvedecidedtoapplytoanIvyLeague.
Congrats!

Youvetalkedtoyourparents.Youvetalkedtoyourschool
careerscounsellorandyouveeventoldyourbestfriend.

YouaregoingtoHarvard.Noifs,andsorbuts.

Afewdayslateryoustarttolookattheapplication.
Orrather,applications.

Ohman.Applyinglooksreallydifficult.

WhatintheworldisanSATII?Whyaretheyaskingyoutowriteanessayaboutalistof
booksyouvereadinthepast12months?AllyouvereadisCatcherintheRyefor
school.Clearly,theywantyoutoreadallthetime,otherwisetheywouldntaskforalist
ofbooks.

Nottomention,itlookssoexpensive.HowonearthcanIaffordit?!

Areyouconfusedyet?

Weweretoo,untilwegotabunchofin-depthinformationfromex-admissionsofficers,
academicexperts,IvyLeagueandUScollegegraduates...Andnow,we'rebringingall
thatinfotoyou!

You'reabouttogetanswerstoeveryminutedetailaboutgettingintoaUScollegeand
howtoscoreadmissiontoanIvyLeague.

We'llanswerquestionssuchas:

1. HowmanydifferentwaysyoucanapplytoUScolleges(Therearefourdifferent
applicationsyoucanuse,butHarvardonlyacceptstwoofthem.Keepreading
tolearntheonesyouneedtoknowabout!)
2. WhattheSATIIsare(Somecolleges,suchasHarvard,requiretheSATIIfor
admission.Wevegotyourstudytipssorted.)
3. Howtowriteagreatessay(USuniversitieswantyouressaystobecreativeand
unique.Moreonthatlater.)
4. Howtofinanceyoureducation(Grants,loans,scholarships,evenyourhome
countrytherearelotsofways!Thisistheleastofyourworries.)

Ifyoudon'tfeellikeyoucanapplytoHarvardafterthiseBook,thenwehaven'tdone
ourjob.

But,letsfaceit,IvyLeaguesareveryselective,soyouneedtohedgeyourbetsand
applytosomeothercolleges,astheAmericanscallthem.

AndtherearesomeAMAZINGonesoutsideoftheIvyLeague,likeStanford,NYU,UCLA,
Vanderbilt...thelistgoeson.

AfterreadingthiseBook,youllhavethetoolsandtheknow-howtohelpyougetinto
anyofthem.

02
TheIvyLeagueAdvantage


TheIvyLeagueisrecognisedworldwideandits
reputationisbarnone.

WantingtogotoHarvardbecauseits,well,Harvard,isa
totallyacceptablereasontoapply!Obviously,youhave
moreseriousreasonstoapplythanthat,butyoucant
denytheallureofattendingagloballyrecognised
university.YoureprobablywonderingwhattheIvy
Leaguecandoforyououtsideofcollege,asidefrom
simplylookingawesomeonyourresume.


Oneword:opportunity.

StudyingatanIvyLeagueuniversitycanmakeyourdreamscometrue,nomatterhow
big(orsmall)theyare.

Ifyouwanttobeateacher,asocialworker,orworkinthegovernment,thatsgreat!You
canabsolutelydothatwithanIvyLeagueeducation.

However,whereanIvyLeagueeducationreallyshowsvalueisinitsabilitytoopen
doors.

AnIvydegreecanbeaone-waytickettoagreatjobatatopglobalfirm!

SomeofthebiggestcorporationsaroundtheworldaresoimpressedbytheIvyLeague
brandthat,insomecases,theydontevenwaitforstudentstofinishtheirdegrees
beforerecruitingthem.

Basically,investmentbanks,bigtechnologycompaniesandconsultingfirmssend
aroundrepresentativestoalltheIviestotalktostudentsandencouragethemtoapply
totheirsummerinternshipprograms.

Forexample,atUniversityofPennsylvania,anIvyLeaguecollegeknownforitsstrong
focusonfinancialservicescareers,around25seniorsarehiredbyGoldmanSachseach
year!

ThesecompaniesknowtheIvyLeaguesarehometosomeofthebesttalent,andthats
whytheygostraighttothesource.

Yougettofast-trackyourcareerwithouteverhavingtoleavecampusforan
introductoryinterview.Win-win.

TheIvyLeagueisstartingtolookevenbetternow,huh!

IvyLeagueJobStatistics

AstudyconductedbytheUSDepartmentofEducationin2015provedjusthow
valuableanIvyLeaguedegreeis.

Thestudyrevealedthatadecadeafterenrollinginafour-yearcollege,theaverage
incomeofatypicalstudentis$40,500USDayear.

CanyouguesswhattheaverageisforIvyLeaguegraduates?

Ifyouguessedmuchhigher,youreabsolutelyright!

Takealookatthesecrazynumbers:

HarvardUniversity: $87,000USDayear
PrincetonUniversity: $77,900USDayear
UniversityofPennsylvania: $79,700USDayear
YaleUniversity: $74,200USDayear
ColumbiaUniversity: $75,200USDayear
CornellUniversity: $72,100USDayear
DartmouthCollege: $67,800USDayear
BrownUniversity: $59,700USDayear

EveryIvyLeagueleadstoawayaboveaveragesalary.Infact,Harvardgraduatesmake
moremoneythangraduatesfromanyothercollege(withtheexceptionofMIT).

Ifmoneydoesntmotivateyou,takealookatsomejobstatistics:

Ofthe113SupremeCourtJustices,40%ofthemattendedanIvyLeagueUniversity.
Currently,allnineoftheJusticeswenttoanIvyLeague.
InCNNstop100startupslist,34oftheCEOswenttoHarvard.
UPennisthetopfeederschooltofinancecompaniessuchasGoldmanSachs,Morgan
StanleyandCitigroup.

Ofcourse,wecantforgetaboutsuccessfulalumniwhodroppedoutofanIvy!

1. MattDamon,actor,droppedoutofHarvard.
2. TedTurner,founderofCNNandTBS,waskickedoutofBrown.
3. RobertFrost,poet,droppedoutofDartmouth.
4. F.ScottFitzgerald,author,droppedoutofPrinceton.
5. MarkZuckerberg,Facebookfounder,droppedoutofHarvard.
6. BillGates,Microsoftfounder,droppedoutofHarvard.

Asidefrombeingfamousandhugelysuccessful,allofthesepeoplegotacceptedinto
anIvy.Ahugefeat,inandofitself.

Buthey,theirtimeattheserespectiveschoolsobviouslyplayedahugeroleingetting
themtowheretheyaretodayeveniftheydidntendupgraduating!Thatsbecause
itsnotjustaboutwhatyoulearnatanIvyLeaguecollege,butthepeopleyoumeet
andthenetworksyoubuild.

IfMarkZuckerberghadntattendedHarvardandlaunchedwhatstartedasacollege
socialnetworkwithhisroommates,theredbenoFacebook...(Imagineaworldwhere
westillMySpaceeachother.)

BenefitsofstudyingintheUS

TheUSuniversitysystemisworldrenowned,andnotjustfortheIvyLeagues!

Harvardaside,doyouknowwhatelsemakesstudyingintheUSsounique?

Ifnot,keepreadingespeciallyifyouregoingtoneedtoconvinceyourparentsthat
thisstudyingabroadthingisagoodidea!

WorldClassEducation:Firstandforemost,universitiesintheUSaretopnotch.
Theseuniversitieshaveworldclassprogramsinprettymucheveryfieldyoucan
imagine.Plus,regardlessofwhereyouendupintheworld,havingaUS
universityonyourresumeissuretoleadtogreatopportunities.

Facilites,TechnologyandResearchOpportunities:Mostoftheseuniversities
alsohavetop-of-the-linefacilitiesandclassroomtechnology.Duetothelarge
amountoffundingUScollegesreceive,theyareabletoconstantlyupdatetheir
buildingsandmakeuseofthelatesttechnology,bothintheclassroomsand
outsideofit.Asascienceorengineeringstudent,youwillhaveaplethoraof
researchopportunities,whichwillallowyoutohavehandsonexperienceswith
technologythatnooneelseknowsexistsyet.Itslikeyourelivingin2027,while
everyoneelseisstillstuckin2017.

Flexibility:USuniversitiesofferadegreeofflexibilitythatalmostnootherplace
intheworldoffers.Youarenotrequiredtocommittoaspecialisation,ormajor,
beforeyoubeginyourstudies,whichallowsyoutoexperimentandmovefreely
betweendifferentsubjects.Youcanexploreachemistryclass,aceramicsclass,
andevenaclassaboutBeyonce!Infact,atmostcolleges,youarerequiredto
takeGeneralEducationclassesforyourfirsttwoyears,evenifyoualreadyknow
whatyouwanttostudy.Dontevengetusstartedonliberalartsschools.Talk
aboutflexibility!

Diversity:TheUSishometomoreinternationalstudentsthananywhereelsein
theworld.Mostcollegesarentjustmadeupofpeoplefromaroundtheworld,
theyarealsomadeupofpeoplefromaroundtheUS(believeus,eachstateis
basicallyadifferentcountry).WhereelseintheworldcanagirlfromCalifornia
havearoommatefromHongKong,aroommatefromDenmark,anda
roommatefromTexas?Themeltingpotofculturesiscentralnotonlyto
universitiesintheUSbuttotheUSingeneral.Youareboundtoalwaysbe
surroundedbydifferentcultureswhileintheUS.

AlumniNetwork:OneofthegreatestthingsaboutgoingtoschoolintheUSis
thenetworkyouleavewith.MostUScollegeshaveatleastahandfulofnotable
alumnifromNobelprizewinnerstoworldfamouschefstobelovedauthors,
eachalmostalwayswillingtohelpfellowalumni.Yourcollegewillbea
networkingtoolyouwillusefortherestofyourlife.Itwillhelpyoubondwith
strangersaroundtheworld,helpyoufindajob,andwillgiveyouaglobal
communitytolatchonto.Nomatterwhereintheworldyouare,youcanalmost
alwaysfindsomeonewhowenttoyouruniversity.

CampusLife:HaveyoueverseenamovieaboutaUSuniversity?Everheardof
redsolocups?Howaboutcollegefootball?CollegelifeinAmericaisthemost
entertaining,barnone.Thereareactivitiesgoingoneveryday,amillionclubs
youcanjoin,endlesssportsteamsyoucanbeapartof,andcoolsocietiessuch
asfrats,sororitiesandfinalclubs.StudentsintheUSdefinitelyworkhardand
playhard.Whowouldntwanttobepartofthefun?

BenefitsofUSstudyformedicineandlawstudents

Twoofthemostpopularfieldsofstudyaroundtheworldarelawandmedicine.

Yourparentshaveprobablynaggedyouyourwholelifetotakeononeofthesetwo
highly-respectedcareers.

However,youvealwaysdreamedofgoingtoaUSuniversity,whichintheorysounds
fantasticbutinrealityforcesyoutodelayyourlaw(ormedicine)studiesforfouryears.

Thequestionis,howdoyouconvinceyourparentsthatgoingtoauniversityintheUS,
especiallyaliberalartsuniversity,actuallymakesyouabetterlawyer(ordoctor)inthe
longrun?

Theanswerissimple:

BybustingallofthemythsaboutUSuniversitiesyourparentsmaythinkaretrueand
showingthemwhygoingtotheUSbeforereturninghometostudylaw(ormedicine)
isagoodthing.

LiberalArtsEducation

Althoughsomepeoplebelievethatanartsdegreeislessvaluablethanamore
practicaldegree,suchaseconomics,thefactofthematteristhatliberalartsdegrees
giveyouapointofviewthatwillbenefityoufortherestofyourlife.

Liberalartseducationisallaboutexpandingyourperspectiveoftheworldandgiving
youabreadthofknowledgeyoucanapplytoanyfieldyouendupin.Itexposesyouto
numeroussubjects,insteadoflimitingyoutojustonesubject,suchaseconomics.

ThistypeofdegreeisuniquetotheUSandreallysetstheUSeducationsystemapart
fromtherestoftheworld.Lawyersanddoctorsbenefitheavilyfromaliberalarts
educationbecausebothcareersrequireyoutohavealargebreadthofknowledgeand
worldlyexperience.

Asalawyer,youneedtounderstandyourclient'spointofviewandfigureouthowthe
opposingsidethinks.Whilealawdegreeinyourhomecountrymayofferclasses
dedicatedtotheseskills,aliberalartsexperienceallowsyoutoliveandbreathe
differentideologiesandwaysofthinking.Thisgivesyouanedgeonanystudentwho
simplystudiedlawinyourhomecountrydirectlyafterhighschool.

Asadoctor,ontheotherhand,youmusthavetheabilitytorelatetoyourpatientsand
treatthemtothebestofyourability.Withaliberalartseducation,youcouldtakesocial
scienceandpsychologyclasses,forexample,whichcanhelpyoudeveloptheseskills.
Youwontjustbereceivinganeducationinmedicine(likeyouwouldinyourhome
country);youwillalsolearntounderstandyourpatientsandconnectwiththem.This
givesyouanadvantagethatotherstudentsdonthave.

TheFourYearGap

Yes,itsnormalforyourparentstowantyoutobeginyourlaw(ormedical)training
rightaway.

No,theyprobablydontunderstandwhyyouwanttodelayyourcareerstudiesbyfour
yearsjusttogotoschoolintheUS.

However,youllcomebackreadytospecialiseinyourfieldwithmaturity,global
experience,andabettersenseofself.

Withfourextrayearsofschoolingunderyourbelt(whetherliberalartsornot),youcan
takeovertheworldoreasilybetopofyourclass!

ThinkaboutallofthethingsyoulllearnataUSuniversitythatyoucanbringback
home.

Thinkofalloftheexoticexperiencesyoucandrawontosolveproblemsinalaw(or
medicine)degree.

Thinkofhowmuchmorepassionforlaw(ormedicine)youwillgarner.

WhileyourparentsmaystillbehesitantaboutsendingyoutoschoolintheUSinstead
ofdirectlytostudylaw(ormedicine),themoreyouteachthemaboutthebenefitsofa
USeducation,themoreunderstandingtheymaybecome!

RemindthemthataUSeducationisntasexpensiveasyoudthinkitis(moreonthis
later)andthattheyllhaveareasontovisittheUSifyouarethere,andtheymightjust
softenuptotheideaabitmore!

03
ChoosingaUSCollege



Alright,sobeforeyoustartapplying,youneedtochoose
whereyoureapplyingto.

Dontworry,wehaventforgottenthatHarvardisyour
firstchoice!Butrememberitsimportanttokeepyour
optionsopen.

Therearemorethan4,000collegesanduniversitiesin
theUS,andyoucanapplytoasmanyasyouwant,so
dontlimityourselftojusttheeightIvies.

TherearefourmajortypesofUSuniversities:
1. IvyLeagueUniversities
2. PrivateResearchUniversities
3. LiberalArtsColleges
4. State(Public)Universities

However,thesescategoriesareverybroadrepresentationsofUScolleges.Inreality,
everyuniversityisverydifferent,regardlessofwhatcategoryitfallsinto.

Someliberalartscollegesarelarge,somepublicschoolsaresmallandsomeprivate
schoolsarehuge.Makesuretoresearchtheschoolsyouwanttoapplytoindividually
togetabetterfeelforthecommunity,sizeandmajorsavailable.

Dontlimityourselftoonetypeofuniversitywhenapplying.Youmightfallinlovewith
apublicschoolandaliberalartsschool.Thatsokay!Applytoboth.

Luckily,youcanapplytoasmanyuniversitiesyouwant,buttrynottogooverboard.
Yes,applyingto30schoolsiswaytoomany,andatacostofaround$100per
application,yourparentsmightthinkso,too!

Eachapplicationtakesalotoftimeandconsideration,somakesureyoutakethatinto
accountwhenyoupickthenumberofschoolstoapplyto.10-15schoolsisusuallya
goodamount.

Mostcollegesofferaplethoraofextracurricularactivitiesandmajors.However,ifyou
arelookingtoplayacertainsport,makesureyoucheckwhichuniversitiesofferthat
sportandatwhatlevel.

Thebestwaytopickaschoolistovisit.Ifyouarelimitedbygeography,therearelotsof
resourcesonline,suchasNiche,thathelpyouunderstandwhatallaspectsofaschool
arelike.Dontforgettolookatpictures.

Letsgettoit!

IvyLeagueUniversities

TheIvyLeagueconsistsofeightprivateresearchuniversitiesscatteredthroughoutthe
NorthEast.Thiscollectionofuniversitiesbeganasasportsleagueandarenow
consideredsomeofthebestschoolsaroundtheworld.

WhiletherearemanyotherphenomenaluniversitiesaroundtheUS,theIvyLeague
seemtodrawthemostattention.

Theiracademicsaretopnotch.TheirsportsareDivision1.Theirpostgraduate
opportunitiesareunrivalled.SimplyhavinganIvyLeaguedegreecanopendoorsfor
youaroundtheworldfortherestofyourlife.

However,theseuniversitiesarealsosomeofthehardesttogetinto.Theiradmissions
ratesareincrediblylow.Theirexpectationsareridiculouslyhigh.Andsometimesit
mayseemliketheonlywaytogetinistobealegacy(akayourfather,grandfather,
andgreatgrandfatherwentthere)ortobuyabuildingfortheschool.

Dontgettoointimidatedbytheirprestige.IfyouhaveIvyLeaguedreams,youllneed
toworkveryhardbutgettinginispossible.Promise.













10


IvyLeagueUniversities:

Princeton

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#1

Princeton, 5402
UndergraduateSize
NewJersey
Location

8.2% 5:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

6.1% $67,100USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

11


Harvard

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#2

Cambridge, 6699
UndergraduateSize
Massachusetts
Location

8.4% 7:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

5.2% $63,025USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

12


Yale

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#3(TiedwithUChicago)

NewHaven, 5532
UndergraduateSize
Connecticut
Location

11.0% 6:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

6.9% $70,749USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

13


Columbia

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#5(TiedwithStanford)

NewYork, 6102
UndergraduateSize
NewYork
Location

17% 6:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

5.8% $71,690USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

14


UPenn

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#8(TiedwithDuke)

Philadelphia, 10,468
UndergraduateSize
Pennsylvania
Location

11.6% 6:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

9.15% $72,584USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

15


Dartmouth

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#11

Hanover, 4310
UndergraduateSize
NewHampshire
Location

8.0% 7:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

10.4% $71,827USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

16


Brown

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#14

Providence, 6580
UndergraduateSize
RhodeIsland
Location

8.0% 8:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

8.3% $71,050USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

17


Cornell

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#14

Ithica, 14,315
UndergraduateSize
NewYork
Location

21.0% 9:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

12.5% $71,050USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

18


PrivateResearchUniversities

Thebiggestdifferencebetweenprivateandpublicuniversitiesistheirfunding.Public
universitiesaremostlyfundedbythestate,whileprivateuniversitiesarefundedalmost
exclusivelythroughtuitionandprivatedonations.(Although,regardlessofthetypeof
collegeyougoto,onceyougraduatetheyllneverstopbuggingaboutdonating
money!)

Privateschoolsmightseemmoreexpensiveonthesurface,buttheytendtobemore
generouswiththeirfinancialaidoffers,soyouwillprobablyenduppayinglessthan
youwouldatapubliccollege.Butwelldiscussfinancialaidmorelater.Dontworryjust
yet!

Privateuniversitiesareusuallysmallerandofferamoreselectiverangeofmajorsthan
publicuniversities.Infact,someprivateuniversitiesexclusivelyspecialiseinengineering
orcomputerscienceasopposedtoofferingabroadrangeofprogramslikemany
publicuniversitiesdo.

Youarealsomorelikelytohavesmallerclassesatprivateuniversitiessoifyourenot
into300+peopleinyourclasses,youmayfindprivatecollegesmoreyourspeed.
However,keepinmindthatthelesspeopleinyourclass,themoreyouactuallyhaveto
showupandparticipate!

Oneofthehighlightsofattendingaprivateschoolisthenumberofresourcesavailable
toyou.Whileitmaybedifficulttogetattentionfromyourprofessors,counsellorsand
advisorsatpublicschools,privateschoolstendtohavelessstudentsandthereforecan
allocatemanymoreresourcestoyou.Plus,youprobablywonthaveaproblemgetting
intotheclassesyouneed.

Ifyouhaveanideaofwhatyouwanttomajorin,lovesmallclasssizes,andwantto
developpersonalrelationshipswithyourprofessors,privateuniversitiesareforyou.

19


TopPrivateUniversities(ThatAreNotIvyLeagues):

Universityof
Chicago

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#3(TiedwithYale)

Chicago, 5844
UndergraduateSize
Illinois
Location

10.0% 5:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

7.9% $71,559USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

20


Stanford

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#7

Stanford, 7061
UndergraduateSize
California
Location

11.0% 4:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

4.6% $69,109USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)




















21


Massachusetts
Instituteof
Technology

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#7

Cambridge, 4524
UndergraduateSize
Massachusetts
Location

9.7% 3:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

7.9% $67,430USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

22


Duke

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#8(TiedwithUPenn)

Durham, 6638
UndergraduateSize
NorthCarolina
Location

8.0% 6:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

9.2% $72,710USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

23


JohnHopkins
University

U.S.NewsNationalUniversityRankings:
#10

Baltimore, 5236
UndergraduateSize
Maryland
Location

8.6% 10:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

13.0% $61,502USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

24


LiberalArtsUniversities

Liberalartscollegeswerecreatedtoprovidestudentswithanoverviewofthearts,
humanities,mathematics,naturalsciences,andsocialsciences.

Themostappealingthingaboutgoingtoaliberalartscollegeisthatyouareexposed
toavarietyofsubjectsthroughoutyourfouryears.Atthesecolleges,youhavemore
flexibilitywithinyourmajorandcantakemorecoursesoutsideofyourmajorwithoutit
affectingyourgraduationstatus.

UnlikeUKuniversities,whichrequireyoutospecialiseinacertainsubject,liberalarts
collegesencourageyoutoexploreasmanydifferentsubjectsasyoucan.These
schoolsemphasisefoundationalknowledgeandskillsasopposedtovocational
training.

Confusedyet?Thinkofitthisway:

Atotheruniversitiesyoumaymajorinastronomybutataliberalartscollegeyour
majorwouldbecallednaturalscience.Youwillstilltakeplentyofcoursesrelatedto
astronomy,butyouwillalsotakeamajorityofotherclassesthatexpandyourbreadth
andknowledgeofthenaturalsciences,aswellasotherhumanitiessubjectsingeneral.

Sincetheseprogramstendtofocusmoreonclassdiscussions,criticalthinkingand
writingpapers,youwillbemorepreparedforgraduateschool.

Ittendstobemucheasiertogetaresearchpositionasanundergraduateataliberal
artsuniversity,duetothelownumberofpostgraduatestudents(somedonthave
postgraduatestudentsatall).

Yourclasssizeswillusuallybeverysmall,whichwillallowyoutodevelopyour
communicationandteambuildingskills,bothofwhicharehighlyvaluableto
employers.

Liberalartsschoolsaregreatifyouareunsurewhatexactlyyouwanttomajorinandif
youarelookingforamoreintimateandwell-roundedlearningexperience.However,
smallliberalartsschoolsarenotforeveryone.Keepreadingtofigureoutifaliberalarts
educationisbestforyou.

25


TopLiberalArtsColleges:

WilliamsCollege

U.S.NewsLiberalArtsRankings:
#1

Williamstown, 1795
UndergraduateSize
Massachusetts
8.0% 7:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

16.8% $66,980USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

26


AmherstCollege

U.S.NewsLiberalArtRankings:
#2

Amherst, 2099
UndergraduatesOnly
Massachusetts
Location

9.0% 8:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

14.0% $67,620USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

27


WellesleyCollege

U.S.NewsLiberalArtRankings:
#3

Wellesley, 2,356
WomenOnly
Massachusetts
Location

13.9% 7:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

28.0% $66,984USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

28


MiddleburyCollege

U.S.NewsLiberalArtRankings:
#4

Middlebury, 2542
Undergraduates
Vermont
Location

10.0% 8:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

16.0% $67,464USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

29


Swarthmore
College

U.S.NewsLiberalArtRankings:
#4

Swarthmore, 1581
UndergraduatesOnly
Pennsylvania
Location

10.0% 8:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

12.0% $65,774USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expenses)

















30


State(Public)Universities

PublicuniversitiesintheUSareoftenreferredtoasstateschoolsbecausetheyreceive
aportionoftheirfundingfromthegovernment.Stateschoolswereoriginallyfounded
toofferpubliceducationtostudentsfromtheschoolsstate.

Thus,twotiersoftuitionwerecreated:

1. In-State
2. Out-of-State

Ifyouareaninternationalstudent,youwillmostlikelypaytheout-of-statetuition,but
someschoolsmayhaveaninternationaltuitionratethatyouwillpayinstead.

Manypublicuniversitiesarepartofastatesystem,suchastheUniversityof
California(UC)systemortheStateUniversitySystemofNewYork(SUNY).These
systemshavecollegesalloverthestateandoperateindependentlyfromoneanother
butsharecertainpoliciesanduppermanagement.However,eachschoolhasitsown
campus,acceptancerate,majors,etc.

Stateschoolsalsotendtobeverylargeandoftenhaveworldclassathleticprograms,
yetitcanbemuchmoredifficulttoregisterforcoursesduetothelargenumberof
students.Butthepartiesarecrazyandthesocialsceneisawesome!

However,giventheirsize,stateschoolscanoftenofferawidervarietyofmajorsthan
privateschoolscan.

Whileclasssizesarelargeandingenerallessfocusedondiscussionandparticipation,
mostclassesalsohavesmallerdiscussionsessionsinadditiontolectures,whichallow
youtotalkabouttheclassmaterialwithyourpeersandateachersassistant(or
postgraduatestudent)onasmallerscale.


Ifyouareself-motivated,arentafraidofnavigatinglargebureaucracies,andthrivebest
inlargegroups,publicuniversitiesareyourbestbet.

31


TopPublicUniversities:

Universityof
California,Berkeley

U.S.NewsPublicUniversityRankings:
#1

Berkeley, 27,496
Undergraduates
California
Location

9.7% 17:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

17.5% $61,702USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expensesforInternational)

$34,972USDp.a. $61,654USDp.a.
InStateCost Out-of-StateCost

32


UniversityofCalifornia,
LosAngeles

U.S.NewsPublicUniversityRankings:
#2

LosAngeles, 29,585
Undergraduates
California
Location

8.4% 17:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

18.0% $62,205USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expensesforInternational)

$33,896USDp.a. $62,205USDp.a.
InStateCost Out-of-StateCost

33


Universityof
Virginia

U.S.NewsPublicUniversityRankings:
#2

Charlottesville, 16,736
Undergraduates
Virginia
Location

5.0% 15:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

28.9% $61,202USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expensesforInternational)

$30,572USDp.a. $61,202USDp.a.
InStateCost Out-of-StateCost

34


Universityof
Michigan,AnnArbor

U.S.NewsPublicUniversityRankings:
#4

AnnArbor, 28,312
Undergraduates
Michigan
Location

7.0% 15:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

28.6% $62,176$65,508USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expensesforInternational)

$29,526$31,396 $62,176$65,508USDp.a.
USDp.a. Out-of-StateCost

InStateCost

35


UniversityofNorth
Carolina,ChapelHill

U.S.NewsPublicUniversityRankings:
#5

ChapelHill, 18,415
Undergraduates
NorthCarolina
Location

2.5% 14:1
Percentofinternationalstudents Student-to-teacherratio

26.0% $53,100USDp.a.
Acceptancerate Totalcost(tuition,board,roomandother
expensesforInternational)

$29,526USDp.a. $53,100USDp.a.
InStateCost Out-of-StateCost

36


04
HowToApply


Nowthatyouknowhowtopickaschool,itstimeto
explorethemysteriesofapplyingtocollegesinthe
US.

Letsbehonest,itsnoteasy.

Thereareatleastfourwaysyoucanapplytocolleges
intheUS:thecommonapplication,theshared
systemsapplication,theindividualschoolapplication,
andthecoalitionapplication.

First,letstakealookatafewkeywordsthatwillbeessentialwhenyouareresearching
andapplyingtocolleges:

EarlyDecision(ED):Whilethereisnoproofthatapplyingearlywilltremendously
increaseyourchancesofgettingintoaIvy(thestatsareoftenskeweddueto
recruitedathletes),showinginterestearlyonwilldefinitelyhelpyou.Assillyasit
mayseem,IvyLeagueswanttofeelspecialandoneoftheonlywaystomake
themfeelspecialisbyapplyingearly.Thinkofitasflirting.Youdontwantto
makethemwaittoolong,otherwisetheymayloseinterestinyou.Sad,buttrue.

IfyouarecertainyouwanttogotoanIvyLeague(oranyotherEDschool),apply
earlybutkeepinmindthatearlydecisionapplicationsarebindingsoifyouget
in,youhavetogo.Nomatterwhat.(Unlessthereisadeathinthefamilyoryou
cantaffordtogothereanymore.)

EarlyAction(EA):AnotherwayofapplyingtoaschoolearlyisthroughEA.EAis
non-bindingsoifyougetin,youdonthavetogo.

Deferred:Ifyouapplyearlyandyouaredeferred,yourapplicationwillbe
assessedagainwiththepoolofregulardecisionstudents.

RegularDecision:Thisistheabsolutefinaldeadlinetoapplytoaschool.

37


Rolling:Someschoolsofferrollingadmissions.Thisallowsyoutoapplyatanytimeand
nothavetowaitforacertaindeadlinetohearfromtheschool.

Now,beforewegetintothedifferencesbetweentheseapplications,letsrunthrough
someoftheircommonelements.

1. BasicInformation:Alloftheapplicationswillaskyouforyourschoolhistory,
classes,grades,examresultsanddates(AdvancedPlacement,SAT,ACT,SATII,
IB,TOEFL,IELTS,Alevels),lettersofrecommendation,informationaboutyour
parents,yourhighschooltranscripts,andyourextracurricular/clubactivities.
Makesureyouuseanappropriateemailaddress(andno,
fluffybunny23@aol.comisnotappropriate).

a. Aquicknoteonlettersofrecommendation:Alotofstudentstendto
brushofftheirlettersofrec.Dontbethatstudent.Theselettersare
importantandcanswaytheadmissionsofficersinyourfavour(ornot).
Thebestwaytosecureaglowingletterofrecommendationsisby
creatingrealconnectionswithafewofyourfavouriteteachers,your
schoolcounsellors,orperhapsevenyourprincipal.Takethetimetogetto
knowthemandkeepthemupdatedonyourprogressandachievements
throughouthighschool.Bythetimesenioryearrollsaround,youwontbe
strugglingtofigureoutwhoshouldwriteyourlettersandtheteachers
youaskwontbestrugglingtocomeupwithnicethingstosayaboutyou.

b. Aquicknoteonextracurricularactivities:Oneofthebestwaystostand
outonyourapplicationisbytalkingabouttheactivitiesyoureinvolvedin
outsideofschool.UScollegeslovestudentswhohaveadeeppassionfor
something,whetheritbescience,dance,orevencollectingtrash!The
deeperyoudigintoyourpassionsinhighschool,themoreattractiveyou
willbetoUScolleges.

2. SpecificCollegeRequirements:Regardlessofhowyouapply,eachcollegewill
haveitsownspecificrequirements.Somemayaskyoutowriteten-to20-word
miniessays.Somemayaskyoutowritetwo500-wordessays,andsomemay
evenaskyoutosendinavideo!Asidefromsupplementaryessays,eachschool
alsohasitsownacademicrequirementsanddeadlinessobesuretocheckeach
schoolyouareapplyingtotomakesureyoumeettheirbasicrequirementsand
deadlines.

38


1.TheCommonApplication

Thecommonapplicationisanonlineplatformthatenablesyoutoapplytoupto20
universitiesatoncebyfillingoutonebasicformandwritingone650-wordessay.

Youwillalsoneedtofilloutsupplementaryinformationandwriteadditionalessaysfor
almosteveryschoolyouapplyto.

However,thecommonappdoespreventyoufromhavingtofilloutyourname,grades,
courses,etc.multipletimes.

Notalluniversitiesusethecommonapplicationbutchancesareatleastoneofthe
collegesyouareapplyingtodoes,includingallIvies.

OnlineApplication:Yes
OpeningDate:AprilofyourJuniorYear

2.SharedSystemsApplication

Somecolleges,likeCaliforniaState(CalState)andUniversityofCalifornia(UC),operate
inthesamenetwork.Theyusetheirownapplicationthatallowsyoutoapplytoallof
theirsisterschoolsinonehit.

Thisisgreat,exceptforthefactthatifyouareapplyingtoasharedsystemschooland
aschoolsonthecommonappyouwillneedtofilloutyourbasicinformationforeach
application.

Notthatbigofadeal,justabitannoying.

Somesystems,likeStateUniversitiesofNewYork(SUNY),havetheirownapplication
butarealsoonthecommonapplication.Ifyouareapplyingtoschoolsotherthan
SUNY,itmaymakethemostsensetoapplythroughthecommonappsoyouwont
needtofilloutyourapplicationtwice.ItstotallyuptoyouandSUNYwillnot
discriminateagainstyoubasedonhowyouapply.

OnlineApplication:Yes
OpeningDate:Dependsontheschool

39


3.IndividualSchoolApplications

Althoughrelativelyrarenowadays,afewschoolsarenotonanyotherapplicationso
youneedtofilloutaseparateapplicationspecificallyforthatcollege.

Someschoolschoosenottousethecommonapporanyotherapplicationbecause
thehardwareisexpensive,theydontliketheessayquestions,ortheydontwant
studentstoapplyjustbecauseitseasy.

Regardlessoftheirreasoning,ifyouwanttoapplytoaschoolthatsnotonalarger
application,youllneedtofilloutanother separateapplication.

SomeSchoolsWithTheirOwnApplication:

ArizonaStateUniversity
AuburnUniversity
CalPolySanLuisObispo
ClemsonUniversity
ElonUniversity
GeorgetownUniversity
MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)

OnlineApplication:Yes
OpeningDate:Dependsontheschool

4.TheCoalitionForAccess,AffordabilityandSuccessApplication

Sayhellotothenewestkidontheblock,thecoalitionapp!

Thisapplicationisbyfarthemostexclusivebutnotforitsstudents,foritsmember
schools!

Hereswhy.

Inordertobeamemberofthecoalitionappaschoolmustmeettwooutofthree
requirementsandnoschoolcanbeunderacertainthresholdofsuccess(fromthe
Coalitionwebsite):

40


1. Access:Opentostudentsofallbackgrounds(cultural,socioeconomicand
geographic)andengagesignificantunderservedandunder-resourced
populations.
Percentageofenrolledlowincomestudents(PellGrant)equaltoor
above20%
Percentageofenrolledunderrepresentedstudentsequaltoorabove
20%

2. Affordability:Offerin-statetuitionormeetfulldemonstratedneedsorhavelow
tonodebtfortheirstudentsandlowloandefaultrates.
Meetfullneed(statedonschoolwebsite)
Haveaffordableinstatetuition
MedianTitleIVdebtequaltoorbelow$25,000
Loandefaultrateequaltoorbelow9%

3. Success:Achievehighgraduationrates,includingstrongratesforlowincome
andunderrepresentedstudents.
70%orgreatergraduationrate
Lowincome(Pell)studentgraduationrateequaltoorgreaterthanthe
school'soverallgraduationrate
Underrepresentedstudentgraduationrateequaltoorgreaterthanthe
school'soverallgraduationrate

Theapplicationwascreatedtomakeiteasierforunderprivilegedkidstoapplyandto
limitthetechnicaldifficultiesyoumayexperiencewiththecommonapp.

Althoughmostoftheschoolsonthecoalitionapparealsoonthecommonapp
(includingalleightIvies),youwillnotbediscriminatedagainstbasedonthewayyou
choosetoapplytoacollege.

Therearetwomajordifferencesbetweenthecoalitionappandallotherapps.

1. TheLocker:Startingin9thgrade,youcanaccessyourlockerandstartadding
examplesofyourbestworkthroughouthighschoolincluding:shortessays,
descriptionsofyourextracurricularactivitiesandmore.Thelockerwillalso
featuremultipleresourcesforyoutohelpyouthinkaboutapplyingtocollege
andhowtodoso.Youcanalsocreateaslideshow.comaccountandshareyour
performancevideosandartportfolios!

2. Interactions:Youmayopttosharesome(orall)ofyourlocker/portfolioatany
timewitheithercollegesorcommunityleaders.Onceyourshareyourlocker,
peoplecangoinandcommentonyourprocessaswellasgiveyouadviceasto

41


howtoimprove.Hopefully,thisopencommunicationwillhelpyoustayontrack
andimprovethroughoutyourhighschoolyears.

However,theessaypromptsarerelativelysimilarand,likeallotherapplications,each
schoolwillhaveitsownsupplementarymaterials.

OnlineApplication:Yes
OpeningDate:Dependsontheschool

UnlikeUKadmissions,universitiesintheUSwillassessyourapplicationholistically,
whichmeansthatnotonlydoyourgradesmatterbutsodoyourextracurricular
activitiesandyouressay.

Remember,collegeshavethousandsandthousandsofapplicationstosiftthrough,so
makesureyoursisaspolishedaspossible.

Whilecollegeswillnotdiscriminateagainstyoubasedonwhatapplicationyou
choosetouse,youmayfindthecommonappmorestraightforward,youmaylovethe
coalitionappslockerfeature,youmightonlywanttoapplytosharedsystemschools,
oryoumayapplytoamultitudeofschoolsthatallrequiredifferentapplications.Thats
okay!Themostimportantthingisthatyoumakealistofschoolsandfigureouthow
andwhereyoucanapplytothem.

IvyLeagueTips

ThenutsandboltsoftheapplicationprocessdontdifferbetweenIvyLeaguesand
othertypesofuniversities.

However,therearesomekeydifferencesthattheIvyLeagueschoolslookforwithin
yourapplicationthatotheruniversitiesmaynot.

Asyoumightexpect,theIvyLeaguestendtohavehigherscoreexpectationsthan
otherUSuniversities.

Ifyourenotatthetopofyourclass,youmaythinkthatyourchancesofgettinginto
Harvardarentthathighafterall.

Well,thinkagain,andkeepthatHarvarddreamalive!

TheIvyLeagueschoolsreceivethousandsmoreapplicationseachyearthanthereare
spotstofill,andmostofthesecandidatesareveryhighacademicachieverswho
technicallyqualifyforadmission.

42


However,ifthesecollegesacceptedeveryonewhotechnicallyqualified,theydneedto
admittwiceoreventhreetimesasmanypeoplethantheycanactuallyadmit..

Clearly,basingadmissionsonacademicsaloneisproblematic.Whenmostapplicants
lookthesameonpaper,itcanbeimpossibletodistinguishonestudentfromanother.

Becauseofthis,theIvyLeague(andothertopuniversities,suchasDukeandStanford)
cameupwithanother,moresubjectivewaytoassesstheirapplicants..

Theyfocusonyouracademicjourney.

Yes,yourgradesareimportant,butthesecollegesalsowanttoknowwhatittookfor
youtogetthosegrades.Howmuchdidyoupushyourself?Whatchallengesdidyou
overcome?Howdidyouimproveovertime?

Youmighthaveanacademictranscriptthatisjustasimpressiveasanother
candidates,orperhapsnotquiteasimpressive,butifyoucanshowthatyoupushed
yourselfalothardertogetthosemarks,bysigningupformoredifficultclasses,taking
onextrasubjects,orevendoingyourexamsaheadofschedule,thentheoddsare
goingtobeinyourfavour.

Ontheotherhand,ifyoubreezedthroughschoolandmanagedtogettopmarks
withoutchallengingyourselftoomuch,youprobablywontgetanyspecialtreatment.

IvyLeagueadmissionsofficersareskilledatreadingbetweenthelines.

Yourapplicationincludesyourentireacademichistory,andifyoucandemonstrate
thatyouvetakeneveryopportunityavailabletoyoutoimproveyourself,andconstantly
strivedtobebetter,andyouhavethemarkstoshowforit,thenyourdreamofgoing
toHarvardislookingprettygood!

Failingyourmathsclassinyear9doesntactuallymatter.Whatmattersisthatyou
workedhardandmadesureyouneverfailedamathsclassagain.

Likemostuniversities,IvyLeagueswanttoseeyourpassion.However,unlikeother
schools,theIviesplaceaheavyemphasisonhowdeeplyyouvepursuedyourpassion.
Themoreyouarewillingtochallengeyourselfandseizeeveryopportunity,themore
youarelikelytomakeadifferencetotheiruniversity,andgoontoachievegreatthings
onceyougraduate.ThebesttwothingsyoucandoforyourIvyLeagueapplicationare
tochallengeyourselfanddelvedeepintoyourpassion.Itsalsoreallyimportantto
believeinyourself.IfyoubelieveyouhavewhatittakestogotoanIvyLeagueandyou
putinthework,itcanhappen.

43


06
StandardisedTests



AlluniversitiesrequireeithertheScholasticAptitude
Test(SAT)ortheAmericanCollegeTest(ACT).These
examsgiveuniversitiesawaytocompareyour
academicabilitytootherapplicantsonanevenplaying
field.

Thinkaboutit.ItshardforcollegestouseyourGPAto
compareyoutootherstudentsbecauseitmaybeeasier
toearnanAatyourhighschoolthanatanother
studentshighschool;however,ifyoubothsitthesame
SATthentheschoolscanfairlycompareyourtwoscores.

Sincemostcollegesacceptbothexams,yougettodecidewhichoneyoulikebetter.

Thebestwaytofigureoutwhichexamismoreyourstyleistotakeafewpracticetests.
Butbeforeyourunoffanddothat,letsbreakdownthekeydifferencesbetweeneach
exam.

P.S.MoststudentstaketheirfirstactualexamintheSpringoftheirthirdyearandthen
againinthesummerorfall.Keepinmindthatyoucantaketheexamsasmanytimes
asyoudlikeandthatsomeschoolsallowyoutosubmitasuperscore,whichallows
youtocombineyourbestscoresfromeachsection.However,takingtheexamsmore
thanthreetimeseachisnotrecommended.

44


SATvs.ACT

SAT ACT

CollegesuseSATtoassessacademic CollegesuseACTtoassessacademic
WhyTakeIt candidacyandformerit-based candidacyandformerit-based
scholarships. scholarships.

+English
+Reading
+Math
+Writing&Language
TestStructure +Reading
+Math
+ScienceReasoning
+Essay(Optional)
+Essay(Optional)

+3hours(withoutessay)
Length
+3hours,50minutes(withessay)
+2hours,55minutes(without
essay)
+3hours,40minutes(withessay)

Reading 5readingpassages 4readingpassages

1sciencesectiontestingyourcritical
Science None thinkingskills(notyourspecific
scienceknowledge)

Covers:
Covers:
+Arithmetic
+Arithmetic
Math +AlgebraI&II
+AlgebraI&II
+Geometry,Trigonometry
+GeometryandTrigonometry
andDataAnalysis

Calculatorsareprohibitedonsome Youcanuseacalculatoronallmath
CalculatorPolicy
mathquestions. questions.

Optional.Testscomprehensionofa Optional.Evaluateshowyouanalyse
Essays
sourcetext. complexissues.

HowIt'sScored Scale:400-1600 Scale:136

45


SAT

TheSATconsistsofthreerequiredpartsandoneoptionalpart.

1. Reading:Youaregivenfivepassages(500-750wordseach)consistingofone
aboutUSorworldliterature,twoabouthistoryorsocialstudies,andtwoabout
science.Youwillhave65minutestoreadthepassagesandanswer52questions
aboutthemainidea,vocabularyincontext,datareasoning,evidenceandmore.
2. WritingandLanguage:Youhave35minutestoreadfourpassagesandanswer
44questionsaboutsentencestructure,punctuationandusageandexpression
ofideassuchasorganisation,development,andeffectiveuseoflanguage.
3. Math:Youhave55minutestosolve38problemswithacalculatorandan
additional25minutestosolve20problemswithoutacalculator.Thissection
coversarithmetic,algebraIandII,geometry,trigonometry,anddataanalysis.
4. Essay(optional):IfyoudecidetodotheessayportionoftheSAT,youwillhave
50minutestoreadandanalyseanargument.Keepinmindthatthegradersare
notlookingforyouropinion.Instead,theywanttoseehowwellread,analyse
andwrite.

Scoring

Asof2016,eachsectionisscoredandthencombinedtogiveyouatotalscore
between400-1600(previouslythehighestscoreyoucouldgetwas2400).Youarenot
penalisedforansweringaquestionwronganymoresofeelfreetoguess!Theessayis
giventhreescoresonascalefromtwotoeightforreading,writingandanalysis.

SubjectTests(SATII)
Someuniversities,likeHarvard,requireyoutosubmitSATsubjecttestsaswellasSAT
scores.Usually,ifyoutaketheACTyoudonotneedtosubmitsubjecttestsbutitreally
dependsonwhattheschoolasksfor.

Thereare20SATsubjecttestsinfivesubjectsthatyoucanpickfrom.

1. English
2. Math
3. Science
4. History
5. Languages

Thehighestgradeyoucangetonanysubjecttestis800.

46


TipsandTricks

1. BeCautiousoftheNoChangeAnswer:Thewritingsectionisloadedwith
questionsthatfeature"nochange"asapossibleanswer.Whileitmayseem
tempting,don'tfallforit.Theanswerisalmostnever"nochange,"soifyoufind
yourselfconstantlycirclingitasthesolution,gobackandmakesureyouare
absolutelypositivethatthequestioniscorrectthewayitis.
2. ReadALot:BrowseatleastoneSATreadingpassagedaily,byaword-a-day
calendar,maybestartreadingthedictionaryorthenewspaper!Themoreyou
read,thebetteryourcomprehensionandvocabularywillbe.
3. PlugInYourAnswers:Themathsectionisallmultiplechoicesoifyouare
unsureofananswer,thebestthingtodoistopluginallofyouroptions.The
onethatcorrectlysolvestheproblemisyouranswer.
4. SkiptheHardQuestions:Dontletonequestionuseupallofyourtime.Ifyou
findyourselfstuckonaquestion,simplycircleitandmoveon.Youcanalways
comebacktoitlaterifyouhavetime.
5. PracticeMakesPerfect:Practice.All.The.Time.DownloadafreeSATapp,do
onlinepracticetests,puttogetherastudygroup.Youllfeelmorecomfortable
onthedayoftheexamifyouarefamiliarwiththeformat.Sopractice,practice,
practice!

KeyDates

SATexamsareofferedonthesamedaysassubjecttests(excepttherearenosubject
testsinMarch).UsuallytheexamsareofferedinMarch,May,June,August,October,
NovemberandDecember.

Youcantakeuptothreesubjecttestsononedaybutyoucanttakesubjecttestsand
theSATonthesameday.
English,math,scienceandhistorytendtobeofferedateachexamdatebutnotall
languagesareofferedeverytime.Makesuretocheckwiththecollegeboardtofind
outwhenyoursubjectisoffered.

ACT

TheACTconsistsoffourrequiredpartsandoneoptionalpart.Theexamisnotorious
foritstimeconstraints,whichmakeitalotharderforsomepeople.

WheretheSATsdifficultycomesfromitsneedforin-depthunderstandingand
analysing,theACTsdifficultyrevolvesaroundthesheernumberofquestionsyouneed
toanswerinanabsurdlyshortamountoftime.

47


Theexamisliterallydesignedforyounottofinishsoifyouarethetypeofpersonwho
freaksoutifyoudontfinishanexamintime,theSATmaybebetterforyou.However,If
youlikefightingagainsttheclock,theACTmaybeyournewfavouriteexam(ifthere
couldeverbesuchathing).

1. Reading:Youaregivenfourpassagesconsistingofoneproseorliterarynarrative,
oneaboutsocialscience,oneabouthumanitiesandoneaboutnaturalscience.
Youwillhave35minutestoreadandanswer40questionsaboutthemainidea,
vocabularyincontext,inferenceandmore.
2. English:Youhave45minutestoreadfivepassagesandanswer75questions
aboutsentencestructure,grammar,usage,punctuation,style,organisationand
strategy.
3. Math:Youhave60minutestosolve60problemsandyoumayuseacalculator
thewholetime.Thesectioncoversarithmetic,algebraIandII,geometryand
trigonometry.
4. Science:Youget35minutestoreadmultiplepassages,analysegraphs,charts
andtablesandanswer40questionsaboutdata,researchandconflicting
viewpoints.Youdontactuallyneedtoknowanybiology,chemicalequationsor
physicstoanswerthesequestionbutyoudoneedtoknowhowtoreadand
analysescientificdata.
5. Writing(essay):Ifyouchoosetowritetheessay,youwillhave40minutesto
analysethreeperspectivesaboutaparticulartopic,formyourownopinionand
argueforitusingspecificexamples.

Scoring

Eachsectionisscoredindividuallyandthencombinedtogiveyouatotalscore
betweenoneand36.Theessayisscoredbytwodifferentreaderswhogiveitaoneto
sixbasedonfourguidelines:ideasandanalysis,developmentandsupport,
organisation,andlanguage.Youressayscoresareaddedupandyouregivenascore
outof12.

LiketheSATyouwillnotbepenalisedforguessing.

SubjectTests

MostuniversitiesdonotrequireSATsubjecttestsifyoutaketheACT.

48


TipsandTricks

1. Startearly:Itmaytakeyoualongtimetogetusedtothequestionsandthe
timeconstraintssotheearlieryoustartpreparingfortheACT,thebetter.Makea
scheduleandsticktoit.Evenifitsjust15minutesanight,yourscorewill
improveoutofsight.
2. Takepracticetestsunderrealconditions:Thetimeconstraintsonthisexamare
killer.Theonlywaytotrytogetusedtothemisbytakingtimedpracticetests.
Mapouthowmuchtimeyouhaveforeachquestionineverysectionandwork
yourwaytowardsmeetingyourtimegoals.Itwillsuck.Butitstotallyworthit.
3. Identifyyourweaknesses:Isyourmathsscorereallylow?Howaboutyour
sciencescore?Ormaybeyourpainpointisyouressay?Ifyoucanpinpointyour
weakestsection,youcangethelpandimproveyouroverallscorejustby
improvingyourweakestsection.However,makesureyouworkonyour
strengths,too.IfyouthinkyoucangetaperfectscoreintheEnglishsection,
workhardandgoforit!
4. Answereveryquestion:Youarenotmarkeddownforwronganswerssotheres
noharminguessing.Circlethequestionsthatseemtohardandtowardsthe
endofthesectiongobackandmakeaneducatedguess.Youhavenothingto
lose.
5. Setrealistictargets:Researchwhatscoreyouneedtogetintoyourdream
collegeandfigureouthowyoucanachieveit.Remember,notevenaperfect
scorewillgetyouintoyourdreamschoolsodontbeatyourselfuptoohardif
youdontgetthescoreyouwant.Iftherestofyourapplicationisstrong,youwill
befine.

KeyDates

ExamsareusuallyheldinFebruary,April,June,July,September,October
andDecember.

49


IvyLeagueScoreExpectations
UNIVERSITY SAT25th-75thPercentile ACT25th-75thPercentile

PrincetonUniversity 1460-1600 32-35

HarvardUniversity 1470-1600 32-35

YaleUniversity 1480-1600 31-35

32-35
ColumbiaUniversity 1460-1600

TheUniversityof 31-34
1450-1580
Pennsylvania

30-34
DartmouthCollege 1410-1580

BrownUniversity 1440-1580
31-34

CornellUniversity 1410-1570 30-34

50


OtherCollegesScoreExpectations
UNIVERSITY SAT25th-75thPercentile ACT25th-75thPercentile

WilliamsCollege 1410-1570 31-34

MIddleburyCollege 1350-1540 29-33

UniversityofCalifornia, 29-34
1330-1540
Berkeley

UniversityofVirginia 29-33
1330-1540

UniversityofMichigan,Ann 1370-1530 29-33

Arbor

StanfordUniversity 31-35
1460-1590

MassachusettsInstitute 1460-1590
31-35
ofTechnology

JohnHopkinsUniversity 1470-1580
32-34

51


05
CraftingthePerfectEssay

Writingacollegeessaycantbethathard,right?

Youvewrittenessaysyourentirelife.Bynow,youshould
beanabsolutepro!

Butwhenwasthelasttimeyourwroteacreativeessayin
firstperson?

Ithasprobablybeenawhile

Youressayisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofyour
application.Itistheonlytimeadmissionsofficersgetto
seeyouasanactualpersonandnotabunchofnumbers
andfacts.

Writingafantasticessaycouldbeyourticketintoyourdreamcollege(alongwithgood
grades,testscores,etc.).However,youressaycouldmakeadmissionsofficersfightfor
you,eveniftherestofyourapplicationisntverystrong.

Remember,youwillprobablyneedtowriteavarietyofessaysdependingonhowyou
applyandwhichcollegesyouareapplyingto.Ifyouusethecommonapp,youneedto
writeacommonappessayaswellassupplementaryessaysformostcolleges.These
essayscanrangebothintopicsandinlength.Infact,someofyouressaysmayonlybe
20wordslong!

Ashorteressayrequiresadifferentsetofskillsthanalongeressay.A350-wordessay
aboutasignificantchallengeyouhavefacedrequiresadifferentskillsetthana
20-wordessayaboutyourfavouritefood.

Figuringoutwhateachcollegeislookingforintheiressayscanbedifficultbutthere
aresomerequirementsthatoverlap.

Ifyouwanttogetadeeperlookatwhatmakesaphenomenalessay,checkoutour
eBookonhowtowritetheperfectpersonalessayfeaturingloadsofcasestudiesand
notesfromactualadmissionsofficers!


52


Fornow,hereareourfavouritetipsandtricksforwritingyouressay.


Recommendations

1. FiguringOutWhattoWriteAbout

Okay,todaystheday.Youarefinallygoingtostartwritingyourcollegeappessays!

Fourhourslater,youarestillstaringattheblankWordpageinfrontofyou.

Theblankpageisstaringbackatyou.Mockingyou.

Butitsnotyourfault!Youjustdontknowwheretostart.

Letstakeafewstepsback.Afewdaysbeforeyousitdowntowriteyouressay,start
thinkingaboutwhatyoumaywanttowriteaboutandjotdownyourideasasthey
cometoyou.

Thinkaboutamomentinyourlifewhereyoufeltvulnerable.Itcanbeasbigasyour
firstUNspeechorassmallasyourlastlittleleaguegame.Themoreyouopenup,the
better.

Whoknows,yourbestideamaycometoyouinadream!Takethetimetoletideas
cometogetherinyourheadbeforeyoubegintowrite.

Onceyouhavealistoffiveorsoideaspertopic,trytowritethebeginningofeachone.
Ifyoufindyourselfstuckononeidea,movetoanother.Theideathatseemstowrite
itselfisyourwinner!

GoodbyeblankWordpage,hellocollege!

2. DelveIntoYourWhy

Nowthatyouhaveyouridea,digdeepertofindyourwhy.Unfortunately,justlisting
youraccomplishmentsorhowawesomeyouareisntgoingtomakeaverygoodessay.

Digintoyouremotionstoshowthereaderwhyyouarepassionateaboutwhateveryou
arewritingaboutandhowyourpassionchangedyou.

53


3. DontTrytoBeFunny

Heresthedeal,noteveryoneisfunny.Andthatsokay.However,theresalmostnothing
morecringeworthythanreadinganessaythatistryingtoohardtobefunny.

Feelfreetoexperimentwhenwritingyouressay.Playwithdifferentvoices,different
perspectives,anddifferentwritingtoolsbutstaytruetowhoyouare.Letyour
personalityshine!

Donttrytowritesomethingsimplybecauseyouthinkitswhattheadmissionsofficers
wanttohear.

4. Details,Details,Details

Bedescriptive.Transportthereadersintoyourstory.Tellthemaboutthegrass.Make
themtastethejuicycherrypieyouhadlastsummer.

Allowthemtoseetheworldthroughyoureyesandhelpthembelieveinyouby
showingthemyouaremorethanjustanapplication,youareahumanjustlikethem.

5. StartEarlyandProofreadOften

Theearlieryoustart,themoretimeyouwillhavetothinkaboutyourtopics,pickthe
bestoneandwritethebestessay!

Remember,eventheshortessaysrequirealotofwork!Noneoftheseessaysshouldbe
aoneanddonedeal.Youshouldwritethemoverandoveragaintomakesuretheyare
thebestthattheycanbe.

Witheverydraftyouwrite,checkforspelling,grammarandpunctuationerrors.Read
themoutloudsoyoucanspotanyoverlookedmistakesandgetasenseoftheirebbs
andflows.

Haveotherpeoplereadyouressaysaswelltoensurethatyourfinaldraftisflawless.
However,bewaryofhavingtoomanycooksinthekitchen.Pickyourproofreaders
carefully.Rememberthatyouressaysareareflectionofyouandyourvoice.Dontlet
anyonechangethat.

54


Essayprompts

Essaypromptsarebasicallystartingpointsforyouressay,andtheychangeslightlyyear
toyear.Forthemostpart,however,theycoverthesametopics:challenges,
contributionstoyourcommunities,extracurricularactivities,andyourculture.

Letstakealookat2017'sprompts!


SampleEssayPrompts

Youaregivenfivepromptsandneedtowriteaboutonein650wordsorless.

1. Somestudentshaveabackground,identity,interest,ortalentthatissounique
ormeaningfultheybelievetheirapplicationwouldbeincompletewithoutit.If
thissoundslikeyou,thenpleaseshareyourstory.
2. Thelessonswetakefromfailurecanbefundamentaltolatersuccess.Recount
anincidentortimewhenyouexperiencedfailure.Howdiditaffectyou,and
whatdidyoulearnfromtheexperience?
3. Reflectonatimewhenyouchallengedabelieforanidea.Whatpromptedyou
toact?Wouldyoumakethesamedecisionagain?
4. Describeaproblemyouvesolvedoraproblemyoudliketosolve.Itcanbean
intellectualchallenge,aresearchquery,anethicaldilemmaanythingthatisof
personalimportance,nomatterthescale.Explainitssignificancetoyouand
whatstepsyoutookoryouwouldtaketoidentifyasolution.
5. Discussanaccomplishmentorevent,formalorinformal,thatmarkedyour
transitionfromchildhoodtoadulthoodwithinyourculture,community,or
family.

SampleUCApplicationEssayPrompts

Youaregiveneightquestionstochoosefromandmustanswerfourin350wordsor
less.

1. Describeanexampleofyourleadershipexperienceinwhichyouhavepositively
influencedothers,helpedresolvedisputesorcontributedtogroupeffortsover
time.
2. Everypersonhasacreativeside,anditcanbeexpressedinmanyways:problem
solving,originalandinnovativethinking,andartistically,tonameafew.Describe
howyouexpressyourcreativeside.

55


3. Whatwouldyousayisyourgreatesttalentorskill?Howhaveyoudevelopedand
demonstratedthattalentovertime?
4. Describehowyouhavetakenadvantageofasignificanteducationalopportunity
orworkedtoovercomeaneducationalbarrieryouhavefaced.
5. Describethemostsignificantchallengeyouhavefacedandthestepsyouhave
takentoovercomethischallenge.Howhasthischallengeaffectedyour
academicachievement?
6. Describeyourfavoriteacademicsubjectandexplainhowithasinfluencedyou.
7. Whathaveyoudonetomakeyourschooloryourcommunityabetterplace?
8. Whatistheonethingthatyouthinksetsyouapartfromothercandidates
applyingtotheUniversityofCalifornia?



SampleMITApplicationEssayPrompts

Youmustanswerallfiveshortessayprompts.

1. Weknowyouleadabusylife,fullofactivities,manyofwhicharerequiredofyou.
Tellusaboutsomethingyoudosimplyforthepleasureofit.(100wordsorfewer)
2. Althoughyoumaynotyetknowwhatyouwanttomajorin,whichdepartment
orprogramatMITappealstoyouandwhy?(100wordsorfewer)
3. AtMIT,webringpeopletogethertobetterthelivesofothers.MITstudentswork
toimprovetheircommunitiesindifferentways,fromtacklingtheworlds
biggestchallengestobeingagoodfriend.Describeonewayinwhichyouhave
contributedtoyourcommunity,whetherinyourfamily,theclassroom,your
neighborhood,etc.(200-250words)
4. Describetheworldyoucomefrom;forexample,yourfamily,clubs,school,
community,city,ortown.Howhasthatworldshapedyourdreamsand
aspirations?(200-250words)
5. Tellusaboutthemostsignificantchallengeyouvefacedorsomething
importantthatdidntgoaccordingtoplan.Howdidyoumanagethesituation?
(200-250words)

SampleCoalitionApplicationEssayPrompts

Youaregivenfivequestionstochoosefromandmustansweronein300-350words.

1. Tellastoryfromyourlife,describinganexperiencethateitherdemonstrates
yourcharacterorhelpedtoshapeit.
2. Describeatimewhenyoumadeameaningfulcontributiontoothersinwhich
thegreatergoodwasyourfocus.Discussthechallengesandrewardsofmaking
yourcontribution.

56


3. Hastherebeenatimewhenyouvehadalong-cherishedoracceptedbelief
challenged?Howdidyourespond?Howdidthechallengeaffectyourbeliefs?
4. Whatisthehardestpartofbeingateenagernow?Whatsthebestpart?What
advicewouldyougiveayoungersiblingorfriend(assumingtheywouldlistento
you)?
5. Submitanessayonatopicofyourchoice.

IvyLeagueessaytips

Allofyourbasicinformationisonyourapplicationtheadmissionsofficershaveseen
yourgrades,theyvereadaboutyourextracurricularactivities,andtheyknowyourwork
history.However,therealmeatofyourapplicationisinyouressay.Itletsthereaders
intoyourworldandshowsthemwhoyoutrulyare.

Thisdoesntmeanstuffingall10ofyourextracurricularactivitiesinto500words.You
needtothinkstrategicallyaboutwhatyouwanttoshowcase.

Yourecompetingwiththebestofthebest,andeveryoneisvyingforaspotatyour
chosencollege.WhatisitthatisgoingtodifferentiateyoufromtheseotherIvy
Leagueapplicants?

Playingonyourschooltennisteammaybeyourfavouriteactivity,andthesportyou
lovemost,butitsnotwhatmakesyouexceptionalintheeyesofIvyLeagueadmissions
officers.Unlessofcourse,youareoneofthetoprankedplayersinyourcountry.Now,
thatsexceptional,anddefinitelyareasontheywouldwantyou.

Whenitcomestowritingyouressay,itsallaboutpositioning.

Itdoesntmatteriftennisiswhatdefinesyou.Thinkaboutyouressayfromthe
admissionsofficersperspective.

TheIvieswantstudentswhotheyfeelwillimpactthecommunityand,inthelongrun,
theworld.Thebestwayforthemtoassessyourpotentialimpactisbyreadingyour
essayandlearningwhatmakesyoudifferentfromeverybodyelse.

WhileyourweekendtennisgamesmaybeenoughtogetyouintoanotherUS
university,theywontbeenoughtogetyouintoanIvyLeague(unlessyourweekend
tennisgamesarematchesyouorganisetohelptroubledyouthyougetwhereweare
goingwiththis).

Youneedtobringsomethingextraordinarytothetable.Letsexpandonyour
weekendtennismatchesfortroubledyouth.


57


Thinkaboutwhatangleyoucouldtaketomakeyourincredibleinitiativestandout
evenmore.Maybeyouwritetheessayfromthepointofviewofoneofthechildrenyou
help.Maybeyoustartyouressayinthemiddleofareallyexcitingtennismatch
betweenSerenaWilliams(whoyoumanagedtogettovolunteer)andoneofthemost
talentedkidsinyourprogram!Ormaybeyoustartwithyourtennismatchesand
branchouttoincludealloftheotherwaysyouvehelpedthesechildrenstrive,
academicallyandsocially.

Thisiswhatshoulddefineyou.

Regardlessofwhatpromptyouchoosetoanswer,makesureyouareputtingyourbest
footforwardandshowingtheadmissionsofficerswhatmakesyouspecial.

SampleIvyLeagueEssayPrompts

PrincetonUniversity
1. Brieflyelaborateononeofyourextracurricularactivitiesorworkexperiences
thatwasparticularlymeaningfultoyou.(150words)
2. Tellushowyouhavespentthelasttwosummers(orvacationsbetweenschool
years),includinganyjobsyouhaveheld.(150words)
3. Afewdetails:Yourfavoritebookanditsauthor,favoritewebsite,favorite
recording,favoritesourceofinspiration,favoritelinefromamovieorbookand
itstitle,favoritemovie,twoadjectivesyourfriendswouldusetodescribeyou,
favoritekeepsakeormementoandyourfavoriteword(verybriefresponses).
4. Pickatopicandwriteanessayofabout500words:
a. Tellusaboutapersonwhohasinfluencedyouinasignificantway.
b. Oneofthegreatchallengesofourtimeisthatthedisparitiesweface
todayhavemorecomplexcausesandpointlessstraightforwardlyto
solutions.OmarWasow,assistantprofessorofpolitics,Princeton
Universityandco-founderofBlackplanet.com.Thisquoteistakenfrom
ProfessorWasowsJanuary2014speechattheMartinLutherKingDay
celebrationatPrincetonUniversity.
c. Cultureiswhatpresentsuswiththekindsofvaluablethingsthatcanfill
alife.Andinsofaraswecanrecognizethevalueinthosethingsandmake
thempartofourlives,ourlivesaremeaningful.GideonRosen,Stuart
ProfessorofPhilosophyanddirectoroftheBehrmanUndergraduate
SocietyofFellows,PrincetonUniversity.
d. Usingafavoritequotationfromanessayorbookyouhavereadinthelast
threeyearsasastartingpoint,tellusaboutaneventorexperiencethat
helpedyoudefineoneofyourvaluesorchangedhowyouapproachthe
world.Pleasewritethequotation,titleandauthoratthebeginningof
youressay.

58


5. IfyouareinterestedinpursuingaBachelorofScienceinEngineeringdegree,
Writea300-500wordessaydescribingwhyyouareinterestedinstudying
engineering,anyexperiencesinorexposuretoengineeringyouhavehadand
howyouthinktheprogramsinengineeringofferedatPrincetonsuityour
particularinterests.

HarvardUniversity
1. Writeanessayaboutoneofthesetopics:
a. Unusualcircumstancesinyourlife
b. Travelorlivingexperiencesinothercountries
c. Alistofthebooksyouhavereadduringthepasttwelvemonths
d. Howyouhopetouseyourcollegeeducation
e. TheHarvardCollegeHonorcodedeclaresthatwe"holdhonestyasthe
foundationofourcommunity."Asyouconsiderenteringthiscommunity
thatiscommittedtohonesty,pleasereflectonatimewhenyouor
someoneyouobservedhadtomakeachoiceaboutwhethertoactwith
integrityandhonesty.
f. Anintellectualexperience(course,project,book,discussion,paper,
poetry,orresearchtopicinengineering,mathematics,science,orother
modesofinquiry)thathasmeantthemosttoyou
g. Whatyouwouldwantyourfuturecollegeroommatetoknowaboutyou
h. ThemissionofHarvardCollegeistoeducateourstudentstobecitizens
andcitizen-leadersforsociety.Whatwouldyoudotocontributetothe
livesofyourclassmatesinadvancingthismission?

YaleUniversity
1. Whatacademicareasseemtofityourcurrentgoals?Pleaseindicateuptothree
fromourmajors.
a. Whydotheseareasappealtoyou?(100wordsorfewer)
b. WhatisitaboutYalethathasledyoutoapply?(125wordsorfewer)
2. Whatinspiresyou?(35wordsorfewer)
3. Whatperson,pastorpresent,wouldyouinvitetospeak?Whatquestionwould
youask?(35wordsorfewer)
4. YouareteachingaYalecourse.Whatisitcalled?(35wordsorfewer)
5. Mostfirst-yearYalestudentsliveinsuitesoffourtosixpeople.Whatwouldyou
contributetothedynamicofyoursuite?(35wordsorfewer)

OptionalEngineeringandComputerScienceEssay
1. Ifyouselectedoneofthecomputerscienceorengineeringmajors,pleasetellus
moreaboutwhathasledyoutoaninterestinthisfieldofstudy,what
experiences(ifany)youhavehadincomputerscienceorengineering,andwhat
itisaboutYalesprograminthisareathatappealstoyou.(Pleaseanswerin500
wordsorfewer.)

59


EssaysCoalitionApplication
1. In300wordsorfewer,writeononeofthetwoessaytopicsbelow.Inaddition,
uploadanaudiofile,video,image,ordocumentyouhavecreatedthatis
meaningfultoyouandrelatestoyouressay.Aboveyouressay,includea
one-sentencedescriptionofwhatyouhavesubmitted.
a. Whatdoyoumostenjoylearning?
b. Reflectonyourengagementwithacommunitytowhichyoubelong.
Howdoyoufeelyouhavecontributedtothiscommunity?

EssaysCommonApplication
1. Pleasechoosetwoofthefollowingtopicsandrespondtoeachin250wordsor
fewer.
a. Whatdoyoumostenjoylearning?
b. Reflectonyourengagementwithacommunitytowhichyoubelong.
Howdoyoufeelyouhavecontributedtothiscommunity?
c. Writeonsomethingyouwouldlikeustoknowaboutyouthatyouhave
notconveyedelsewhereinyourapplication.

ColumbiaUniversity
1. 150wordsorfewerforeachquestion:
a. thetitlesoftherequiredreadingsfromcoursesduringtheschoolyearor
summerthatyouenjoyedmostinthepastyear
b. thetitlesofbooksreadforpleasurethatyouenjoyedmostinthepast
year
c. thetitlesofprintorelectronicpublicationsyoureadregularly
d. andthetitlesofthefilms,concerts,shows,exhibits,lecturesandother
entertainmentsyouenjoyedmostinthepastyear
2. 300wordsorfewerforeachquestion
a. PleasetelluswhatyouvaluemostaboutColumbiaandwhy.
b. IfyouareapplyingtoColumbiaCollege,telluswhatfromyourcurrent
andpastexperiences(eitheracademicorpersonal)attractsyou
specificallytothefieldorfieldsofstudythatyounotedintheMember
Questionssection.Ifyouarecurrentlyundecided,pleasewriteaboutany
fieldorfieldsinwhichyoumayhaveaninterestatthistime.
c. IfyouareapplyingtoTheFuFoundationSchoolofEngineeringand
AppliedScience,pleasetelluswhatfromyourcurrentandpast
experiences(eitheracademicorpersonal)attractsyouspecificallytothe
fieldorfieldsofstudythatyounotedintheMemberQuestionssection.

60


UniversityofPennsylvania
1. HowwillyouexploreyourintellectualandacademicinterestsattheUniversity
ofPennsylvania?Pleaseanswerthisquestiongiventhespecificundergraduate
schooltowhichyouareapplying.(400-650words)
2. Huntsman:TheHuntsmanPrograminInternationalStudiesandBusiness:
Discussacurrentinternationalissue,whichdemonstrateshowinternational
affairsandbusinessintersectandexplainhowtheHuntsmancurriculummight
assisttoresolvetheissue.(500wordsmaximum)
3. LSM:TheRoyandDianaVagelosPrograminLifeSciencesandManagement:
LSMseeksstudentswhoareenthusiasticaboutcombiningsciencewith
management.Whatexcitesyouaboutthiscombination?Whatkindofbenefits
couldanindividualtrainedinbothdisciplinesbringtosociety?Beasspecific
andoriginalaspossibleinaddressingthesequestions.(400-640words)
4. M&T:TheJeromeFisherPrograminManagementandTechnology:Please
completebothprompts.Question1:Explainhowyouwillusethisprogramto
exploreyourinterestinbusiness,engineering,andtheintersectionofthetwo.It
ishelpfultoidentifypotentialengineeringandbusinesspathsavailableatPenn.
(400-650words)Question2:Pleasedescribeatimeinwhichyoudisplayed
leadership.(250wordsmaximum)
5. NHCM:NursingandHealthcareManagement:Discussyourinterestinnursing
andhealthcaremanagement.HowmightPenn'scoordinateddual-degree
programinnursingandbusinesshelpyoumeetyourgoals?(400-650words)
6. VIPER:TheRoyandDianaVagelosIntegratedPrograminEnergyResearch:
Describeyourinterestsinenergyscienceandtechnologydrawingonyour
previousacademic,research,andextracurricularexperiencesthatallowyouto
appreciatethescientificorengineeringchallengesrelatedtoenergyand
sustainability.Ifyouhavepreviousexperiencewithresearch,describeyour
researchproject(outliningthegoals,hypotheses,approach,results,and
conclusions).Describehowyourexperienceshaveshapedyourresearchand
interests,andidentifyhowtheVIPERprogramwillhelpyouachieveyourgoals.
Also,pleaseindicatewhichVIPERmajorsinbothscienceandengineeringare
mostinterestingtoyouatthistime.(400-650words)
7. NETS:TheRajendraandNeeraSinghPrograminNetworkedandSocial
SystemsEngineering:Describeyourinterestsinmodernnetworkedinformation
systemsandtechnologies,suchastheInternet,andtheirimpactonsociety,
whetherintermsofeconomics,communication,orthecreationofbeneficial
contentforsociety.Feelfreetodrawonexamplesfromyourownexperiencesas
auser,developer,orstudentoftechnology.(400-650words).
8. Seven-YearBio-DentalProgram:Pleaselistpre-dentalorpre-medical
experience.Thisexperiencecanincludebutisnotlimitedtoobservationina
privatepractice,dentalclinic,orhospitalsetting;dentalassisting;dental
laboratorywork;dentalormedicalresearch,etc.Pleaseincludetimeallottedto
eachactivity,datesofattendance,location,anddescriptionofyourexperience.If

61


youdonothaveanypre-dentalorpre-medicalexperience,pleaseindicatewhat
youhavedonethatledyoutoyourdecisiontoenterdentistry.Listanyactivities
whichdemonstrateyourabilitytoworkwithyourhands.Whatactivitieshave
youperformedthatdemonstrateyourabilitytoworkcooperativelywithpeople?
Pleaseexplainyourreasonsforselectingacareerindentistry.Pleaseinclude
whatinterestsyouthemostindentistryaswellaswhatinterestsyoutheleast.
Doyouhaverelativeswhoaredentistsorareindentalschool?Ifso,indicatethe
nameofeachrelative,his/herrelationshiptoyou,theschoolattended,andthe
datesattended.

DartmouthCollege
1. Respondin100wordsorless:
a. Oh,ThePlacesYoullGoisoneofthemostpopularbooksbyDr.Seuss,
DartmouthClassof1925.Wheredoyouhopetogo?Whataspectsof
Dartmouthscurriculumorcommunitymighthelpyougetthere?
2. Chooseoneofthefollowingpromptsandrespondin250-300words:
a. ShondaRhimes,Dartmouth91,creatorofGreysAnatomyandScandal,
recentlydocumentedherYearofYes;foroneyearshevowedtosayYES
toeverythingthatscaredher.Shareamomentwhenyousteppedoutof
yourcomfortzone,anddescribehowithelpedyougrowintowhoyou
aretoday.
b. Celebrateanexampleofexcellentteachingandhowitilluminatedthe
subjectyouwerestudying.Whydiditresonatewithyouandexciteyour
intellectualcuriosity?
c. InthewakeofWorldWarII,DartmouthPresidentJohnSloanDickey
proclaimed,Theworldstroublesareyourtroublesandthereisnothing
wrongwiththeworldthatbetterhumanbeingscannotfix.Ifyoucould
tackleanyoftheworldstroubles,whichonecapturesyourimagination
andinspiresyoutoact?Whatwouldyouinventordevisetomitigateit
andhowmightyourcourseworkatDartmouthinformyourambitions?
d. ItsnoteasybeinggreenwasafrequentlamentofKermittheFrog.
Discuss.
e. Threethingsinhumanlifeareimportant,saidthenovelistHenryJames.
Thefirstistobekind;thesecondistobekind;andthethirdistobe
kind.Shareamomentwhenkindnessguidedyouractions.
f. Wontyoubemyneighbor?wasthesignaturecatchphraseofFred
Rogers50,thecreatorandhostofMisterRogersNeighborhood.What
kindofneighborwillyoubeinourundergraduatecommunityat
Dartmouth?Whatimpacthaveyouhadontheneighborsinyourlife?

62


BrownUniversity
1. Whyareyoudrawntothearea(s)ofstudyyouindicatedinourMemberSection,
earlierinthisapplication?IfyouareundecidedornotsurewhichBrown
concentrationsmatchyourinterests,considerdescribingmoregenerallythe
academictopicsormodesofthoughtthatengageyoucurrently.(150word
limit)
2. WhyBrown?(150wordlimit)
3. Telluswhereyouhavelivedandforhowlongsinceyouwereborn;whether
youvealwayslivedinthesameplace,orperhapsinavarietyofplaces.(100word
limit)
4. Weallexistwithincommunitiesorgroupsofvarioussizes,origins,andpurposes;
pickoneandtelluswhyitisimportanttoyou,andhowithasshapedyou.(100
wordlimit)

CornellUniversity
1. Findthecollegeyouareapplyingtobelowandanswerthepromptin650
wordsorless.
a. CollegeofAgricultureandLifeSciences:Whyareyoudrawntostudying
themajoryouhaveselected?Pleasediscusshowyourinterestsand
relatedexperienceshaveinfluencedyourchoice.Specifically,howwillan
educationfromtheCollegeofAgricultureandLifeSciences(CALS)and
CornellUniversityhelpyouachieveyouracademicgoals?
b. CollegeofArchitecture,Art,andPlanning:Describetwoorthreeofyour
intellectualinterestsandwhyyouareexcitedtopursuethemwithinyour
chosenmajorinAAP.Whatpersonalexperiences,background,orfuture
goalswillyoubringtoyourscholarlyandartisticpursuitsatCornell?
c. CollegeofArtsandSciences:Describetwoorthreeofyourcurrent
intellectualinterestsandwhytheyareexcitingtoyou.WhywillCornells
CollegeofArtsandSciencesbetherightenvironmentinwhichtopursue
yourinterests?
d. CornellSCJohnsonCollegeofBusiness:CharlesH.DysonSchoolof
AppliedEconomicsandManagement:Howhaveyourinterestsand
experiencesinfluencedyourdecisiontostudyAppliedEconomicsand
Management?DescribehowyouwouldtakeadvantageoftheDyson
Schoolsuniqueopportunities,forexample,itsaffiliationwithboththe
CornellSCJohnsonCollegeofBusinessandtheCollegeofAgriculture
andLifeSciences.
e. CornellSCJohnsonCollegeofBusiness:SchoolofHotelAdministration:
Theglobalhospitalityindustryincludeshotelandfoodservice
management,realestate,finance,entrepreneurship,marketing,
technology,andlaw.Describewhathasinfluencedyourdecisiontostudy

63


businessthroughthelensofhospitality.Whatpersonalqualitiesmake
youagoodfitforSHA?
f. CollegeofEngineering:CornellEngineeringcelebratesinnovative
problemsolvingthathelpspeople,communitiestheworld.Consider
yourideasandaspirationsanddescribehowaCornellEngineering
educationwouldallowyoutoleveragetechnologicalproblem-solvingto
improvetheworldwelivein.
g. CollegeofHumanEcology:Howhaveyourexperiencesinfluencedyouto
applytotheCollegeofHumanEcology?Howwillyourchoiceofmajor
impactyourgoalsandplansforthefuture?SchoolofIndustrialandLabor
Relations:Tellusaboutyourintellectualinterests,howtheysprungfrom
yourcourse,service,workorlifeexperiences,andwhatmakesthem
excitingtoyou.DescribehowILRistherightschoolforyoutopursue
theseinterests.

64


06
FinancingYourEducation


Welcometoeveryonesfavoritesection.
Drumrollplease

TheHowintheworldamIgoingtoaffordgoingto
collegeintheUS?!?!section.

Bynowyouvelearnedthatpickingcollegestoapplytois
difficult,actuallyapplyingtothecollegesyoupickedis
difficultandthatcollegeisexpensiveregardlessofthe
typeofcollegeyouchoosetoattend.

Orisit?

FinancialaidintheUScomesinfourforms:

1. Grants
2. Scholarships
3. Loans
4. Work-StudyPrograms
5. YourHomeCountry

Duetotheplethoraoffinancialaidavailable,studyingintheUSisoftentimescheaper
thanstudyinginyourhomecountry.

Shocking,right?

Manycollegesdonotwantmoneytobeadecidingfactorforyousotheytrytocreate
waystomaketheirschoolmoreaffordable,regardlessofwhetherornotyourparents
arebillionaires.

TheamountofaidyoureceiveisusuallydeterminedbyyourExpectedFamily
Contribution(EFC).

Essentially,themoreyourfamilyearns,themoreyoupay.

65


IfyouareanAmericanstudent,youneedtofilloutboththeFreeApplicationfor
FederalStudentAid(FAFSA)andtheCollegeScholarshipServiceProfile(CSS).FAFSA
determinestheamountoffederalaidyouareeligiblefor,whiletheCSSprofile
determinestheamountofinstitutionalaidyouareeligiblefor.

Ifyouareaninternationalstudent,youdonotqualifyforUSfederalaid;therefore,you
onlyneedtofillouttheCSSprofile.

EachcollegehasitsownwayofanalyzingyourCSSprofilebasedonyourEFC.
However,FAFSAhasaformulatodeterminehowmuchaidyoucanreceive.

FAFSAranksyourEFConascalefrom0-99,999.

Ifyou'reatthelowerendofthescale,you'llpayless(ascoreofzeromeansyouare
expectedtocontributenothing).

Ifyoudontturnyourformsontime,youmaynotreceivetheaidyouareeligibleforso
dontbelate!

Beforeyougorunningofftosharethegreatnews,thereareafewtermsand
conditionswehavetotalkabout.

Youdidntjustthinkyouweregettingfreemoney,right?

AreUSCollegesActuallyExpensive?

Dontletthestickerpricesdeteryou.

Manyprivateuniversitiesactuallyendupbeingcheaperthanpublicuniversitiesdueto
theamountofaidtheprivateuniversitiesareabletogiveaway.Infact,evenifyouare
offeredin-statetuition,itmaybecheaperforyoutoattendanIvyLeague!

Forexample,atStanford,ifyourfamilysincomeislessthan$125,000USDayear
(whichisalot!)youarenotexpectedtocontributeanymoneytowardsyourtuition.
Andifyourfamilysincomeislessthan$65,000USDayear,youarenotexpectedto
contributeanythingtowardstuition,roomorboard!However,youwillneedto
contributeabout$5,000USDayearthroughworkstudyoranotherformpayment.But
still,youdbegettingatopnotcheducationforclosetonothing!

Ontheotherhand,ifyouwereaCaliforniaresidentandyougotacceptedtoBerkeley
andyourparentsyearlyincomewas$65,000USD,theaverageamountofassistance
youwouldreceiveis$19,828.Thismeansthatyouwouldstillneedtocoughupabout
$15,144USDperyear.

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Areyouconvincedyet?

Mostuniversitieshaveacostcalculatorontheirwebsitesolookupyourprospective
collegestoseehowmuchyourfamilyactuallyneedstocontribute.


IvyLeagueCosts
FamilyAnnual Average
UNIVERSITY TotalCost WhatYOUPay*
IncomeCutoff Grant

$140,000USD
Princeton typicallypaynotuition $48,000
$67,100USD $19,100USDper
<$65,000USD USDper
University peryear year
typicallypaynotuition, year
roomorboard

$150,000USDtypically
pay0-10%oftuition
Harvard $71,600USD $50,000 $21,600USDper
University peryear <$65,000USD USD year
typicallypaynotuition,
roomorboard

$65,000-$200,000
USDtypicallypay
1-20%oftuitionona
Yale $47,000
$70,570USD slidingscale $23,570USDper
USD
University peryear year

<$65,000USD
typicallypaynotuition,
roomorboard

$60,000-$100,000
Columbia USDtypically
$71,690USD $52,073USD $19,617USDper
contributealotless
University peryear year
thanotherstudents

Universityof $72,584USD N/A $50,171USD $22,413USDper

Pennsylvania peryear year

Dartmouth $47,833
$71,827USD ~$100,000USD $23,994USDper
USD
College peryear typicallypaynotuition year

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Brown $71,050USD N/A $47,940 $23,110USDper

University peryear USD year

<$60,000USD
Cornell typicallyhaveno
$71,321USD $31,524USDper
parentalcontribution $39,797USD
University peryear year



*Basedonroughaveragesandpurelyillustrative,notindicativeofwhatyouwillpayifyoureaccepted.

YourFinancialAidDictionary

Therearethreetypesofschoolswhenitcomestofinancialaid:full-need,need-aware,
andneed-blind.

1. Full-Need
Thesecollegeswillprovideenoughaidtosufficientlycoveryourfamilysneed,basedon
yourEFC.

2. Need-Aware
Thesecollegestakeyourfinancialsituationintoaccountwhenaccessingyour
applicationandmayreservesomespotsonlyforstudentswhocanpayfullprice.AllUS
collegesareneed-awareforinternationalstudents(withtheexceptionforthefive
listedbelow).

3. Need-Blind
Need-blindcollegesdonottakeyourfinancialsituationintoaccountatallwhen
assessingyourapplication.

Thesecollegeswillnotdenyyoubasedonwhetherornotyouareabletopay.
However,thereareonlyfivecollegesintheUSthatofferneed-blindadmissionsfor
internationalstudents:
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Amherst
MIT

Asaninternationalstudent,yourbestbetistoapplytooneofthesefiveschools
becausetheywillnotturnyoudownbecauseofyourfinancialsituation.However,

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thesefiveinternationalneed-blindinstitutionsarealsosomeofthehardesttoget
into.

Thereareafewotheruniversitiesthatgiveoutlargefinancialpackagestointernational
students.





No.ofintlstudents
TotalCost Avgaidamountforeach
UNIVERSITY whoreceivedaid
(17-18) intlstudent
15-16

WilliamsCollege 94 $67,700USD $59,674USD

Stanford
160 $69,109USD $59,000USD
University

AmherstCollege 159 $73,25075,700 $58,477USD

USD

TrinityCollege $69,020USD $57,250USD

163

$72,710USD
DukeUniversity $55,213USD
173

Wellesley $66,984USD
91 $54,873USD
College

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Keepinmindthattotalcostsgoupslightlyeveryyearsomostofthesestudents
receivedprettyclosetofullaid.

Therearemanywaysuniversitiesmaygiveyoufinancialaidandmanywaysforyouto
findadditionalaidonyourown.SomeoftheseoptionsareonlyavailabletoUS
studentssomakesureyoureachouttoyourprospectiveschooltoseewhatkindofaid
theyoffer.



1. Grants
Grantsaregoingtobeyournewfavoritething.Theyareliterallyfreemoney!Most
grantscomedirectlyfromthegovernmentandarebasedonyourFAFSA.Themost
commongrantistheFederalPellGrant,whichislimitedto$5,500USDayearandis
onlyavailableforAmericanstudents.Itsdefinitelynotgoingtocoveryourentiretuition
butfreemoneyisfreemoney!

2. Scholarships
Morefreemoney!Woohoo!Scholarshipsareagreatwayoffundingyoureducation;
however,theyrequirealotoftimeonyourend.Youllneedtoresearch,fillout
applicationsandmaybeevenwriteafewessays.Luckily,therearescholarshipsforjust
aboutanything.Areyoulefthanded?Doyouhaveatwin?Doyouplayasport?Hows
yourSATscore?Therearesomanyscholarshipsoutthere,allyouhavetodoislook!

P.S.Ifyouareaninternationalstudent,lookforscholarshipsthroughthiswebsite.

3. Loans
Loansarenotfreemoney;therefore,takingoutloansshouldbeyourabsolutelast
resort.Manyplaceswillbewillingtolendyoumoneyforcollegebutyoullneedtopay
themoneyback,withinterest.

Youcangetprivateloanscomefrombanksorcreditunionsandmoreoftenthannot,
areterrible.Privatecompanieshavestrictrulesforhandingoutloansandtendtohave
higherinterest.Nottomention,youllusuallyhavetostartpayingthembackright
away.

Federalloans,ontheotherhand,havelowerinterestrates,betterrepaymentoptions
andafewforgivenessoptionsaswell.

Formoreinformation,checkoutthisarticle.Justremember,ifyouneedtotakeouta
loan,federalloansarethewaytogo.

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Unfortunately,internationalstudentsarenteligibleforfederalloans,buttherearea
fewinternationalstudentloansavailable.JustbearinmindyouneedaUScitizenor
permanentresidenttocosigntheloan.

4. Work-StudyPrograms
IfyouareaUScitizenorpermanentresident,thefederalgovernmentmayalsogive
youawork-study.Thiswillallowyoutowork(usuallyoncampus)tohelpyouearn
moneytofundyoureducation.Sometimesyourworkwillrelatetoyourfieldofstudy
sortoflikeaninternship!


5. YourHomeCountryandInternationalOrganisations
Thebestwaytofindmoneyasaninternationalstudentisthroughyourhomecountry
and/orinternationalorganisations.Somecountries,suchasSaudiArabia,offermultiple
sourcesoffundingforcitizenslookingtostudyintheUS.Beawarethatsomeofthese
fundsmayrequireyoutoreturntoyourhomecountryafteryourstudiesareover.

Therearealsomanyinternationalorganisations(thinktheUNandtheWorldHealth
Organization)thatmaybeabletohelpyoufundyourstudies.Startlookingatthese
optionsearlybecausetheytendtobeverycompetitive.

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08
FinalThoughts


Ahmyfriends,wevecometotheend.

YouarenowanexpertonallthingsIvyLeagueandUS
universityapplications.

Waytogo!

Ifonlyyourapplicationwroteitself.

Now,itisuptoyoutotakewhatyouvelearnedandcreate
thebestapplicationHarvardhaseverseen.

Youhavethetools,youvelearnedthetipsandtrickstosuccess,allyouneedtodois
pushforward.

Findyourpassion,challengeyourselfinschool,crushyourSATs(orACTs),makealistof
10-15schools,writeafantasticessay,andgetreadytogetintoyourdreamcollege.

Webelieveinyou.Gettowork.

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