Seasons Greeting and Last Minute Advice

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to  all my readers.

 With just a week left , here is some last minute advice

1. Do not Copy/Paste  your  supplementary essays.   Many follow a standard  " why are you  interested in your major and why at our university?"  prompt.
 spend 15 minutes on each universities web site and look up a few details unique to  each school.

  A copy/paste essay is quite easy to spot and it   only serves to tell the admissions team that you are being lazy and do not  want to spend a few minutes to  research the school.  A sure way of   getting rejected.
2. Do not apply to too many schools.  15 should be your upper limit. Count multicampus  institutions as  UC as 1 for simplicity.

  everyone involved in college  applications is looking forward to a long weekend on Jan 1-3.
 I hope yiu take some time to relax and I mean really relax before resuming  your regular life.



 Wishing  everyone a happy new year in advance.





 

Princeton Application

 Princeton  is arguably the best University in the USA. It is consistently ranked in the top 3 along with Harvard and Yale.   However Princeton is more focused on undergraduate education   than  them.     Princeton  is centered around a  strong    liberal Arts and Sciences core. with most classes taught as seminars.



 Admission to Princeton is extremely competitive with an acceptance  rate of only 7%.


 Princeton also uses the common application but has a    comprehensive supplement.
 The essays you will need to write are:
 1. Activities- Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (Response required in about 150 words)
2. Summers - Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (Response required in about 150 words.)
3. Your  Voice- In addition to the essay you have written for the Common Application, please write an essay of about 500 words (no more than 650 words and no less than 250 words). Using one of the themes below as a starting point, write about a person, event or experience that helped you define one of your values or in some way changed how you approach the world. Please do not repeat, in full or in part, the essay you wrote for the Common Application.
1.Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way
. 2. "One of the great challenges of our time is that the disparities we face today have more complex causes and point less straightforwardly to solutions." Omar Wasow, assistant professor of politics, Princeton University; founder of Blackplanet.com.
 This quote is taken from Professor Wasow's January 2014 speech at the Martin Luther King Day celebration at Princeton University.
 3. "Princeton in the Nation’s Service" was the title of a speech given by Woodrow Wilson on the 150th anniversary of the University. It became the unofficial Princeton motto and was expanded for the University’s 250th anniversary to "Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations." Woodrow Wilson, Princeton Class of 1879, served on the faculty and was Princeton’s president from 1902–1910.
 4. "Culture is what presents us with the kinds of valuable things that can fill a life. And insofar as we can recognize the value in those things and make them part of our lives, our lives are meaningful." Gideon Rosen, Stuart Professor of Philosophy, chair of the Council of the Humanities and director of the Program in Humanistic Studies, Princeton University.
5. Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay.





 The way to answer such an open ended prompt is to first  make a list of  your accomplishments and characteristics you want to showcase - especially those that Princeton  values.


 Focus on intelligence, perseverance, accomplished and ambitious. Select incidents, or accomplishments that showcase thes qualities and  write a narrative around them .  Princeton attracts a lot of students from privilaged backgrounds and  if you fit that category, it ids important to show that  you are aware of your status and are interested in helping those less fortunate.   Do talk about  your social service work or volunteer efforts.

Johns Hopkins Application

Johns Hopkins  University is a major research University  located in Baltimore. It is considered to be  the first research university in  the USA.

 While  Johns Hopkins is best known for  its school of medicine and health science    programs. the core Arts and Sciences programs are also very strong.  JHU also has well regarded schools of  Engineering, Business and international studies, the latter being located in Washington DC. Johns  Hopkins is consistently ranked in the top 20 Universities. and is a  Reach  program for most students.

  JHU uses the Common App  and has  a fairly standard supplementary essay prompt:
 Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 on a spirit of exploration and discovery. As a result, students can pursue a multi-dimensional undergraduate experience both in and outside of the classroom. Given the opportunities at Hopkins, please discuss your current interests—academic or extracurricular pursuits, personal passions, summer experiences, etc.—and how you will build upon them here.

 A great resource on the Johns Hopkins Admissions site is a set of Essays that worked with notes on why the admissions team liked them

 As  you can see , a good Essay explains what your goals for college and JHU in particular are. You should give an insight into experiences that shaped you  and how you will be able to contribute to life ( both academic and  socialO) on the JHU campus.

Early Decision Results

 Early Decision and Early action results are  being released  this  week.
Some of you
ill no doubt be   celebrating as you got an offer letter from your dream  school.
 You don't have much to do but pay your deposit fee and start thinking of how  you could spend your summer in a meaningful way. Please resist the urge to  tease your classmates .


 If like most students, you did not get an acceptance letter,  the first step  is take a deep  breath.
 Its  not the end of the world.  Sit with your counselor  and analyse  your application for weaknesses.
 Now  start to look at    universities that   could be classified as "realistic" or "safety".

 Your common ap is already done, just look at the  supplementary essays and  make sure you devote enough time to  them.

some of you  may have been accepted  at a safety school option that you applied to in Early Action.  Now its time to focus on your sett of reach  universities.


 I am available for a quick analysis of  options. You cam use your free call to figure out  the list of colleges to apply to. email clearskyeducation@gmail.com



 I

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Cornell application

Cornell is an ivy league University located in  Ithaca, New York.
Cornell has a vast range of majors and academic opportunities. This  breadth stems from  its founders  mission statement.
"I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study

Cornell  is divided into 7  component college with  the college of   Arts and Sciences  and College of Engineering accounting for  most undergraduates.  While Cornell has an excellent business school ,  it dies not offer an undergraduate program.  One of the unique programs is the school of hotel  Dministration. 

Cornell is known for its extremely diverse student body which means every student can usually find a club or social group they identify with .


 Like most universities Cornell also uses the common application.

 The supplementary essay   depends on the undergraduate college  you apply to:
 Here are the prompts for Arts and Sciences as well as Engineering:
 College of Arts and Sciences: Describe two or three of your current intellectual interests and why they are exciting to you. Why will Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences be the right environment in which to pursue your interests?

College of Engineering: Tell us about an engineering idea you have, or about your interest in engineering. Describe how your ideas and interests may be realized by—and linked to—specific resources within the College of Engineering. Finally, explain what a Cornell Engineering education will enable you to accomplish.

Notre Dame application

 The University of  Notre Dame i s arguable the best Catholic school in the USA.   It is  Located in South Bend, Indiana, about an hour a half from Chicago, it is considered to be one of the most scenic campuses.
 Notre Dame has strong undergraduate programs in the Arts and Sciences, Business and Engineering.
  rather uniquely , the architecture program in housed in a separate college.
 Notre Dame  fosters a very strong school spirit  partly centered on its  renowned football program.

 there is a strong sense of social responsibility and the  Mendoza busines school even stresses the importance of   "doing good in business".

Please provide a response between 150 and 200 words to the following question (required).

·         What excites you about attending Notre Dame?
Please select two of the following five prompts and provide a response between 150 and 200 words to each. 

·         Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, served as a trusted adviser to U.S. presidents and popes. A champion for human rights, Fr. Hesburgh was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Reflect on the current state of civil rights, the progress that has been made, or the problems still being faced today.·         What question fascinates you? Tell us why.

·         What’s broken, and how would you fix it?

·         Blessed Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, described education as “the art of helping young people to completeness.” How are you incomplete?

Identify a recent Facebook post, Tweet, text, Instagram photo, Snap, blog post, or WeChat post of yours. What does it reveal about you and your digital footprint

Emory Application

Emory is a  highly ranked private research  university in the  Atlanta  area. It is one of the oldest  research institutions in the country.  Emory is a research university  built around a strong school of Arts and Silences. Emory also has strong professional  law, business and medical programs.

 A unique component of Emory is  Oxford College, a small  liberal arts campus about 50 miles away from the main university. Oxford college is a two year residential program after which students complete their studies on  the main Emory campus.

 The Emory Supplement is as follows:

 In addition to the Common Application's Personal Statement, applicants to Emory University are required to compose an answer—500 words or less—to one of the following essay options:

Essay Option 1
Last August, Susan Grant, chief nurse executive for Emory Healthcare, said this of Emory's choice to treat patients with Ebola: "We can either let our actions be guided by misunderstandings, fear and self-interest, or we can lead by knowledge, science and compassion. We can fear, or we can care." Consider her idea of doing what is in the public interest despite potential cost. Please discuss an example in your life or the life of another that's come to your attention.

Essay Option 2:
In the spirit of Emory's tradition of courageous inquiry, what question do you want to help answer, and why?

 Keep in  mind that the Emory Mission statement revolves around teaching,  fostering creativity  and research, and  service  to humanity.

University of Southern California( USC) Application

USC is the oldest private research  university in California.


Most students are enrolled in the  college of Arts, Letters and Sciences which provides a strong  Liberal Arts education. USC also has very strong undergraduate programs with in the  Viterbi School of Engineering and the Marshall  school of  Business.




USC is also uses the common Ap

 The Supplementary questions are as follows:

1. USC students are known to be involved. Briefly describe a non-academic pursuit (such as service to community or family, a club or sport, or work, etc.,) that best illustrates who you are, and why it is important to you. (250 word limit)
2. Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections (250 word limit).
3. Describe yourself in three words. First Word:

Second Word:

Third Word:

     4. Favorite food:

     5. Favorite fictional character:

     6. Greatest invention of all time:

     7. What do you like to do for fun?

     8. Role model:

     9. Favorite book:

    10. Best movie of all time:

    11. Favorite musical performer/band or composer:

    12. Dream job:

 These questions seem straightforward but try to give the admissions team a feel fpr your personality  in thes answers.