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Secret to university application success
May 30, 2012, Wednesday
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WHAT makes students stand out among piles of applications
IB examinations. Standardized test results. Grades. For secondary school students, getting into university is a numbers game, an endless round of enrichment courses, tutoring and studying, all in the pursuit of the perfect score – or at least the score that will make the cutoff.
With college acceptance percentages at top schools in the single digit, it's easy to understand obsessive studying. The reality, however, is that while students do need good grades and test scores, they don't need to be perfect. Rather, what they need is something that makes them stand out in that pile of applications: a passion.
With good grades and scores a given at the top schools, "the primary non-academic factor that allowed my application to stand out was my community service endeavors," says Stanford University freshman Natasha Weaser.
A 2011 graduate of Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS Shanghai), Weaser volunteered with Heart to Heart for five years, spent Saturdays teaching English to migrant children, and when she was selected to be a Beijing Olympics torchbearer, she turned it into a sponsorship run, raising enough money for three heart operations for children in need.
"It is definitely better to pursue a few passions than to join a myriad of clubs," she adds.
Weaser's view is supported by the findings in "SAT Perfect Score: 7 Secrets to Raise Your Score," which interviewed students with perfect SAT scores. The research showed that these top scoring students all have an interest in something - from music to sports to computers - and that academics are not their whole world. According to the study, these passions allow students to stretch their intelligence beyond the world of academics, and give them a strong sense of identity and self-esteem.
While students who have drive will stand out no matter where they study, it nevertheless helps to study in an environment that supports a well-rounded education. Placing an even emphasis on extracurricular activities and strong academics develops students who perform well across a range of subjects. Combine that environment with a school philosophy that encourages global thinking, like at YCIS Shanghai, and students like Weaser end up with an edge when it comes to presenting their interests and talents in college applications.
In other words, Weaser's commitment to volunteering equipped her to be competitive in life - and in the college process.
But what about UK universities, which generally only focus on academic results? Kai Braubeck, a YCIS Shanghai student who has been accepted to the University of Oxford for medicine, notes that while extracurriculars may not figure prominently in UK applications, passion still does.
"The top schools want to see the passion you have for the subject you want to pursue ... make sure you show this (in your statement), because that 4,000-character statement is the only piece of information the admissions staff have to go on, besides your grade."
In his interview with Oxford, Braubeck was able to demonstrate through extracurricular activities why medicine was the right fit for him.
Braubeck explains that he was deciding between research and medicine, and "felt that medicine had a social aspect to it that I would miss if I was just sitting in a lab. I like engaging with people from all walks of life."
He was able to highlight this by talking about his participation in a student-run play to raise funds for the Home Sweet Home charity, a student-driven initative that arose at YCIS Shanghai.
There's another reason to pursue interests outside of academics, a very compelling one. It's very easy for students, and parents, to forget that college is only the beginning of the journey. In an interview with Johns Hopkins Magazine, Sam Palmistano, chairman of the board of IBM, makes the distinction between what colleges seek and what companies want: "College admissions want to get a diverse class with a lot of students who are different. And IBM wants a diverse individual, not a narrow individual in a diverse environment."
Nurturing fully rounded students may seem like an indulgence - precious time taken away from achieving those perfect numbers - yet the rewards are manifold. Not only do these students have a strong sense of identity and self-esteem, but their passions make them more likely to be noticed by colleges - and more valuable to future employers.
IB examinations. Standardized test results. Grades. For secondary school students, getting into university is a numbers game, an endless round of enrichment courses, tutoring and studying, all in the pursuit of the perfect score – or at least the score that will make the cutoff.
With college acceptance percentages at top schools in the single digit, it's easy to understand obsessive studying. The reality, however, is that while students do need good grades and test scores, they don't need to be perfect. Rather, what they need is something that makes them stand out in that pile of applications: a passion.
With good grades and scores a given at the top schools, "the primary non-academic factor that allowed my application to stand out was my community service endeavors," says Stanford University freshman Natasha Weaser.
A 2011 graduate of Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS Shanghai), Weaser volunteered with Heart to Heart for five years, spent Saturdays teaching English to migrant children, and when she was selected to be a Beijing Olympics torchbearer, she turned it into a sponsorship run, raising enough money for three heart operations for children in need.
"It is definitely better to pursue a few passions than to join a myriad of clubs," she adds.
Weaser's view is supported by the findings in "SAT Perfect Score: 7 Secrets to Raise Your Score," which interviewed students with perfect SAT scores. The research showed that these top scoring students all have an interest in something - from music to sports to computers - and that academics are not their whole world. According to the study, these passions allow students to stretch their intelligence beyond the world of academics, and give them a strong sense of identity and self-esteem.
While students who have drive will stand out no matter where they study, it nevertheless helps to study in an environment that supports a well-rounded education. Placing an even emphasis on extracurricular activities and strong academics develops students who perform well across a range of subjects. Combine that environment with a school philosophy that encourages global thinking, like at YCIS Shanghai, and students like Weaser end up with an edge when it comes to presenting their interests and talents in college applications.
In other words, Weaser's commitment to volunteering equipped her to be competitive in life - and in the college process.
But what about UK universities, which generally only focus on academic results? Kai Braubeck, a YCIS Shanghai student who has been accepted to the University of Oxford for medicine, notes that while extracurriculars may not figure prominently in UK applications, passion still does.
"The top schools want to see the passion you have for the subject you want to pursue ... make sure you show this (in your statement), because that 4,000-character statement is the only piece of information the admissions staff have to go on, besides your grade."
In his interview with Oxford, Braubeck was able to demonstrate through extracurricular activities why medicine was the right fit for him.
Braubeck explains that he was deciding between research and medicine, and "felt that medicine had a social aspect to it that I would miss if I was just sitting in a lab. I like engaging with people from all walks of life."
He was able to highlight this by talking about his participation in a student-run play to raise funds for the Home Sweet Home charity, a student-driven initative that arose at YCIS Shanghai.
There's another reason to pursue interests outside of academics, a very compelling one. It's very easy for students, and parents, to forget that college is only the beginning of the journey. In an interview with Johns Hopkins Magazine, Sam Palmistano, chairman of the board of IBM, makes the distinction between what colleges seek and what companies want: "College admissions want to get a diverse class with a lot of students who are different. And IBM wants a diverse individual, not a narrow individual in a diverse environment."
Nurturing fully rounded students may seem like an indulgence - precious time taken away from achieving those perfect numbers - yet the rewards are manifold. Not only do these students have a strong sense of identity and self-esteem, but their passions make them more likely to be noticed by colleges - and more valuable to future employers.
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