Top 10 Ways to Get Into a Top College - Things Colleges Watch Out For

Top 10 Ways to Get Into a Top College - Things Colleges Watch Out For The 2010 survey of independent college consultants was released in June 2010 and highlights theâ€Å"Top Ten Strengths and Experiences Colleges Look for in High School Students.†Ã‚   The list changes every time it’s compiled, an event that occurs every few years.   Your grades, test scores, and the rigor of your high school curriculum still top the list.   But there are some changes from prior years. Guess what?   The importance of the application essay has moved up in the list    from #7 to #6 since the last survey!   Part of the reason for this is that many colleges have begun to make the SAT and ACT optional with â€Å"test optional† policies.   The admissions essay continues to be more important to private liberal arts colleges than it is at large state universities, so if you are targeting Ivy League and other top private schools, put some focused attention on the essay part of your application. It’s hard to write a good essay without good material.   Not surprisingly, factors #4 and #7-10 are all essay-related as well.   â€Å"Passionate involvement in a few activities, demonstrating leadership and initiative,† which ranks #4, gives you great essay material.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Special talents or experiences† comes in at #7 and is also fodder for an outstanding essay, as is â€Å"demonstrated leadership in activities† (#8), a factor that showed up for the first time on the list this year. It is crystal clear from this list that schools are not looking for well-rounded students – they are looking for leaders.   It is much more important to get deeply involved in a few activities than to do a little of everything.   And you’ll have a lot more to write about in your college application essay if you take on leadership positions that require you to manage people, organize big projects and events, and grow as a person. Note that succeeding in these areas requires some planning ahead.   If you are not a harp player already by the time you are entering your senior year of high school, it is unlikely that you will become one.   If you haven’t been deeply involved in a student organization, it might be difficult to take on leadership suddenly.   It’s more important than ever to find your passion early and follow it. Finally, â€Å"demonstrated enthusiasm to attend† ranked #10 in the survey.   Take this factor under advisement as you write your college essay.   You would do well to write something about why you want to attend a particular school, especially if it’s your first or second choice.   Just make sure to send the correct essay to each school, mentioning the school you’re applying to and not another school!   Mixing this one up is a great way to get yourself into the â€Å"no† pile (and it happens all the time). Thankfully, you have a lot of guidance about how to get into the â€Å"yes† pile.   Determine where you will most stand out as an interesting candidate with leadership abilities, and write a great essay about it. For help on your college essay from The Essay Expert, contact us at info@TheEssayExpert.com or by phone at 608-467-0067 OR 717-390-6696. Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 5, 2010

The Benefits of Attending an All-Girls School

The Benefits of Attending an All-Girls' School Not every student can excel in a coeducational classroom, and thats why many students opt for single-sex schools. When it comes to girls, in particular, these important developmental years can be greatly enhanced by attending the right school. So, what are the benefits of attending a girls school? Why should your daughter attend a girls school instead of a coed school? Girls Schools Empower Students to Excel Many girls cannot achieve their full potential in a coeducational school. With the impact of peer pressure and the perceived need to conform to popular opinion and thinking, including the desire to be accepted, can all impact girls. These are just some of the reasons which make many girls suppress their own personalities and individuality in a coed academic setting. Left to their own devices in a single-sex environment, girls are often  more likely to take on challenging math and science subjects and engage wholeheartedly in serious sports - all things girls arent supposed to like. Competition is a Good Thing Girls will ignore gender stereotypes and develop their competitive side more fully in a single-sex academic setting. There are no boys to impress, no boys to compete for between other girls. They dont have to worry about being called tomboys. Their peers understand whats happening. Everybody feels comfortable being themselves. Laying Foundations for Leadership Women have made significant advances in the leadership arena. Hilary Clinton ran for the office of President of the United States. Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Condoleezza Rice have been Secretary of State. Golda Meir was Premier of Israel. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of England and so on. Carleton Fiorina was CEO of Hewlett-Packard. These excellent achievements notwithstanding, women still find it difficult rising to senior positions in any endeavor. Why? Because girls lack inspiring role models and appealing presentation of critical subjects like math, technology and science which give men the competitive edge in their career paths. Skilled teachers who understand girls and the way they learn can kindle a girls interest in non-traditional subjects. They can encourage a young lady to dream outside of the box and want a career as a captain of industry as opposed to just being a teacher or a nurse. Girls at Single-Sex  Schools are More Likely to Excel at Athletics Its true, and theres  research  to support this finding. Middle school girls are more likely to engage in competitive athletics than their peers at  coed  schools. A single-sex environment often feels empowering to students, especially girls, and encourages them to try new things. When boys arent around, girls are more likely to take a risk and try something new.   Girls Schools are Inspirational Learning and Living Environments Until youve actually spent time at an all-girls school, its hard to fully appreciate the environment of encouragement and inspiration that is created. When a school is limited to only educating girls, the pedagogy changes, and the science behind how a female brain works and how girls grow and mature all become part of the core educational paths set forth for students. Students report feeling more free to speak and express themselves, which leads to a stronger development of a love of learning.   Girls Schools may Offer More Opportunities to Succeed According to the National Coalition of Girls Schools, nearly 80% of girls school students report feeling challenged to the point of achieving their full potential, and more than 80% of graduates from all-girls schools report that they consider their academic performance as highly successful. Students enrolled in these single-sex environments also report having more confidence than their peers at coeducational institutions. Some even report that their college professors can spot an all-girls school graduate. An all-girls school can help your daughter be all she can be simply by encouraging and nurturing her. Everything is possible. Nothing is off limits. Resources Find Girls Schools here.The National Association For Single Sex Public Education enriches the debate with some compelling research.The Bromley Brook School for Girls makes a great case in its Philosophy article. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski