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U.S. University Application Process
Yang ZhuAlbert Campbell Collegiate
Institute Yale University
Topics Self-introduction General Timeline The SATs! Academics and Competition Extracurricular activities Volunteer experience Summer Activities Recommendations Essay Interview
Self-introduction
Shanghai, China (14 years) Toronto, Canada (4 years) United States Prospective major: Math and Economics at Yale
University
General Timeline
Grade 9-10 Participate in as many activities as
you can Make friends, have fun Self-discovery—find out who you are
and what you want Academics—take courses that are
challenging and interesting
General Timeline (cont’d) Grade 11
Discover what your major interests are
Take the SATs—SAT I and SAT IIs Decide on which universities to apply
to: Research, research, research! Time management—balance your life Maintain your grade!
General Timeline (cont’d) Grade 12
Finalize your school list Application essays Application forms Recommendation letters Interviews
SAT SAT Reasoning Test
Critical Reading, Math, Writing Resources—where can we get the books we
need SAT Subject Tests (2-3)
Math and sciences Foreign languages Social sciences Which ones should we choose?
SAT College Board
Research the requirements for SAT I and SAT IIS
Self-study the knowledge that is not covered in school
Choose an SAT II test that is a) something you are good at or b)something you will study in university; ideally, these two should overlap
Academics and Competitions
A challenging course load AP courses Essay Contests DECA competition Science Contests Math Contests
A challenging course load Don’t take a course because it’s
easy; take it for its content and future value
Don’t limit yourself too early; explore all the areas you can
Try to take higher level courses if you think you can handle the academic challenge
AP courses Advanced Placement courses 37 courses and exams available Sharpen your problem-solving
techniques. Develop the right study habits for
university You can self-study AP courses and
register through www.collegeboard.com to write the official exam
Essay Contests The Royal Commonwealth Society, annual
essay contest http://www.rcsint.org/essay/
Dominion Institute-- Great Canadian Questions Essay Contest http://www.greatquestions.com/e/
And A lot more! Try “Canada high school essay contest” on
Google if you are interested in more essay contests
DECA competition Based on different areas in
business, but anyone can participate
Oral/written exams Participated by thousands of high
school students in Canada www.deca.org
Science Contests Sir Issac Newton Physics Contest
http://sin.uwaterloo.ca/ Canadian Chemistry Contest
http://www.cheminst.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/2762/la_id/1.htm
National Biology Competition http://biocomp.utoronto.ca/
Math Contests AMC, AIME, USAMO
http://www.unl.edu/amc/ COMC, CMO
http://www.math.ca/Competitions/COMC/ Euclid, Fermat, Cayley
http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/ Kangaroo Math Contest and Tournament of
Towns by University of Toronto http://www.math.toronto.edu/oz/turgor/kangaroo
2.php
Extracurricular activities Do what you like and like what you do Do what you are good at, but also
participate in activities that will help you improve your weaknesses
Don’t be afraid to try new things It’s not about what you do; it’s about
how you do it and what you can learn from it
Time management
Extracurricular activities Student government Yearbook Committee Academic groups
(math/science clubs, etc.) Peer Tutoring Drama/performance groups
Volunteer experience
Many organizations are always looking for volunteers
Charities, girl guides/boy scouts, hospitals, school libraries
Try to find something that you are interested in/passionate about, and see if there is anything you can do as a high school student
It doesn’t matter where you volunteer or who you work for, it’s why you do it, and how you do it that matter
Summer Activities Summer camps Internship/job Volunteer abroad Study for the SATs!
Registration/application for summer activities usually end before May, so start looking as early as you can!
Rural China Education Foundation
RCEF takes an integrative approach to rural education.
Focuses on developing teaching methods that make rural education more relevant to rural students' lives, more well-rounded, and more enjoyable.
www.ruralchina.org You can volunteer as a long-term volunteer for
our projects (fundraisers, translations,etc) or you can apply to participate in our summer volunteer program
Recommendations Get someone who knows you, and
LIKES you! It doesn’t matter how famous the
person is Length is not as important as content Requirements can vary, make sure
you prepare the right ones for each school
Essay One of the few steps in the application
process that you can carefully work on Present yourself as who you are Show the universities what is important
to you, what changed you, and what made you the person you are today
Edit very carefully. Ask someone who knows you (your teacher, counselor, friend, etc.) to evaluate it for you.
Essay (cont’d) Essays that are too long tend to cause
readers to lose interest. Use proper English; no msn language, etc. Start brain storming as early as possible
(Gr.11). Ask yourself—who am I and what do I want?
Why do you want to go to this school? How does it meet your special talents and interests?
You know yourself the best; therefore, believe in your own writing!
Interview It’s not mandatory It is randomly assigned
Good interview skills are not only useful for applying to universities in the U.S., they are also crucial for applying to scholarships in Canada
University interviews Bring a copy of your resume Dress appropriately according to the
setting (Starbucks=casual, office=business casual)
Read over your application to that school, make sure your answers are consistent
The one question that will always be asked—Why did you choose our university? Make sure you know the answer for that
My 2 university interviews University of Pennsylvania
Starbucks 80 minutes, current professor at University of
Toronto Found a common interest to talk about Was very nice and gentle
Yale University Office 50 minutes, currently a lawyer Found common interests and common life
experience to talk about Was very nice, but asked a few sharp questions
Scholarship interviews Most scholarships require at least one
interview. It’s very hard to prepare for interviews, but
not impossible if you know yourself very well. The day before interview, take an hour to
think about your experience, interests, ambitions, accomplishments, failures, and why you did the things you did
Dress appropriately! (business casual for most)
Stay calm and composed.The interviewers only want to get to know you more.
My scholarship interviews Phone interview
Talk slowly, and cover all details since the interviewer can’t see your body language
Individual interview Look at your interviewer in the eyes when you talk
Group interview (several students Vs. one interviewer)
Don’t interrupt others when they are talking Be friendly, yet firm and confident Answer all your questions clearly and carefully; this
might be your only chance
Scholarship interviews (cont’d)
Lunch interview Eat carefully, because you will have to talk through the
whole thing! Usually quite low-stress due to the setting
Panel interview (one student Vs. many interviewers)
Usually used at the final stage Make sure you cover all the questions raised by all
interviewers Don’t get nervous! They just want to know you better. Show them who you are, but don’t argue with your
interviewers. Usually the hardest of all types of interviews.
General tips for interviews
Stay calm! Know who you are and why you want
the scholarship (or a certain university) Don’t seem unsure about your answers Arrive on time and dress appropriately Take time to think if you get a tough
question, make every answer count!
A Few Things to Keep in Mind…
Be true to yourself. Be true to others. Consistency is very important no matter what you are applying for.
Manage your time wisely. Use university as a stepping stone to success,
not as the definition of it. Relax, no one is perfect. No matter how busy you are, don’t ignore your
friends. They will pick you up when you fall. Never limit your options; Always believe in
yourself.
Resources www.collegeboard.com www.collegeconfidential.com www.princetonreview.com www.google.com!!! www.ruralchina.org www.tpl.toronto.on.ca The official websites of various
universities
Resources (for essay writing)
http://www.ups.edu/x470.xml http://www.virginia.edu/
undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html http://www.sparknotes.com/college/
admissions/page21.html http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/
features/2001/mar/010326.essays.html http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/
essays.htm
END.
Thank you!Good luck with your
applications!
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