Making sure you are a good college fit
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With Year 13/Grade 12 students currently approaching the end of their studies at school, many are looking forward to embarking on the next stage of their education at colleges and universities around the world.
While there are many similarities in what institutions around the world are looking for in an applicant, there will also be some differences due to the fact that different countries around the world have different systems of university education.
For instance, students in the UK usually specialize in a subject area (such as law or biochemistry) right from the start of their studies and will therefore need to demonstrate to the person evaluating their application, often a subject specialist, that they have the academic knowledge, skills and potential to be successful on their chosen course.
Extra-curricular activities and work experience will be taken into consideration, but students must demonstrate how these activities relate to their proposed course of study — in terms of knowledge and/or skills.
In other countries, such as the US, it is common to take a range of subjects before specializing after two years of study, and students should see themselves as applying more to an institution, rather than to a particular course. Students applying to the US will therefore need to demonstrate to the admissions officer evaluating their application that they are a good “fit” for the institution.
As well as providing evidence of your academic achievements, which includes grades, strength of curriculum, and admission test scores, you will need to give the admissions team an idea of who you are as an individual, via a college essay, list of extra-curricular activities and letters of recommendation. When writing the college essay, you should ask yourself not “what does the admission committee want to read” but instead ask “what is it about me that I want to be sure colleges know?”
According to the 2017 NACAC State of College Admission survey, an additional top factor for international students to consider is English proficiency. A greater proportion of colleges rated the essay/writing sample as being of considerable importance for international applicants, because of the additional confirmation of English skills that the essay provides.
Most US universities consider the composition of the freshmen class as a whole in order to ensure that a diverse group of students with a variety of academic and extracurricular interests will enrich the campus experience for everyone. What individual qualities can you add to campus? It’s worth remembering that depth may be more important than breadth when it comes to extra-curricular activities.
It’s less important for you to have done lots of different activities than it is to demonstrate that you have shown commitment to a few activities that are meaningful to you.
Wherever in the world you are thinking of studying, the following attributes will make you a strong undergraduate/freshman candidate: the ability for genuine independent study; a willingness to experiment and take risks, intellectually and creatively; the ability to show initiative and to approach problems creatively and a willingness to ask questions.
If you are applying to study for a particular program, course or major, such as mechanical engineering, it is essential that you demonstrate an interest in, and engagement with, the subject you propose to study beyond the limits of the curriculum.
Universities are looking for students who can take on board new ideas and run with them. You could consider the following ways of developing your knowledge: read around your subject; visit museums, galleries exhibitions; find relevant work experience and take an online course.
Resources such as FutureLearn, iTunes University and Coursera have hundreds of free courses that may either ignite your interest in a subject area, or develop an existing interest.
The Khan Academy website (www.khanacademy.org) provides free online classes and resources for a number of subject areas, including math, science, economics, humanities and computing, as well as content from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum and NASA.
Read newspapers and relevant journals; watch TED talks or look up your subject area on YouTube and listen to relevant Podcasts.
You should be engaging critically with what you are reading/watching/listening to, so record your thoughts on the extra work you are going to do. Consider keeping an academic journal, detailing what you have read/done to extend your subject knowledge.
The key question to ask about your additional “super-curricular” work is “What did I get out of it? Where did I take it?”
Finally, university offers should be seen as a match to be made rather than a prize to be won.
Instead of matching yourself to a university, try to pick a university that matches you.
A good question to ask is what qualities and skills does a university look for when considering applicants? Is there a “mission statement” on the university website, and does it align with your outlook, interests and values?
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