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!