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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
Winner of the 2018 International Book Awards Education/Academic category! Written by an experienced international educator and counselor, The International Family Guide to US University Admissions is an indispensable resource for the vast and increasing number of students applying for places at US Universities each year. Beginning with an introduction that explains to both students and parents how the book works and why, it offers milestones that must be completed during said application time period, a tried-and-true handbook that corresponds with each chapter, pop-outs that provide expert insight and resources that you should utilize throughout the process. Every year, hundreds of thousands of international students and their families must go through the painstaking, complicated, confusing and culturally baffling process that is US university admissions. Until now, there has been no single resource for readers to turn to for holistic, accurate and up-to-date advice on the subject. Following the timeline of the US university admissions cycle, the book guides the parents and the student through the entire process in order to ensure that they are pacing themselves appropriately - from preparation to submission and through to applying for student visas. It serves as an advisor throughout the process, providing insightful advice by parents and students that are relevant to specific milestones. With the help of this book, you'll discover how to make sense of the US admissions system - from start to finish. * Understand the application and evaluation process in depth in order to be an informed and successful applicant * Make your schooling selection from over 3,000 US universities by understanding what would make a good fit for the student * Learn what is expected of you in writing essays, why it is important, and how to create beautiful, genuine writing pieces reflective of your outlook in life * Enjoy case studies and words of advice from the author's former students and their families * Understand the difference between the SAT and ACT exams Whether you're an international student living outside of the US or an ex-pat living abroad, you'll find answers to all of your questions - all in one place.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
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Contents
Cover
Advance praise for The International Family Guide to US University Admissions
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1: And You Are. . .?
Milestones
Chapter 2: You've Got to Understand How It Works to Win
Milestones
Chapter 3: Being Your Nerdiest Self… and Taking Time to Do It
Milestones
Chapter 4: Your Goldilocks Moment
Milestones
Chapter 5: Less Snap-Chatting and More Real-Chatting
Milestones
Chapter 6: School's [Not] Out for Summer!
Milestones
Chapter 7: You Can't Fake It
Milestones
Chapter 8: The Pressure Is On!
Milestones
Chapter 9: The Busiest Month of Your Life
Milestones
Chapter 10: The Final Month of Writing College Applications. . .Ever?
Milestones
Chapter 11: A Rite of Passage in the Making
Milestones
Chapter 12: Anticipating, Deciding, and Arriving
Milestones
Conclusion: The Beginning of the Rest of Your Life
The Writing Handbook
References
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Table 1.1:
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
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Chapter 1
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Advance praise for The International Family Guide to US University Admissions
“The US university or ‘college’ application process is a period that affects not only the applicant, but the whole family as well as the high school. The process is complex with thousands of universities to choose from, each asking for different requirements—it is lengthy and often very stressful.
As Vice-Chairman of the Board of the largest IB School system in Turkey, I have witnessed this process every year and students, parents and school leaders try to find the best guide during this process. Even though our college counselors know the process very well and try to help our students, it is imperative that the whole process is understood by everyone. As an international educator, administrator, and someone with extensive valuable international experience, Jennifer Ann Aquino truly becomes our Northern Light and our guide during this wearing process.
In her book, The International Family Guide to US University Admissions, Jennifer sets the tone and the path for all of the stakeholders. Her background and easy-to-follow instructions help each stakeholder understand the extensive and complex information regarding the whole process. The perfectly prepared timeline prepares everyone involved in the process to what each will face during the process: advice for parents helps them feel knowledgeable and prepared and the worksheets enable the students to prepare for what is expected of them in the application. The last, but in my opinion the most important part of this book, is the numerous case studies—real stories that we can learn from.
Having graduated thousands of students and closely experienced the US university application process with them, I strongly recommend this book to every parent, student, college counselor and school. This is an invaluable gem that everyone should read and every library should get ahold of.”
—Cenk Eyüboğlu, Vice-Chairman of the Board, Eyüboğlu Educational Institutions, İstanbul, Turkey; graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Tufts University and Bentley University
“Our three boys went through the American university application system and I still find it daunting. Is it because we are foreigners? What are SAT's and ACT's? How do they differ and how do I prepare my kids for them? Do all universities ask for these standardized tests? Why do some universities ask for extra essays? What is Liberal Arts? What does it mean to apply as ‘undeclared’? What documents do I have to provide to the universities? Where do I get all the paperwork for the visas done? Deadlines? The university of what? Where is that? Will my child ‘fit in’ being a foreigner? And most of all, what will our kids gain by attending an American university that other academic institutions around the world can't offer?
Jennifer answered all these questions while implementing the only approach that works, following the timeline. She got to know my boys and empowered them to find the right fit and she does the same for all the users of this book—parents and students alike. It is a must-have for any parent and student going through this process.”
—Brigitte Roulet, parent
“I've had the good fortune of watching Jennifer Aquino work with students and families in person. I have observed, as she has enabled families to gain clarity, unpacking the necessary steps required to be successful in the increasingly complex process of university admissions. Within these pages, Jennifer has once again taken the complex and made it seem easy. The student advice and parent advice, case studies and words of wisdom contained in these pages, I know, will greatly assist students and families to shape their university admissions goals and understand what steps they need to take to achieve them. Quite simply, as an executive leader in schools for over 22 years, I've seen none better than Jennifer when it comes to university guidance and no text as comprehensive or beneficial as this.”
—Glen Radojkovich, Founding Head of School, Branksome Hall Asia, South Korea; former Head of Secondary School, Canadian International School, Singapore; Head of School/CEO GEMS Dubai; former National Chairman, Cambridge University International Examinations (NZ) and IB Heads Association (Korea)
“In a landscape abound in myth and short on truth, Jennifer Aquino's book offers a step-by-step, comprehensive guide for international families as they begin the US university admissions process. It is no secret that college admissions should be about ‘fit.’ Rather than families manipulating their children's dossiers in the hope that select, name-brand universities will see the fit, Jennifer rightly challenges young people to first know themselves, embrace their interests, and then put their best selves forward in selecting from the dozens and dozens of excellent universities that would indeed be a good fit.
International students are uniquely poised to thrive in the university setting. In fact, they often carry the in tangibles that US universities seeking a diverse student body crave: perspective. This book gives access to students, offering a clear path to an informed application and selection decision-making. I will use this book with my own children.”
—Dr Paul Richards, Superintendent, American School of Dubai; former Superintendent, International Schools Group, Saudi Arabia
“Throughout my career, I have felt enormous empathy for applicants and their families who just had no idea how competitive college admission is in the US. They simply did not have the experience to understand the importance of the ‘fit’ between the student and the school, and that a student who is self-aware and confident can help to make the case for admission.
Finally, Jennifer offers international families a guide that explains US college admissions and gives clear guidance through each step of the process. She identifies key milestones and provides clever worksheets and a writing handbook that will help the user to create a highly personalized and strong application for the student's best-fit universities. The case studies and strategic parent advice and student advice make this book a must for any US-bound student!”
—Ellen M. Sullivan, former Admissions Officer, Harvard College; Executive Director of International Advancement, Boston College
“I have been helping students with their university planning and applications for more than 20 years, as a high school counselor in international high schools and as an independent university advisor. During each of those 20+ years, I have looked for a comprehensive, intelligent, and ethical guide to help families understand this process and how to approach it, and that I could feel comfortable recommending. This book is all of that. I will use it myself, and will ask each of the families I work with to purchase one for our work together.”
—Mark Gathercole, Education Advisor and Consultant, Independent University Advising; Certified Educational Professional (CEP); former Director of University Guidance at international schools in Norway, the Czech Republic, and Indonesia; Member, IACAC, NACAC & IECA
“Choosing the right university to attend is arguably one of life's greatest decisions. Jennifer Ann Aquino's book is an insider's guide, helping international students and their families find the right institution by navigating the complex and often overwhelming admissions process. As an internationally recognized expert in US university admissions, Jennifer shares critical information, insights, tips, tools and case studies that make the application process easier.
As a former international student myself, who applied to and graduated from a university in the US, and given my role as Dean of International Education, I understand well the value this book provides to international students. It is an important resource and reference for anyone interested in attending a college or university in the US.”
—Warren Jaferian, Dean, International Education, Endicott College
The International Family Guide to US University Admissions
Jennifer Ann Aquino
This edition first published 2017© 2017 Jennifer Ann Aquino The Author asserts her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Aquino, Jennifer Ann, author.
Title: The international family guide to US university admissions / Jennifer Ann Aquino.
Description: Chichester, UK ; Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2017011369 (print) | LCCN 2017019084 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119370963 (pdf) | ISBN 9781119370970 (epub) | ISBN 9781119370987 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Students, Foreign—United States. | Universities and colleges—Admission.
Classification: LCC LB2376.4 (ebook) | LCC LB2376.4 .A66 2017 (print) | DDC 378.1/982691—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017011369
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-119-37098-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-119-37096-3 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-119-37097-0 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-119-37101-4 (ebk)
Cover design: WileyCover image: © komkrit Preechachanwate/Shutterstock
To Mom and Dad, the most committed lifelong educators I know.
To my students, for teaching me and inspiring me.
To David, mi mellizo.
Preface
If you grow up in the US, you are constantly surrounded by and influenced by “college” culture. Colleges are represented everywhere in American culture—the university that is located in everyone's home town, references made in the media, the sweatshirts Americans wear to sports events on the weekends, flags of alma maters displayed outside houses to support college sports teams. Yet for the hundreds of thousands of international applicants, they have experienced none of this. For as complex as the admissions process is to someone brought up in the US, this becomes one of the most complicated events at this stage of an international applicant's life.
However, there is no shortage of information out there. Often this information treats the international family and applicant as a less-than-sophisticated consumer, using platitudes, fear or outright incorrect information (“You must ‘ace’ the SAT to get into any good university!”) to “guide” the very unique cohort of which you are a part. It is hard to find a trusted resource to guide you honestly and effectively through the process based on how the process actually works.
Daily experiences and encounters, both with my own private clients and also with friends and acquaintances living for years in Europe, Asia and Pacific regions, rather quickly convinced me that there was a critical need for this guide. Admissions in the US are based on fit: this means that the student/applicant must know who they are in order to determine which universities they will apply to. And it also means that the family of the applicant must also understand—and support—this. No one can bury their heads in the sand in this process (“My child is made for the Ivy League!”) and it is too late to understand the day decisions are made by universities. Being enlightened, educated, and informed as an international family is critical to the applicant finding success in his or her applications and in the rest of his or her life.
When my first international homeschooled student, Matthew—you'll see his Case Study in Chapter 11—was rejected by all the Ivy League schools, it was the reaction by him and his family to these rejections that made me realize the need to educate the international family on US university admissions. Even as prepared as they were for the rejections, I realized society places an absurd amount of praise and worthiness on just two handfuls of universities. It bothered me greatly and I wondered how I might be able to help international families and students better understand how this process works, while trying to make sense of it in the greater whole. (Matthew is thriving and excelling right now, as you'll soon see.)
At every fair or event I attend I get asked the same questions. During a single event I attended in Southeast Asia, I had about 200 families come by and ask me questions, the most common one being: “What's the best college in the US for my son/daughter?” This is the absolute opposite way to approach it; you first need to start with the student. The question should be, “What's the right university for me and how do I best present myself in the application?”
As you'll see from the experiences and people that gave me the impetus to write this book, this is a process that has to be taken on actively by both the parents/guardian and the applicant. It is meant to be read and used by both. In the best of circumstances, each party has their own copy—there are things both parties need to do, sometimes together, sometimes separately. The idea here is that it is a process to go through together but also that each person has their own role.
How to use this book
Read this book linearly. There is no jumping around—not in the book and not in the process. This is critical to understand if you're going to go through this process properly. It is critical for the applicant and the family to follow a very detailed timeline from start to finish, which maps onto the US application timeline. Each chapter consists of active Milestones for the student and parents, each one building on the next, to be accomplished in order.
There are 12 chapters with each chapter beginning with an overview of the period it covers in the timeline. This gives you an idea of what to expect and why you're doing what you have to do.
The Milestones are those critical pieces in each chapter that you are expected to accomplish before moving on to the next chapter. Throughout the book Milestones will sometimes be accompanied by a Worksheet, indicated by this icon.
A great deal of work needs to be done in order to get the answer to the question, “What's the right university for me and how do I best present myself in the application?” Many students who attend university in the US will change their minds about what they want to study once at university. The system is set up to encourage exploration and the undecided applicant!
Worksheets are included at the end of each chapter unless otherwise indicated (in the case where a Worksheet will be utilized by more than one chapter). All are properly positioned and easy to find. It is expected you will complete all Worksheets throughout the process.
Some Milestones will have this icon located next to it. While I expect all Milestones will take you some time to accomplish, those with this icon will require an amount of time to accomplish, ranging from several hours to several days. These are not Milestones that can be accomplished quickly.
As you get further into the process and you begin to write, you will be referred to the Writing Handbook, located at the end of the book. The Milestones associated with the Writing Handbook will have this icon. It will guide you through all of your writing requirements and options. I'm a stickler for writing as it will be one of the most important parts of your US application. Your essays will be given enormous weight and importance by the Admissions committee and will be your opportunity to show Admissions who you really are. . .and how you really fit into the institution. This will be the basis for your eventual acceptance.
Other features you'll see throughout the book include:
Resources
: When a college guidebook or standardized test prep book is needed, I will tell you by name which I recommend based on my students' experiences and my own.
Student Advice
! and
Parent Advice
! Found throughout the book and from my students and their parents. I think this advice will be extremely helpful to you.
Case Studies
: In each of
Chapters 2
–
12
I give you a case study of one of my dear students. This gives you an idea of the myriad types of applicants out there and just how arbitrary the selection process can be (results are found in the Conclusion) and focuses on the person, which is ultimately how this process works. Are you a fit for where you're applying? That's the key.
Important
! These will be interspersed throughout and relevant to the Milestone at hand.
Words of Wisdom
: Usually an incident related to the topic or Milestone at hand that is a first-hand account and will help you gain perspective and further understanding of the process and Milestone you are working on.
In this book, I will also use the words “college” and “school” and “university” interchangeably. “High school”, “secondary school” and “junior college” may also be used interchangeably. I will at times reference the Northern Hemisphere calendar vs. the Southern Hemisphere calendar as I know users will be from both. At the end of the day, the timeline will stay the same for all users, however. While I will initially explain the application options, I may then use terms such as “EA” (Early Action) or “RD” (Regular Decision) thereafter. Of course, there is also “ED” (Early Decision) 1 and 2 and “SCEA” (Single Choice Early Action) and “REA” (Restricted Early Action). Don't worry! I will cover all of these at the appropriate time.
If you trust and follow the advice given in this book, it will help you become a more enlightened, educated, thoughtful and therefore successful applicant through the US university admissions process.
Thank you for using this book and I look forward to hearing about your journey through the process!
Acknowledgments
This happens to be the last page I write after finishing this book. For me it's the most difficult. One page to acknowledge all those who supported me, helped me, encouraged me, and inspired me to write this book? If only I could convince my editor to add another 20 pages... I have so many people to acknowledge and thank, and for so much.
Jeremy Chia at Wiley Singapore, my patient and adroit editor, helped me immensely to make this book read more fluidly and clearly. Thank you for your calmness and experience to make this book become what it has. Thank you, Syd Ganaden, for listening to my ideas for design and for offering your own. I am indebted to Thomas Hyrkiel, Publisher, for recognizing the potential this book had from the beginning and for signing me with such a world-renowned publisher. Thank you, Ben Hall, Marketing Manager at Wiley, for your support and ideas to get this book into the hands of users around the globe. It would have been impossible to have this book published by such a reputable and recognizable publishing house without the belief in my initial proposal, and subsequent work to get this book published globally by my hard-working, connected and outstandingly effective agents: Jay Vasudevan, Helen Mangham and Andrea Pasion-Flores, at Jacaranda Press.
Without my parents—truly the greatest (and smartest) educators I know on this planet—I would never have written this book. Mom and Dad, thank you for teaching me how to teach, to value the profession and vocation of teaching, and for never ceasing to teach me. You are the epitome of educators and I wish every student could have had the opportunity to be taught by you.
My students and my families! You've made me love my work and without you this book would not be able to show just how unpredictable, crazy, fun, and individual this process is, helping so many other families along the way. I would like to thank specifically those who contributed to this book and whose quotes and Case Studies you'll be reading about shortly: Veena McCoole, Mani Gupta, Pakhi Gupta, Caroline Liew, Matthew Liew, Adit Sharma, Shefali Agarwal, Mei Masuyama, Jacquie Weber, Sterling Gunn, Maya Schoucair, Michelle Layanto, Serene Layanto, Sacha Aymond, Asli Sagnak, Susanne Grimm, Asya Sagnak, Lori Gunn, Ariane Roulet Magides, Claire DePlanck, Zurah DePlanck, and Raj Raiyani. Thank you for inspiring me and for teaching me so much.
How I would love to name all of my incredible friends who have supported me throughout the writing of this book! I do believe without a doubt that I have the most amazing friends in the world and I love you dearly and thank you so much for always supporting me. Thank you to my colleagues at IECA who have taught me so much about this profession.
Finally, how could I have written this book, physically and mentally, without the unwavering support, humor, and dedication to me, my interests and my goals in life without you, Mellizo mío? You make life an incredible experience every day for me.
About the Author
Jennifer Ann Aquino was born into a family of educators and started her own career after university teaching AP Biology as a dorm parent at a US boarding school, The Gunnery, in Connecticut. She moved on to educational publishing as an editor for secondary and university-level foreign language and science textbooks before working in management roles as an administrator in universities in the US and Europe.
Living in Singapore, Jennifer launched her own private educational consultancy, guiding secondary students and their families through the next stage of the student's life. Having followed her own interests and passions at university—majoring in Biology and Spanish Literature as a pre-medical student—she strives to show and encourage her students and readers to follow their own true interests, desires, and passions, guiding them to their best-fit university by putting forth a winning application that highlights their genuine and unique interests.
Jennifer double-majored in Biology and Spanish Literature with a Pre-Medical concentration from Boston College (US) and earned a Master of Arts degree in Spanish Literature from Middlebury College (US). She was accepted by and enrolled in Harvard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Romance Languages and Literature.
Jennifer has worked as Director of Education Abroad (Bentley University, USA); Managing Director, International MBA Program (IE Business School, Spain); Director of International Advancement (Bentley University, USA); and Lead Recruiter, Undergraduate Admissions, Asia & India (Bentley University, USA). She has visited over 100 university campuses in a professional context and is a Professional Member of IECA and Member of International ACAC.
Her website is www.JenniferAnnAquino.com.
Introduction
“Where do I even start?!”
“What are the best engineering schools in the US?”
“We're very interested in Harvard.”
“Will SAT scores matter most?”
“If I arrange my son's interviews with the universities will that be OK? He's got so much work on his plate.”
“I will only pay for my daughter's education in the US if she goes to a university that is prestigious.”
“Should my son pick up something less ‘typical’ as a hobby to make him stand out?”
I come from a family of educators: my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousins, and even my nieces! We are all educators. I started as a teacher—like my parents—and moved into educational publishing and then into various director roles in universities in the US and Europe. I've also worked and lived on four continents, and all whilst working in the field of international education. I believe I do have something to share.
Working exclusively with international families to guide them through the admissions process, my passion lies in imparting the truth in education and building the individual confidence of my students and families—and this comes from experience and knowledge. All too often, families come to me asking for black-and-white answers. What they do not know is that within this process are the answers to the questions they don't know yet, and will not know until they go through it correctly. There's no online-matchmaker equivalent to US university admissions. Why? Because there is no logarithm that allows applicants to find their fit and present themselves uniquely based on their educated understanding of why they are a fit for their chosen universities. Instead, this process requires every applicant to reach inside themselves and figure out what they need, want, or dream of, will be amazing at doing, and thus what they will succeed in, and then matching all of that to the specific universities that will offer that to them.
Most families come to me with a list of names of universities before we even begin. Early “researching” is great and I commend the student who's already begun. But this happens all too often, creating the situation we have now in society, where elitism in higher education causes students to learn in a one- or two-dimensional environment instead of a multi-dimensional melting pot of education.
The Rules of Enlightenment
In this process, nothing is general: everything works on a case-by-case basis. You thought it would be easy? Consider this process as part of your last two years of high school curriculum. This process should challenge what you think you know about universities and where you want to attend, should challenge you to think about who you are and what you really want, and should challenge you to be bold and brave enough to take a risk at applying to and attending the university that is, deep down, truly the right fit for you—not for your mom, not for your friend, and certainly not for your pride. This is the first opportunity for you to begin to understand yourself, your needs, dreams, strengths, passions and true interests, and to pursue them by finding those universities that will support, challenge and be true to you as an individual.
So, I ask of you—family and student—to commit. Commit to taking months to dedicate to this process. Commit to being true to who you are. Commit to not succumbing to the draw of Ivy League schools, like the H-word.1 Commit to understanding that when you find a fit, you are on the road to finding happiness and success in what you do throughout life. Commit to that freedom of choice. Commit to the awesome opportunity that you have before you.
If you want to do this correctly—and you should, it's a process that takes months of dedication and an open mind—follow these rules as you go through the process. As a rule of thumb, you should commit by reading through this together as a family and initialing each of the following points:
Each Chapter, each Milestone, each university will be taken case-by-case. Do not generalize anything. (
And go ahead and initial here
!)
Don't believe the rankings at face value. If you are going to go by them, commit to understanding exactly how they are done. (Once you start doing this, you'll surely want to forget about them altogether.)
Question stats. All of them. 10% acceptance rate? Really? Do they take into account applications that were started but never finished/turned in? Average class size of 30? Average of what? Freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes or just one of these? Average ACT (American College Testing) of 32? Do they consider every single applicant's test scores or is there a special program in place for some accepted students whose scores are not accounted for (and thus improving the university's average)?
Remember: This process is subjective. You don't think that 20-minute “informal” meeting of the Admissions representative who visited your school didn't make an impression—positive or negative? What about at the height of “reading season” for the Admissions team when they are reading 100 applications per night and yours comes up last. . .on a Friday. . .when the Admissions officer is starting to get a cold and just broke up with his partner who. . .happens to be from your city/country. We're only human, and humans make up this process. So, that leads me to. . .
Control what you can control—your writing, your grades, your proactivity, your preparation—and let go of what you cannot—who will make the decision on your application, statistics, what your friend is doing, the results.
Be realistic. Be true to yourself and, if you're a parent, be true to your child.
Know that there are thousands of universities in the US. There are over 4,000 accredited degree-granting institutions in the US, over 3,000 of which are 4-year degree-granting institutions.
2
Each one has its own culture, character, strengths, weaknesses, student profile, professors, facilities, student life, and community. There
is
a fit for
every
student. (I remind you here to be realistic and to commit to the process. You won't end up disappointed.)
Be prepared to tell yourself that you're not ready, that you need a gap year of some kind—PG (“postgraduate”) year, working, volunteering, finding yourself—before you enroll in university. While everyone at this age is going through the same process, not everyone should be. We're all human and go at different speeds. High school doesn't usually account for that.
Commit to research. This means committing to learning about—in depth and through my guidance—universities that you have never heard of. Most families come to me with about 10 universities they have heard of. There are over 3,000. Do you think those 2,990 other universities are not worthy or not very good? About 98% of the time, I have found, there are other much better fits.
Parents, as best you can, set your child free in this process. The best way for them to find success—however you quantify success—will be through their happiness. They will be happy doing something they love. I had a father who refused to recognize his son's love of art. He believed that his son was going to be a doctor. Once he let go of this control over his son and let his son move forward through the process, he too realized just what a successful artist his son would be. . .and what a terrible doctor he would have made! Who wants to see a doctor who never wanted to be a doctor? You will not live your child's life after university and yet it's important to stop living it now, before university, giving your child the best opportunity to find their fit, to find true happiness—and success!
Once you apply, let go. This means you owe it to yourself to do your best up until you submit. It's called “no regrets” and doing your due diligence.
Be strategic. If you are looking for merit aid, you'll need to research and find those schools that are a fit and that may also be keenly interested in an applicant like you—whether you are an avid stamp-collector, hold passports from two nations that don't tend to have lots of students applying to that university, hold a very strong profile compared to those who generally apply to said institution, and/or have decided to apply to very different universities and thus have a very different “List” to those of your colleagues in your high school or country—merit aid could be in your future. It's a fairly gray process that is determined behind closed doors and is fully subjective, based on the individual university's needs and decisions that very year. You can be strategic about it and we'll discuss that, starting in
Chapter 3
of this book and continue throughout.
Commit to a well-rounded, realistic
List
. I'll refer to your list of universities as your “List”, sometimes a “Long List” and sometimes a “Short List”, depending on where you are in the process. A realistic List means that you've done your research and know your fit and can defend that. And, that you've created a list of around 10 institutions that range from those that you think you have a strong chance of getting into (always with the variable of not), those that seem like you are in-range with, to those that will be a real “reach” for you but you're aiming high for.
Finances, Part 1. I finished paying off my university loans when I was 39 years old. I've lived abroad for the past fifteen-plus years and so when I say this to someone outside of the US they just about choke. In the US, this is a norm for many families. Yet, as US citizens, we are able to apply for subsidized loans and grants, something not available to international students. US higher education is outstandingly expensive. This is the first conversation I have with my families: Is it realistic? Don't expect scholarships or merit aid from an institution. You cannot depend on it as it's a fairly gray area. That said, some institutions will offer need-based aid opportunities to international students. This is case-by-case and may vary from year to year. You must always check with the institution itself.
Finances, Part 2. You want to donate $100 million to get your son into a university? It's not as easy as writing a check. Universities are quite sophisticated in how this works, if it does work. I used to get offered large sums of money as Director of International Advancement for a university in the US to get a son or daughter into said university. . .and consistently turned the money down. Unless the family is strategically working with Development in a very sophisticated “you win, we win” approach, perhaps years prior, you can forget this approach. Yes, you may be a potential Development lead in the future and that can add to your appeal during the Admissions process if Admissions knows of you and you are truly and legitimately someone they would want to keep their pulse on, but this happens much less often than you think. The kid who told you that Antony got in because his father wrote a check probably doesn't know what he is talking about. Let it go. And, if you're up for donating the $100 million, start your discussions early and with the right people. That takes a lot of time. You'll need some strategic help. And, that's for another book; we won't get into that in this one.
Finally. . .enough about the Ivy League! Everyone—parents, teachers, journalists, the press: We have had enough of your pushing and judgment and biased-without-basis opinions—nothing makes these schools better than hundreds of others, and in fact sets everyone up for failure. Now, your best strategy? Let me put it this way: I will never recommend one of them for any of my students' Lists. If they put one on and it's determined it could be a fit after going through the process, I say go for it. However, with the odds against every student for acceptance and yet truly based on luck (as one of these school's Admissions officers told me, “I could replace this accepted class with four more equally-strong classes from this year's applicant pool alone”), why would you even want to try to play a game as arbitrary, based on luck, random and as cruel as this? As you work through this guide and the process, you will learn the value beyond just being able to say “I go to school X”.
Some of my students choose to apply to and are admitted to attend the Ivy League schools. They have found happiness and success—just like every one of my other students. However, my point is that their being accepted was like finding a needle in a haystack. If,
as you go through this process, you realize that Yale is a fit for you, or Princeton is truly everything you want in a college—and you truly “fit”—go for it! I am the first to say follow your dreams. I am also the first to say one needs to be realistic, and by not attending one of these institutions you are no less, or setting yourself up for any less success. It's an absurdity to think otherwise.
Ready to begin? Let's start with how so that you can get a timeline in place and start to see progress and understanding in this process from day one.
Note
1
Of course, it's Harvard. An outstanding institution, but not the only outstanding institution and certainly not the best fit for many students.
2
National Center for Education Statistics (December 2012). “Table 5 Number of educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1980-81 through 2010-11”. U.S. Department of Education.
Chapter 1And You Are. . .?
Months: ___________________________________________________________
(Fill in the months for your timeline for each of the first four chapters.)
The process to apply to US universities will involve working through all 12 of the chapters in this book in order. By completing the Milestones in each chapter, you will gain an understanding of why you need to do everything you need to do and how to do it successfully in order to apply to your targeted universities successfully.
A brief explanation of how this guide works: Every chapter will start with an overview of the time period—what this part of the process means for you and what your focus should be and why. This is followed by your Milestones, explaining the tasks that you will need to focus on along the way. Many Milestones will be accompanied by Worksheets, always found within the guide itself and usually at the end of each chapter. You'll always understand why you have to do something and what implications it will have on the process. I'll never ask you to do something that adds no value. If other Resources would help you with any Milestone, I mention that resource specifically by name and most of you will have it in your Library once you complete Milestone 5 on the next page.
This chapter is focused on you and who you are. Most of you would say you already know who you are. I'm not saying you don't. However, I would guess that few of you have ever sat down and really assessed who you are. Have you?
Half of this entire process is learning about yourself and who you are—a form of self-assessment. The other half is accomplishing goals and tasks for the applications such as getting strong grades, taking tests and writing stand-out essays. As you read from the Preface, the US university Admissions process is based on fit. That means understanding who you are, your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, goals and character, needs and interests. You'll then need to articulate how you—through this self-assessment—“fit” into the universities that you've identified that make your List and ultimately that you apply to. By following this process, you can confidently put your best self forward for this next stage in your life, and that will be reflected in your applications to universities.
Have you ever really sat down and worked on this? This is the first and most important step, and the essence of this chapter.
Student Advice
“I would say it's difficult to understand now—it was for me, at least—just how much of an impact getting to know what I really wanted in a university had on me—on my not only finding my fit for universities, but then also being able to show that fit, write really strong applications, and then get in! I didn't realize this was the core of the process. I do want to tell you that you have to be open-minded and trust that this is the way to go!”
—Marisa, Philippines
Milestones will be your drivers. They will dictate everything you do throughout this process and must be followed in order and given due attention and respect. You'll see a list of Milestones at the start of each chapter as well as in your Timeline, which is the first Milestone you're about to complete. Each Milestone is then explained further throughout the chapter—giving you the reason for what you have to do. Your Milestones for Chapter 1 are as follows:
Milestone 1:
Creating Your Personalized Timeline
Milestone 2:
Signing the Agreement
Milestone 3:
Thought Questions
Milestone 4:
Creating Your CV
Milestone 5:
Creating Your University Application Library
Following the list of Milestones at the start of each chapter, you'll have an Overview of this “period” in the process.
Milestones
Milestone 1: Creating Your Personalized Timeline
First, let's set up your timeline for the chapters so you know when you should be doing what throughout the process. There are 12 chapters you need to complete in order to complete the process. You can always refer to the Quick Reference Personalized Timeline Table 1.1 to see the Milestones you'll need to complete in order to get through the process. Your Milestones are addressed one by one in each chapter.
Table 1.1: Quick Reference Personalized Timeline
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Months: September/October (junior year)
Months: September/October through January/February
Months: October through February
Months: February through April
Milestones:
Creating Your Personalized Timeline
Signing the Agreement
Thought Questions
Creating Your CV
Creating Your University Application Library
Milestones:
Self-assessment, Student and Parents
Reviewing the Components of Your Application That Will Be Assessed By Admissions
Understanding How the US Admissions Process Works
Becoming a Strong Candidate
Milestones:
Creating Your Long List
Researching Your Long List
Standardized Testing Plan
Meeting With Your Counselor
Confirming Courses for Rest of High School
Social Media Clean-up
Upcoming Break and Summer Plans
Adding to Your Long List
Updating Your CV
Milestones:
Factors (in a university that are most important to me)
Long List Research Stage 2
EGI: Efforts of Genuine Interest
Look Who's Coming to Town
Confirming Break Plans
Considering Recommenders and How
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Months and Dates: May—June
Months: June—July
Months: August
Milestones:
Moving From Your Long List to Your Short List
Mock Interview
Planning Campus Visits
EGI Progressing and Developing
Standardized Testing: IELTS/TOEFL, ACT/SAT, SAT Subject Tests
Requesting Recommendations From Your Recommenders
Writing Workshop 1
Milestones:
Confirming Your Short List (Again!)
Campus Visits and Interviews
Executing Summer Plans
Writing Workshop 2
Writing Workshop 3, Part 1
Standardized Testing
Milestones:
Registering With Application Portals
Other Universities and Their Applications
Confirming Recommenders
Finalizing Your Main College Essay
Confirming the Universities on Your Short List
Confirming All Requirements and Deadlines
(Re-)preparing for Standardized Testing
Requesting Interviews
Continuing EGI
Writing Workshop 3, Parts 2 and 3 —Organizing and Brainstorming Supplement Essays
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Months: September
Months: October
Months: November
Milestones:
Re-confirming Your Short List
Confirming Requirements and Your Own Application Deadlines for Each University on Your Short List
Confirming Your Early Applications and Schedule
Completing Supplements for Your Early Applications
Filling in Your Applications
Reminding Your Recommenders
Completing Your Interviews for Early Applications
Sitting Standardized Tests
Milestones:
Meet With Your Guidance Counselor
Finalize Writing for Early Applications
Completing Your Common Application
Standardized Testing: Submitting and Reporting Scores, and Retaking
Submitting Your Early Application(s)
Regular Decision Applications
Checking Portals
Milestones:
Check Portals
Determine Internal Deadlines for Each Remaining Application to be Completed This Month
Retaking Standardized Tests
Sending Official Standardized Test Scores
Meeting With Your Guidance Counselor
Reviewing Common Application/Main Application Before Next Submissions
Finishing Interviews/Final Requests
Final Writing!
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Conclusion
Months: December
Months: January to 1 May
Months: July, August & Moving In
Milestones:
Managing “Early” Decisions
Reviewing Your Active “To-do's”
No Stopping Now
Milestones:
Tracking Your Applications
EGI for Deferrals
Regular Application (and ED2) Decisions Coming In and Your Deposit is Due 1 May
Being Wait-listed
Staying Engaged in the Classroom
Saying Thank You to Those Who Helped
Pros and Cons Lists
Double Depositing
Student Visa Process
Conscription
Gap Year
Milestones:
Thanking Others
Choosing Courses
Roommate Questionnaire
Orientation
Arrival on Campus and Departing Parents. . .
Important!
Suggested timeline: I suggest starting this chapter in September of your penultimate year and working through October to complete it (Northern Hemisphere calendar).
As everyone who uses this book will be starting at different times in the process—a different month and week—it's important that you follow the steps below to determine how your own individual timeline will look. Again, this is the basis for the process, and critical: what I start off every family with before we do anything else.
Pacing is critical and by doing it properly you're setting yourself up for success. So, let's get your timeline figured out here to complete Milestone 1.
Please go to the Quick Reference Personalized Timeline in
Table 1.1
.
You'll notice that in
Chapters 1
through
4
there is a preferred suggested date/s. Because everyone is different and will be starting this process at different points in the year, this still gives you the flexibility to go through the entire process but creating your own timeline.
Working backwards from
Chapter 5
—which will be the same for everyone regardless of when they start, meaning that everyone by May/June of their penultimate year of high school (Northern Hemisphere calendar) will be following a very similar timeline. It's getting there that will vary, with some people starting over a year prior, to some starting only a month prior.
Important!
For those of you starting the process after May/June of your penultimate year of high school—and, while not ideal, this does happen for some—you'll need to work in overdrive in those months prior up until the month you begin without missing a Milestone. It is a lot of work but I've had students who have successfully completed it with hard work and dedication.
Student Advice
“I had no idea coming from a French system that I should have started earlier! I started the entire process in September. . . just a couple of months before submitting my applications! I do not recommend it, but if you're in my situation, please be very organized and very determined. It worked out in the end but it was a rough couple of months!”
—Vanessa, Ivory Coast
For example, let's say you are just starting out in September of your junior year as you begin this process. Considering that you'll be working backwards looking at your timeline, which gives you a fixed month of May/June of your junior year, you could reasonably fill in Chapters 1–4 in the following way:
Chapter 1
:
Ideally you're starting and completing this chapter in September/October of your junior/penultimate year.
Chapter 2
:
Starting September/October and working through to January/February. (This chapter will take several months and many of you will finish in October/November and then be able to move on to
Chapter 3
. This depends on you and when I say “through to January/February” I mean that at the latest you should be finishing then, and moving on to
Chapter 3
which, as you'll read below, should be finished by February, ideally.)
Chapter 3
:
Starting around October and working through to February. (Again, this chapter will take several months and can only be done after completing all the Milestones in
Chapter 2
.)
Chapter 4
:
Ideally you're starting in February and working through until April (depending on when you've completed
Chapter 3
).
That leads you to May/June for Chapter 5.
Important!
Southern Hemisphere students: You should ideally be starting this in September/October of your penultimate year—usually year 12. You will finish the process at the same time as those in the Northern Hemisphere but it will be around the time you graduate as you're a semester “ahead” of your Northern Hemisphere counterparts. Keep the months the same as you're all moving along the same timeline with the same deadlines; it will just happen at a different time in your high school career.
Not all of you are in the situation described above, so pace yourselves for those chapters and commit to the process, with some leeway and some wiggle room.
Note:
Chapters 2
,
3
and
4
cannot be done in one sitting or in a week.
Now you'll understand this as you begin. Now you'll need to consider this and make a point of this as you create your timeline, giving yourself ample time to accomplish each chapter.
Please mark your dates in
Table 1.1
.
Now go through this book and at the start of each chapter (including this one, as you've seen earlier) put in the dates that the chapter corresponds to for you. Do this for
Chapters 1
–
4
in the space available.
You should now have a US university Admissions timeline for yourself. Bravo! You'll constantly be referring to it throughout the process, so tab it so that you can easily access and modify it if you have any changes in your dates. Only you will know this and it's important for you to keep track.
Important!
A quick note about Milestones: You will notice that there are specific Milestones referred to in the Quick Reference Personalized Timeline (Table 1.1) and at the start of each chapter. This is work you'll be required to do. Just as with your Biology class, you don't work on genetics prior to mitosis, so you'll only have success by following this sequentially and by doing the Milestones required of you at that stage before you can move on. Do not jump around!
You've just completed your first Milestone. Let's move on to the next four.
Milestone 2: Signing the Agreement
Before I meet with my new families I always ask that they, as the stakeholders in their child's future, and the student herself/himself, review and sign an agreement. The agreement is less a contract than setting the stage for how they will take on this process. It's a commitment by the student and the family to work honestly through this process with dedication and commitment, and to recognize the individuality of the student.
This agreement is also how the student shows commitment to listening to and understanding the advice given in this book, to working through it and completing every Milestone along the way and, finally, to being true to themselves. This is what it takes to achieve success.
Student Advice
“I had no idea what being ‘true to myself' really meant until I really started deciding where I would apply. I guess my advice to you is this: try to understand if what you want right now is coming from you or from somewhere else. I think this was the most important part of the process for me, not being fake with myself.”
—Arun, Bombay
Please refer to the Agreement below.
Family and Student Agreement
The Student's Commitment
I, _____________________, declare that it is my ultimate responsibility to apply to and be accepted into the schools that I choose to apply to and should I not be accepted, it is the sole responsibility of me, the Student. I also understand that all work must be authentically done by me (e.g., essay-writing). Others (i.e., teacher, counselor, parent) are ethically permitted to guide me, provide feedback and offer insight and ideas; however, the work itself must be wholly mine and mine alone.
I understand and commit to being fully engaged, and to take initiative to complete Milestones as recommended, understanding that each Milestone leads to the next and must be done in the strategic order in which it is presented.
I also commit to being true to myself, my needs, my dreams and my own character strengths and weaknesses.
The Parent's/Stakeholder's Commitment
I, _____________________, commit to supporting my child for who she/he is and to helping her/him to find the best-fit university for her/him, regardless of “name brand”. I commit to helping my child understand who she/he is and what she/he is passionate about, helping her/him to find the best-fit program for her/him—and perhaps not what I would necessarily like her/him to do or be, but rather what drives her/him.
Committing to the Agreement
This is an agreement between the following:
Student Name & Date: _____________________
Parent(s)/Stakeholder Name & Date: _____________________
Please also pay particular attention throughout the process to the standards of ethics that students and families are expected to abide by when applying to universities. Ethics play a huge part in this process. Students are expected to follow ethical standards from submitting what is their own work to not saying “yes” to more than one institution (“double-depositing”) once they have been accepted. Following the ethical guidelines of this process will set you up for success—or failure—as it plays at the heart of this very complex system. Crossing ethical boundaries never pays off in the long run.
Important!
A family/student who does not sign the Agreement, in my mind, lacks the intention to commit to this process in full and will manage, at best, a half-baked effort and an unsatisfying result. Don't bother using this book if you're not going to commit to the Agreement and follow through to the end as this is the basis of the process.
Milestone 3: Thought Questions
I ask my students to respond to the questions in Worksheet 1.1 before our first meeting together. While it's a great way for me to get to know them better and be able to ask them more poignant questions throughout the process, it's an even more fabulous way for them to remind themselves just how interesting they are.
About 80% of the time students will go back to a theme they wrote about in the Thought Questions to expound upon in one of their university essays. I've also yet to work with a student who had answered these types of questions about him/herself before. It's a great way to start to recognize your strengths and how you stand out.
