This is the second of three required posts for The Gatekeepers. Respond to the topic below using two full paragraphs and two quotes from the book to support your thoughts. Remember to fully explain each quote and to cite it with the page number.
Topic 2: One of our goals in reading this book is to learn about the college process before you submit your applications this fall. This book gives you the inside scoop on college admissions from the do's and don'ts of essay writing to which grades and scores matter most. What did you learn that surprised you about the admissions process? What did you learn that you know will help you this fall as you complete your applications? Did you learn anything that you wish you'd known 2 or 3 years ago? Why?
Type your response in the comment box below.
I learned quite a bit about the process.There are a lot of aspects that can go into the outcome of your app.Some parts may not even be your fault.The person whose reading your app has the power and they can be influenced by outside things.
ReplyDeleteQuotes to help give examples of what im saying:
"Morcover,when considered as a whole, the various,backgrounds of the Wesleyan admissions officers were judged to be a critical ingredient in creating a class that was diverse as possible"(pg62).-"The right Fit"
"Over the course of two days,the admissions officers were told, they would consider 97 of the 356 students who applied early"(pg94)-early doesn't always mean "set in stone".
There is a lot of aspects like if you the "right fit".You should also have a pretty good relationship with your admissions officer because its one of the only things you can do to tip the scale in your favor.Just because you apply early does not mean you will get in.I also learned that i should apply even if there is a doubt in my mind because the thing is even though person A might be the same as person B,they both have a 50/50 chance of getting into the college.
While reading this book I learned that it is very important to have a good relationship with your high school guidance counselor. Your guidance counselor is like your personal advocate to many of the colleges that a student applies to. Many college admission officers look to many college counselors to seek assistance for having the right student apply to their college.It benefits the student when their guidance counselor can be their advocate and let colleges know that they could be agreat addition to thier college community. Another great tip is that when writing your college essay BE YOU! On page 38 Ralph had mentioned “if you’ve got something you want to write, [and] then write it the way you want”. I think that it is important for as a student to know that because it does get over whelming when trying to right a college essay and sometimes it could be hard to go about writing it.
ReplyDeleteThis book also let me know that the admission officers have the upper hand in deciding who is capable of attending their college and as a student it is my task to showcase to them the type of person I am in and out of school. Ralph had said “next to each of the officers, initials were three numbers that he or she had assigned –an academic rating, personal rating and overall rating [ …..].This was the part of the process where the admissions officers sought to impose a bit scientific rigor on themselves. Each rating was on a scale of 1-9” (pg.95). Overall this book help me to learn that as a student I do the best that I could do to represent me and my grades while applying to all the possible colleges of my choice and that I leave it in the hand of administrators to decide if they want me to attend their school.
The book confirms my knowledge of the college application already. The college counselors such as: Mrs.Sanborn and Ms.Bharucha are your managers when it comes to the application process. They are the ones that scout out colleges that would most likely fit you and give you advice on what steps to take when approaching them. They are also your representatives, so when a college administrator is in a position where they want to know more about the student they would look to the college counselor to give more positive details about the student. Every college administrator has to deal with hundreds of students and so some are stricter than others. One of the things that I did learn reading this book is that "Dartmouth makes very few decisions because they fear that cliques among the admissions officers could cloud the merit of the students.
ReplyDeleteOne strategy I'm considering that will help me for this fall is to make sure that my personal essay is more about myself. Becca is the best example to use because it was honest and she spoke on her experience eating a "pot brownie", (pg.41). I learned in that story that college administrators are realistic and accept imperfect students. I feel a lot more comfortable about my college application process now because I know that I'm not the perfect idol for a student because I have a bad habit of procrastinating, but when I approach the job I do it to my fullest ability. A couple of things I wish I had known about college applications 2 or 3 years ago was that they look at all of your grades in your high school career. Also, I had no idea of what a GPA was and how it worked and what I needed to do over the summer to make my college applications look good. My hope is that the upcoming students at MATCH get an early start and get educated on it more than I did.
I knew that the college admissions accept early applications because that shows the dedication of people as well as other characteristics. “Those who applied early were often a self-selecting group-their test scores, for example, were usually higher than those in the regular pool” (91). The people who apply early with good or better grades have a chance to being accepted to colleges. I also know that college admissions officers want the questions on the application to be the truth as well as describe myself, not my uncle, cousin, or aunt.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that certain colleges have different ways on how they select students. At Wesleyan, “it took five votes to be admitted….the committee would wait to see the other applicants to Wesleyan that year, to better assess how this candidate measured up”(90). It takes a lot to consider what makes a student a candidate and if they are up to colleges standards. Colleges have standard and some people can/can’t live up to it.
I learned that I need to make the deadlines on applications because they are so critical to my education. I also learned that colleges categorize applications by early application, late application, or if the applicant has a relative at the school. When applying to colleges in the fall, this book is my guide to not falling into the habits of the people on the book, but rising over and getting my grades and deadlines in order.
I wish I had known that my grades from freshman to early senior year can be seen by the college admissions board. I would have put much my thought and effort into my work earlier so I can be a perfect candidate for the colleges I apply for. I also wish I had known about only a few people out of hundreds get accepted because they have high testing scores and are outstanding in their work so I could have strive to be the best of the best in school.
As I was reading, I learned that a lot of colleges “had a similar ranking system, varying only in the scale” (pg. 95). Applicants were usually ranked by three admission office people on a scale, in this case for Wesleyan college on a scale of 1-9. I learned that if applicants were to receive a rank of 6-7 then they most likely would not be admitted to that college. Also a student’s SAT scores and their involvement in the community/school clubs had a huge effect on whether or not they would be admitted into the college of their choice or not. A student’s grades are not the only reason that matters during the application process. I had also learned that “there is a wide variation among colleges on how much to rely on committees to make admissions decisions” (pg. 94). Colleges such as Dartmouth and Stanford do not rely on the committee as much as Harvard because they don’t want a committees’ opinion to oversee the actual effort of a student.
ReplyDeleteAfter getting a deeper look inside the admission office experience I will make sure I become more involved in my community or school. I will also make sure to keep my grades up because some colleges will also be a taking a look into senior year grades as well, to make sure that student’s are keeping their grades up throughout their whole high school career. What I wish I had known 2-3 years ago were the median scores for the SAT’s. I realized they matter a lot and there are certain requirements that need to be met as well in an applicant’s SAT scores as well as their grades. Lastly I learned that colleges that ranked higher in the U.S had to live up to their high standards and expectations to maintain a top college. “the more applicants Wesleyan rejected in April, the more impressive the editors at U.S News would be” (pg. 92). Meaning many top colleges including Wesleyan like to satisfy many news stations and would do anything to keep up with the fame of their college. Overall, I have learned that it’s important to make sure I maintain good grades to better my GPA and get more preparation on the SAT, so the next time I take it I will do much better. I also want to make sure I am able to impress the admission office with my performance and effort so they will accept me and I can be a part of a great college.
while reading this book, a lot of hints were given that could help people completing their college process. one of them was given when "becca went through eight drafts of her own essay before she had a version thats satisfied her as well as her parents and sharon"(43). this type of dedication will help you reach a better essay because the more changes made to a essay will increase the universal understanding of the general idea because more than one person has read it. you should also be honest and tell a story that separates you from everyone even if you are taking a risk by sharing it with everyone. Beccas story on "pot brownies" separated her from everyone but it also could've been taken two ways.
ReplyDeleteAnother lessoned learned is more people will vouch for you to be rewarded instead of punished by sharing such a edgy story. while sharon expressed a concern that the story would be taken the wrong way, mr. sal wrote "a letter to the colleges describing the facts of the situation and that he would use those facts to make the argument that becca should be celebrated not shunned"(43). the stories that are most interesting to you will stand out to others because they are not generic and that would tell the admissions office that they are admitting someone that will bring new life to their facility. while i was writing my essay I knew this lesson i just wished that i took it more serious than i did. i feel like my essay would've been a lot stronger if i had started a lot earlier and did more drafts and allowed people to read it and be open to suggestions.
I didn't really learn anything that i didn't previously know.Although I didn't learn anything I can adhere to a few things that were mentioned. Apart of getting into college is having a strong grade point average and having a exceptional SAT score .These are two things that I can control right now. Usually your first semester grades go into our grade point average so conquering your classes and asking for help when its needed is always wise and not only helping you but others as well. As for the SAT you can retake the skilled based test.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many may not be strong in these two particular areas there are other ways to lure the admissions officers in.One way in which you can do so is by writing an exquisite college narrative about yourself.I know that your college essay is one of the most important pieces to your essay primarily because it sows the admission counselors who you are as a person and what qualities and traits you can bring to their college.As J-Rave mentioned earlier Becca decided she was going to discuss her experience with her first "pot brownie"(pg. 41).When I read that I was saying to my self that's the most straight forward piece/idea she could come up with. I actually wanted to laugh. It actually shows her perfectionism which is not bad,but at least they know it wasn't a made up experience. The only thing I wish I would've known my freshman or sophomore year was the importance GPA. I would've liked to known that because your grade point average ultimately helps you getting into particular colleges you could have the best SAT score and essay,but be denied because your grades are weak.
I already knew what was needed in order for you to successfully succeed in applying into college and to being a strong candidate for a spot in the community. Colleges look for many things such as extra-curricular activities. Not many students can say that they participated in any of those. But Colleges look for a student who is well rounded. They don't want to accept all of the same type of students. When accepting students college admissions are usually "...creating a class as diverse as possible"(pg.62)
ReplyDeleteColleges want students who have strong GPA's, strong SAT scores, good recommendations and the student who did not just waste there free time. Each student that is accepted is a separate ingredient that the colleges believe they need to make the perfect entree. They want their school to be "diverse"(pg.62) but they want their school to be diverse in the "...broadest definition of the word"(pg.62) Through out the course of being educated about different colleges and what they are "looking for" and also from this book. I have learned that colleges want to accept the student who is going to stand out and make a difference in any way possible at their school.
What ive learned about the admissions process is that the person who is reading your essay looks for you to talk more about yourself than your story. Also they are looking for how it changed you as a person or what you learned and how your grown from it. secondly the admissions also look for students of different races, they want students of different divercity to make their school more dirverce. For example "moreover, when considered as a whole, the various background of the wesleyan admissions officers were judged to be critical injudgement in creating a class that was as diverse as possible, in the broasdest difinition of the word." pg 62. This was very new for me because i didnt know that divercity was of great impotance to collages and its interesting to know because i come from a very diverce family.
ReplyDeletelastly collages also take in to great account students GPA's as well as their SAT and SAT2 scores. "the admissions officers knew, should be more valedicatorians,more students with high SAT scores, more science majors, more bassoonists, more infielders and more students of color than others" pg 63. GPA is taken into great account, but sat scores seem to be takeing into account more. Collages seem more interested in your life goals and what you plan on taking out of their collage. This was interesting to me because students can take the sat's as many times as they want to raise their scores, but with their Gpa it takes longer. overall this was good imformation for me to know as a student when looking into collages.
The early admissions is somthing I already know about the college process,the book just made it clear. I know that there is a deadline for early admissions. The early admissions would be read by two admissions. I didn't know that "Wesleyan,like Tufts University,Emory and a small but growing number of other colleges, had recently begun offering this second chance at binding early admissions"(p.58). I would like to know more about that.
ReplyDeleteHonestly This Book did not tell me Anything that i did not know about the application process. Except that the Admissions office Has to Chose less then half of the applicants that applied to their college."Over the course of two days,the admissions officers were told, they would consider 97 of the 356 students who applied early"(pg94). But i wonder if its like that for all colleges you pick less then half.
ReplyDeleteI learned many things about the college admission process. One was type of relationship a student should with thier guidance counselor. One was about the type of content that is risky in a college essay,such as when becca decided to write about the brownie incident,"After considering a number of alternative, Becca became convinced that she had to tell the story of the brownie"(pg 41).
ReplyDeleteJohn S. said...
ReplyDeleteI learned a few different things about the college process. There are many deadlines for applications, and those are the most important during the college process. There are thousands of students that apply to colleges and administrators choose who gets accepted. Besides a good application, administrators look to "...creating a class as diverse as possible"(pg.62). In other words, everyone has a fair chance at getting accepted.
Also, colleges look at learning about students besides their educational career in terms of GPA's and SAT's. It states, "the admissions officers knew, should be more valedicatorians,more students with high SAT scores" (pg.62). Overall, I learned that the college process is a long and difficult process but can be overcome through time and hardwork.
Secondly in other thing that i learned abou the college admission process is the relationship between the student and the counselor. In the book,Figueroa had a great relationship with the film buff mig. Another thing i learnde was about diversity, since colleges love having certain ethnic backgrounds in their school."but ralph become more somber when he told Mig that he knew of no other native American student at Weslyan"(pg.53)
ReplyDeleteVICTOR said...
ReplyDeleteIn this book i learned a lot about the college process. The deadlines, the early decissions, the GPA stuff, all these things were reallt turbulent to me, but now they are set at stone. I learned that early decissions dont mean there is a greater chance of getting in it just means that you will receive a quick decission back not a definet spot tho."Over the course of two days,the admissions officers were told, they would consider 97 of the 356 students who applied early"(pg94) The smallest amount of a big group are considered, but the whole thing is in the power of the College admissions officer.
The GPA is one of the most important aspects of the college process, if i knew about the GPA in my freshman year i think my decissions to settle for some low grades would have been diffent and the effort to do the best i can would have been on a higher level then what it is now."The admissions officers knew, should be more valedicatorians,more students with high SAT scores, more science majors, more bassoonists, more infielders and more students of color than others" [pg.63]. The GPA is important but a lot goes into the rocess and there isnt really much power for the applicant in those firleds because there just already set and done.
While reading this book I have come to learn some new interested things about applying to colleges and stuff that they are interested in, So i would know what and what not to send in my application. I have learn that the relationship with the people who helps us with are application needs to be good and strong. I had also learned that colleges also look at the extra-curricular but most of the stuff I already know.
ReplyDeleteI have learn that if I mange my time well and fill out and complete my application and keep my grades up I will do fine. I wish have learn that every year matters so I would have got higher grades in my freshman and 10 grade year so my GPA could be higher.
I learned that the admissions officers worked towards the goal of diversity not only academic preciseness. I was under the impression that schools looked for the smartest students or those who were or close to valedictorians. "Each officer stared into the admissions pool and looked only for a reflection of him- or herself, as admissions officers were, in fact, sometimes wont to do, then the class that the group selected would be diverse by default" (62). This also shows me how hard officers actually work to decide which students should be allowed in.
ReplyDeleteWhat also surprised me was how very important the SATs actually are. I honestly just thought everyone was blowing it out of proportion. "It usually took a student a score of at least 1400 on the SAT for an applicant with less than an 8 or better in the overall academic category would likely be sent before committee for debate" (96). Knowing this actually makes me want to retake me SAT and aim higher, because I do want to be a competitor in the admissions officers' eyes in whatever school I apply to.
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ReplyDeleteDuring reading this book I understand many different aspect of the college admissions process and many important things like GPA, having a good relation between students and guidance counselor, how it is important to be yourself as you write. Many colleges want to see the student with a high GPA but that alone does not get the student into that college, that was one thing that I was surprised about because it shows that colleges wants to see the person behind the numbers . Colleges look at clubs one has been in and stuff they do outside of school because they want to "...creating a class as diverse as possible” (pg.62).
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned that will help me this fall is having a good relation with my guidance counselor because they are the one who talk to the colleges about us and also help with the process. The counselors are the one who can show the colleges your good side. Building a relationship with them is only a good thing also will befit one in many ways. One I learned that I wish I would had known 2-3 years ago was to write like how I am because in school they are rule and ways for writing that there wasn’t room for freedom in one’s writing “if you’ve got something you want to write, then write it the way you want”(pg.38). I think that this skill would have befitted me in many ways towards my college letter.
While reading this book i realized that colleges admitions offices do not only follow up with the students grades, but also with the way that person expresses themselves within the school. Aggie Ramirez was an honor student until her senior year where her grades hurt, but her school leadership prevailed. Ralph Figueroa, the person who read Aggie's story and is a part of the college admitions at Wesleyand University, saw that her grades plumded senior year, but saw how well of a positive leader she was in her school, Oldfield. Joining all of the activites her school has to offer, Aggie explored, socialized and learned. Knowing her grades were incorrect of who she truly is, Ralph was anxious to know more about Aggie and how to help her with her pursuit to success.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to learning about the college admitions, I saw what sort of student a college looks for. Colleges want to see students who are resposible and aware. As I read, Aggie says, "my past semester grades would be classified as unbecoming of a Wesleyan student" (pg 141), which shows awareness of herself and her responsibilities. This is an important skill to have when going into college because it portrays you as mature and a person that has their priorities straightened. Someone that colleges and universities can rely on academically or with anything outside of school. This level of maturitity and responsibility is what will take you the distance and this reading shows that.
As i was reading i learned that “if you’ve got something you want to write, then write it the way you want”(pg.38). Before i was not aware that you could write about anything you want. i always thought that the colleges had specific questions for you. i think this is really great because then students are able to show who they really are.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me was “Those who applied early were often a self-selecting group-their test scores, for example, were usually higher than those in the regular pool” (91). I thought that those who applied early only did because they wanted a good chance of getting in. I now understand what a GPA really is and how important it is for me to keep it as high as i can.