Education Articles from College Matching Service

Preparing yourself for college entrance is not so easy. Every student wants to get admittance into the college of their choice; however, very few get accepted into their dream college. There are few basic problems that create hindrance during easy college acceptance. Either they have not taken the proper course, or haven’t got involved in extracurricular activities or haven’t done enough research to prepare themselves for college entrance.

Presently, the college-bound student experiences the most competitive and the toughest admission than ever. Let us now discuss few things that are essential while preparing yourself for college entrance.

Grades: Grades are the most crucial factor that helps a college to decide whom to accept or whom to reject. For example, if you apply to an engineering college, and don’t get excellent grades in science and math, you will not get college acceptance. Through your grades, colleges want to see whether you have the capability of taking on the workload of your school. If colleges don’t check it before, you may face a tough time while gaining acceptance.

Take Up Proper Classes: Some students take solid college preparative curricula during their high school days. However, if you wish to prove yourself as a hard worker, try to take higher level courses. Honors classes are possibly offered at your college. Try to find out the requirements and register in few classes. The increased workload of an honors course will certainly help in the preparation for college entrance. Some colleges also offer additional incentive for achieving high marks in honors courses. Check and find what your university or college offers.

Involve Yourself In Proper Activities: Some students have numerous activities listed on their resumes. You can involve yourself in several activities, but always stick with those activities that will appear impressive to your college. Academic organizations that show leadership would be better choice compared to Drama club or Chess club.

These are few basic things that you must do while preparing for college entrance.

Almost all the students try to stand out when applying for a collage. Naturally, with hundreds or thousands of students applying to the same collage, you will have to make your application special. The following are some tips that will help you to stand out with your application.

• Take dual enrollment courses: There are some classes offered at the local community college for high school where you can also take college credit. You can either avail these classes during or after your high school days or even during the summer holidays. Figure out with your counselor if you can opt for such classes. The admission officer can never ignore such efforts.

• AP/ IB exams: Taking the classes are not enough, you also need to take the tests. In fact, even if you fail to score high, the admission officer will praise your initiatives. Thereby, taking these exams will help to prove your efficiency and hardworking.

• Signing up for Calculus: In case you are opting for science and have done well in previous math courses during your high school, try to opt for Calculus. Many colleges consider that students taking this subject are willing to take up a great challenge.

• Be a member of the National Honors Society: In case you meet the GPA requirements always try to join this society. Almost all the colleges love to take students who are involved in such a reputed academic club.

• Write a quality essay: Many students make a similar mistake of writing the essay just before their deadline. Try to avid this. Take time to think over you essay. You can take the help of your teacher or parent’s creative response. Ask them to read your essay and give their opinion. Avoid spelling or grammatical errors.

• Show off your talent: In case you have any special talent, make sure to mention it in your application. You can also submit your portfolio, CD or DVD to the admission officer. Most of the colleges have several extra curricular activities and prefer enrolling students with special talents.

Applying to colleges? Confused and scared? Don’t be! A lot of information might just end up baffling you. Instead of finding out everything to do, you might be better off if you simply know what not to do. So here’s what you should not do during college admissions.

1. Don’t wait to get started. The earlier you begin your research of colleges, the better your chances of getting a grasp on the process. This will give you a head start over other candidates. You will have more time in hand to sift through the available information and make well thought-out choices.
2. Don’t ignore research. Online research is the best way of finding out what options are available to you. There are hordes of websites providing information on colleges, courses offered, scholarships, eligibility criteria and even career opportunities. Make the best use of the information.
3. Don’t procrastinate. If you put off work till the last minute, you might never realize when the deadline has slipped by you. When you like a college and want to apply there, do so immediately. Missed opportunities always leave behind an unsatisfied individual.
4. Don’t delegate your work to someone else. Friends and family might be willing to help you out, but the best and only person who can ensure an admission, is you. So fill the forms and write your own essays. Reviewers can instinctively feel which forms have been filled with external help, and these applicants almost always fail to get their acceptance letters.
5. Don’t get bogged down by the pressure. Yes, there is tremendous pressure on students applying to college, but rest assured that it will not be the end of the world if you make a mistake. Keep your options open and have a back-up plan. You will have the opportunity to find the right place and also rectify any mistakes you might have made.

Make a little bit of serious effort about your college admissions. The rest has a way of falling in place.

While applying to a university or college, you are competing with students coming from different schools all over the world, each having their own grading standards. The college admission officers evaluate these applications and require some sort of tool in order to compare students from various backgrounds. This is the main reason why colleges turn to standard admission tests.

Examinations such as ACT and SAT may cause pressure since they measure the performance of the students on a single test; however this works to the benefits of the students. Standard scores do not leave room for interpretation.

Steps to Take Before Exam

If you take some small but important steps before your exams, you will be able to arrive alert and relaxed in your examination hall.

• Know the location of your examination. Some students, who do not register early, may be assigned a test location far from their home. Ensure to print out and review the direction if required. You must keep enough time in your hand in case you face any delay.
• Have a good sleep before your exam. Arrange your eraser, pencil and admission ticket before going to bed. Wake up early in the morning and have a strong healthy breakfast.

Tips To Prepare For Your College Admission Tests

You can do many things beforehand to do well in your college admission tests.

• You must do research on the examination. This will make you feel confident and you will be able to give your college admission tests successfully. If you know about the various sections beforehand, you may save your valuable time while giving the college admission test.
• Complete your practice tests in order to prepare for college admission exams. If you are planning to sit for SAT exam, try to solve a few sample papers on math and verbal section. This will help you to a great extent while sitting for the college admission tests.
• Give attention to the types of questions that trouble you more and continue your preparation accordingly. If you have completed early and got the easy questions incorrect, cut down your speed and go through the questions more thoroughly. This strategy will enhance your chances of selecting the correct answer in a proper manner.

After your high school years, life becomes quite difficult because entering a college through college admission tests is not easy. There are different types of college admission tests available, and PSAT is one of them. It is a type of practice test which help students to determine their positions and the amount of preparation they require before sitting for the SAT exam. This can help them to form a general idea regarding how question are framed, what are the expected questions and whether the exam is difficult or easy for them. Students sometimes make big mistake in believing that since they qualified PSAT exam, SAT exam will also be similar and they need no preparation for it.

The Basics Of PSAT Exam

The PSAT exam is basically made up of one writing session, two math session and two reading session. Questions are mainly multiple-choice, except for writing portion. Students get a little more than 2 hours to solve the papers; however, not every student takes that long to solve all the paper.

Twenty-five minutes is provided for the reading session, which involves determining relationship between words, vocabulary and critical reading. During the reading session of the PSAT exam, make sure to read every section carefully. If you hurry through this part of PSAT test, your score may get lower which will hamper your easy college admission.

The writing section involves thirty minutes where students have to answer multiple-choice questions that involve finding grammatical errors, poor sentence structure and finding mistakes. You can prepare well for PSAT writing section exam by consulting PSAT study guide.

The math section takes 25 minutes approximately, and consists of statistics, geometry, graphs, algebra and word problems. You can enhance your performance on PSAT math section by brushing up your math skills with the help of PSAT preparation guide.

The lowest score on PSAT is 20 and the perfect score is 80. Your mind will improve with practice over time; hence, if you want to get easy college admission, start with PSAT preparation beforehand. You will find tapes, courses and study guide on the Internet that will help you to increase you PSAT score needed for college admission.

Early enrolment is a scheme under which a college admits students who have completed their higher school education. Under this scheme, people you can enroll your name to the college earlier than usual. Early admission in most cases requires an amount of donation.

This is not affordable for most people. Some are of the opinion that early admission hampers the quality of students who are entering college. While in case of regular admission, only a group of meritorious students get chance for studying. In case of early admission, the merit level of the students drop down and so is the level of study.

Early enrolment is meant for students who are emotionally prepared for college education after their high school. There are certain criterions which determine the student’s entry into the college. They are the following:

a) Higher School Certificate: The students should have their certificate of secondary education. The certificate is required when they take admission in the college. The certificate and the mark sheet must be produced in original when seeking college admission.

b) Other Academic Records: The entire academic records of a student are required at the time of admission. This includes their secondary results as well. The school has a specific norm and students are admitted as per their merit.

c) Recommendation Letter: There should be a letter of recommendation from the counselor. The recommendation letter should contain signature of at least one instructor.

d) Statement for selection of college: There should be a written statement in which you have to mention the cause for which you want to join the organization.

e) Fees: The amount of fess varies for every college. During admission, you need to deposit a certain amount of money with the college along with your tuition fees.

Early admission is a scheme under which a college admits students who have completed their higher school education. Under this scheme, people can be admitted to the college earlier than usual. Early admission in most cases requires an amount of donation.

This is not affordable for most people. Some are of the opinion that early admission hampers the quality of students who are entering college. While in case of regular admission, only a group of meritorious students get chance for studying. In case of early admission, the merit level of the students drop down and so is the level of study.

Early admission is meant for students who are emotionally prepared for college education after their high school. There are certain criterions which determine the student’s entry into the college. They are the following:

a) Higher School Certificate: The students should have their certificate of secondary education. The certificate is required when they take admission in the college. The certificate and the mark sheet must be produced in original when seeking college admission.

b) Other Academic Records: The entire academic records of a student are required at the time of admission. This includes their secondary results as well. The school has a specific norm and students are admitted as per their merit.

c) Recommendation Letter: There should be a letter of recommendation from the counselor. The recommendation letter should contain signature of at least one instructor.

d) Statement for selection of college: There should be a written statement in which you have to mention the cause for which you want to join the organization.

e) Fees: The amount of fess varies for every college. During admission, you need to deposit a certain amount of money with the college along with your tuition fees.

Some students feel that early enrolment is not beneficial for meritorious students. They do not get a chance for admission since he seats are already blocked by candidates who have taken early admission. Since the number of seats is limited, few students who get the privilege of early admission emerge as winners.

Career Affected: The careers of the brilliant students are adversely affected by early enrolment. A student is only able to make a bright career by selecting the right branch of study. The students do not perform well if they fail to get the subject of their choice. This results in poor professionals who are incapable of handling their jobs.

Certain techniques to avoid: If you want to avoid these, then you have to select a college where the admission procedure is not like this. Some colleges like Harvard and Pennsylvania are trying to close down the early admission of students. They have also decided to get rid of that scheme as well. This, if done, would benefit the students very much.

Requirements for fair admission; The most vital thing which counts the most is the marks. A student with god score gets anywhere he or she likes. If he can produce a mark sheet with a brilliant academic record, then getting admission in any college So if you have a brilliant academic record, there are high chances of getting admission.

The meritorious yet not so affluent students: People who take early admissions are generally flushed with money. For these students, those coming from the poor circle suffer a lot. In most cases, they cannot take admission and so are required to go elsewhere. There, they may choose a different subject, and not the one of their choice. This makes them uneasy and they cannot concentrate on their studies. If these students are allowed to make a choice of their papers, then the result will be good. Better professionals would be produced and people will get an efficient hand to solve their problems.

There are some students who want to take transfer from other institutions. They are called transfer students. The rules which have been devised for these students are somewhat different from the other rules, meant for the regular candidates. The rules for the transfer students who want to take early admission are the following:

Time of admission:

In most of the colleges, admission is accepted throughout the year, especially during fall, spring or summer. This depends on the necessity of the college and the number of seats which are to be filled up. Some students prefer the onset of winter as the best time for admission, while others prefer summer months. If you get your mark sheet, then you can easily get admission at the time of your liking.

Catalogues from previous institutions:

You will also require producing catalogues from the previous institutions. It is required in the date of admission. Along with the catalogue, you have to give the fee for admission. It varies from college to college. Within a few weeks, the college notifies the student whether he has got the seat or not. The entire application process is smooth and transparent.

Transferring Credits

The students who have taken a transfer are required to meet the chairperson of he institute. He discusses some of the most common problems which the student faces when he/ she takes transfer. The Registrar will make thorough evaluation after the completion of the admission process (in case of transfer students).

For example, if a student takes a transfer from a 4 year institution, 90 credits are required.

• The number of credit requirement is 60 for a two-year institution
• A grade is accepted only in the first part
• Grade D is also accepted but in some cases, the students getting grade C is preferred (grade C is greater than grade D).

Although the major focus of any college is academics, spending your time only for studies can be tiring, and may exhaust you mentally. Every school has several extra curricular activities; involving yourself in those activities can bring huge benefits for you, and can provide you experience in numerous social roles. There is no doubt that extra-curricular activities play a major role during college admission. But how will you choose the perfect activity that will make your college admittance easy?

Tips to Choose Extra-curricular Activities:

• Start by selecting your focus. Ask yourself: which subjects you prefer in school? Which subjects have helped you to earn awards in the past? Like many individuals, you may have numerous interests; however, it is crucial to choose the main ones. You may have interest in three broad categories: media and arts, humanities; and technology, science and math. Try to choose just one category, and dedicate yourself to it. Then select few activities where you took part during you high school days.

• If your school has many clubs, choose the one that fits you best. Some students may join the chess club or the science club, some may join the speech or debate club, whereas some students may prefer to join the art club or the school literary magazine club. If there is no club in your school, ask your principal whether you can start a club so that students can take part in extra curricular activities that will help them to get college acceptance easily in future.

• Colleges prefer to see a community involvement, hence if you get time, be sure to start volunteering. Some students may want to volunteer at an animal shelter, a nature center, a zoo, a science company or a research lab. Others may want to volunteer at a library, a history museum or at a literacy organization. Some students may show interest to volunteer at art galleries, local theaters, and dance schools. The work of volunteering will be counted as extra curricular activities, and will help them a lot while filling up college applications.

There are several ways by which your college application can get spiced-up. List of extra curricular activities do play a crucial role to get admission into your preferable college. Hence you must select your extra curricular activities wisely so that you can get admission into a good college easily in future.