Here is what the colleges want. Getting into college depends primarily on items one to three but it is items five through seven that will get you in. It is how you stand out. It is how you present yourself. When you apply for a job, no one will hire you because of your grades, you will be hired because of how you presented yourself, how you came across. So, the employer can feel good about you in front of his customers.
Colleges want to see how you will come across with fellow student who are customers of the college. So, concentrate on one activity in high school and become good at it -- a sport, club or volunteer work -- and be a captain or an officer because it shows leadership. Show evidence of work experience -- a lot of admissions people on colleges look down on students with no work experience because they themselves had to work. So, they want to see that you got your hands dirty. So, get a job, working at a donut shop or working for nothing on a job that relates to your passion or go to this website for great ideas on volunteer work. Of course, your essay should be about something you know better than anyone else. One of my students wrote about his little red pencil that he used throughout high school to underline or circle words and ideas that helped him determine what was most important to him and what he needed to focus on, the theme of the essay being that we all need a little red pencil in our lives. His essay was simple in vocabulary, positive in tone and very original in content. Of course, letters of recommendations are good but you want your recommendation letter to stand out with a story written about one character trait that the writer can demonstrate such as your positive attitude, your generosity or your persistence. The objective is to give the colleges what they want so that you can get what you want.
For free videos on the usual ways to get into college and the easy ways to pay for it, go to the website at the bottom of the screen. I am the videocollegedad, I am Paul Hemphill.
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