It's the stories, not the test scores.
It's the stories, stupid.
This is one of the biggest secrets that I share in my guide to elite college admissions.
Students are doing it COMPLETELY WRONG. They focus on the WRONG STUFF - stuff like an extra 40 points on the Math section of the SAT; 3 more AP tests; joining another language club at school.
It's ALL WRONG.
Here's why:
Students don't put themselves in the shoes of admissions officers and application readers.
Admissions committees review TENS OF THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS. There are thousands of valedictorians and salutatorians. Hundreds of perfect 2400 SATs. Thousands of national award winners in every sport, subject, or hobby.
Regardless of how successful you are - there are people who are far more successful.
What does this mean for your chances?
It means you need to stop focusing on the small things. You need to PUT YOURSELF INTO THE SHOES of people who ACTUALLY MAKE DECISIONS.
Here's the big secret: Admissions Committees love hearing stories. They love KNOWING EACH CANDIDATE'S story. They want to understand a candidate's passions, fears, hopes, and dreams. No student does this well - they focus too much on promoting scores and successes, not on relating to the readers.
So stop worrying about your SAT! Focus on activities that develop your passions. Focus on essays that describe how your experiences have made you who you are, not on just talking about your most impressive accomplishments.
YOU DON'T NEED TO BE WELL-ROUNDED. IT DOESN'T HELP. It's the biggest lie about college admissions.
It's about depth over breadth. That's the best college admissions advice I can share with you.
In future posts, I will go into the details about how to build these stories. But the simple secret is - stop worrying about your SAT. It will never get you into Harvard or Princeton.
It's the stories, stupid.
This is one of the biggest secrets that I share in my guide to elite college admissions.
Students are doing it COMPLETELY WRONG. They focus on the WRONG STUFF - stuff like an extra 40 points on the Math section of the SAT; 3 more AP tests; joining another language club at school.
It's ALL WRONG.
Here's why:
Students don't put themselves in the shoes of admissions officers and application readers.
Admissions committees review TENS OF THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS. There are thousands of valedictorians and salutatorians. Hundreds of perfect 2400 SATs. Thousands of national award winners in every sport, subject, or hobby.
Regardless of how successful you are - there are people who are far more successful.
What does this mean for your chances?
It means you need to stop focusing on the small things. You need to PUT YOURSELF INTO THE SHOES of people who ACTUALLY MAKE DECISIONS.
Here's the big secret: Admissions Committees love hearing stories. They love KNOWING EACH CANDIDATE'S story. They want to understand a candidate's passions, fears, hopes, and dreams. No student does this well - they focus too much on promoting scores and successes, not on relating to the readers.
So stop worrying about your SAT! Focus on activities that develop your passions. Focus on essays that describe how your experiences have made you who you are, not on just talking about your most impressive accomplishments.
YOU DON'T NEED TO BE WELL-ROUNDED. IT DOESN'T HELP. It's the biggest lie about college admissions.
It's about depth over breadth. That's the best college admissions advice I can share with you.
In future posts, I will go into the details about how to build these stories. But the simple secret is - stop worrying about your SAT. It will never get you into Harvard or Princeton.
About the Author:
Running out of time on your college application? Hopeless To Harvard is an insider's account of how a B+ student got into Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. Click here to learn last-minute tips. Go to Harvard and Stanford now!
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