Late Deadlines

 The  Jan 01 Deadline has come and gone and hopefully you have completed  your applications.

 Chances are that you still have a few left.
 There are many strong programs with  late and rolling deadlines.

 
Jan 15:

•  Washington University in St.Louis
• Case Western Reserve  University
• Clark University 
• Rensselaer Polytechnic

February 01:

• University of  Michigan - Ann Arbor
•  Worcester Polytechnoc Institute
•  University of Wisconsin - Madison 
• Ohio State University - Columbus

Rolling:

• University of Pittsburgh
• Penn State University 
• Michigan State University

Dont Panic

 2 Days left for the big Jan 01 deadline. Dont Pan - many ezcellent universities have  Jan 15 or Feb 01 deadlines.
 Washington University, Case Western Reserve University and  Michigan  are thr first that come to mind  but ther eare  more.   Keep reading for details.

Last mint minute advice

 Her s some last minute advice before you click on the submit buttom.


 1. Proofread   Make  sure you do not   eliminate yourself with silly errors. 

2.  Do a word count on all your essays. Be under the  word limit for al essays.If its not specified stick to under 250 words.
3.  make sure questions are answered correctly . Its easy to make stupid errors. Some applications ask you to rate how likely are you to change your major on a 1-5 scale.  Dont make it seem as if you are  fickle minded and very likely to change when you   have only one real interest and have even written your essaays on this.

4. stay calm
5.    take a print out or save the form as a pdf file for your records.

The Supplementary Essay

The Supplementary Essay

 The supplementary Essay aspect of the Common Appication is one of the most feared  parts of the application and chances are  it is the part you have been putting off until the last minute possible.  Many schools have a "Why us"  essay requirement   But now it is the last week and you need to get that essay  done. 

 Here are my tips

 First    be specific. Dont copy and paste things. Even if you are applying to  10  universities.  

Talk about  your interests and  how they complement/ fit the  university. Mention names, if  you have visited the campus - talk about it, it need not be flattering- you can say that " even though the dorms look like dull concrete blocks-  I could sense a real feel of community and belonging"Mention people by name  if thry have  any connection tio the university.

   Make sure the  reader gets a good idea of who you are and how you can fit in.     Accepting a class of students is much like  creating a team.  The admissions department  wants people from different majors, clubsm hobbies  and  passions,   They want someone who will be a  computer geek, a  sports jock, an easy going artist, a political activist, even a class clown.

 By portraying yourself as realistically  as possible  - they can see if you  fit the university team.

 Read this  post on The Optional Statement  from the  Tulane University  to get a feel of an admission officers perspective.

 

 

One week left

ONE Week

There only a week left to get your applications in.   That means about 100  working hours.


 Even if you are a serious procrastinator by now you need  to have  asked for recommendations and    done some basic research on universities


 This is what you need to get done in the last few days:

1.  Finalise a list of universities to apply to. Select   5 to 10.  2 or 3 should be  aspirational where you know you probably wont make it but there is no harm in being optimistic. 2-3 are realistic and 1or 2 are safe.
2.  Start the common application.
3.  Write your common ap essay
4.  Start writing supplementary essays for each college. Many essays are the " Why  this college" type of essay. Avoid the copy/pate temptation.   You need to  write individual essays that are focused on each school.
5.  get your recommendations confirmed for the schools you are applying to
6. click submit on the applications. remember to take print outs  for your own reference  before submitting. You  can recycle in April.
7.  Now wait - focus on enjoying the remaining part of the school year.  
8.  Admission responses come in  late  March /Early April. 

Dartmouth College

Founded in  1769 , Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges. It is the smallest member of the Ivy League and with just over 2000 undergraduates  Dartmouth  has the feel of a small liberal arts campus , rather than a major research university. Dartmouth College is comprised of the undergraduate arts and sciences and engineering departments and four graduate programs, which include the highly ranked Tuck School of Business, Thayer School of Engineering and Geisel School of Medicine.Dartmouth functions on a quarter system, operating year-round on four ten-week academic terms. The Dartmouth Plan (or simply "D-Plan") is an academic scheduling system that permits the customization of each student's academic year. All undergraduates are required to be in residence for the fall, winter, and spring terms of their freshman and senior years, as well as the summer term of their sophomore year. The professors at Dartmouth are among the leaders in their fields, yet they remain fully committed to teaching. Even the most senior professors teach first-year courses. 
 Dartmouth is ranked  #11 among universities and also scores highly on   rankings of student life. and has an acceptance rate of 11%..
 Apart from the Common App  essay , Dartmouth requires the following:

1. Please respond in 100 words or less:
Oh, The Places You’ll Go is one of the most popular books by “Dr. Seuss,” Dartmouth Class of 1925.  Where do you hope to go?  What aspects of Dartmouth’s curriculum or community might help you get there?
 Do your resesrch before writing this. try to reach out to   current students ( especially if they come from the same school as you).
2. Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250-300 words:
A. Shonda Rhimes, Dartmouth ’91, creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, recently documented her Year of Yes; for one year she vowed to say YES to everything that scared her. Share a moment when you stepped out of your comfort zone, and describe how it helped you grow into who you are today.
B. Celebrate an example of excellent teaching and how it illuminated the subject you were studying. Why did it resonate with you and excite your intellectual curiosity?
C. In the wake of World War II, Dartmouth President John Sloan Dickey proclaimed, “The world’s troubles are your troubles…and there is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix.” If you could tackle any of the world’s “troubles,” which one captures your imagination and inspires you to act?  What would you invent or devise to mitigate it and how might your coursework at Dartmouth inform your ambitions?
D. “It’s not easy being green” was a frequent lament of Kermit the Frog. Discuss.
E. “Three things in human life are important,” said the novelist Henry James. “The first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” Share a moment when kindness guided your actions.
F. “Won’t you be my neighbor?” was the signature catchphrase of Fred Rogers ’50, the creator and host of Mister Rogers Neighborhood. What kind of neighbor will you be in our undergraduate community at Dartmouth? What impact have you had on the neighbors in your life?

 
.

Vanderbilt University

 I have already mentiomed vanderbilt in my list of Elite Universities and good choices for Early Decision Applications. Vanderbilt is a highly academic, top ranked ( #15)  university in Nashville, TN. It is  often referred to as "the Harvard of the South".
 Vanderbilt has an ezcellent liberal arts  college of arts  and Sciences and strong pre-professional programs through its graduate schools.
 Vanderbilt is comprised of 10 schools and colleges covering disciplines from the humanities to music to engineering. Among its graduate programs are the top-ranked Peabody College of Education and Human Development, which also offers undergraduate programs, and the highly ranked Owen Graduate School of Management, School of Engineering, Law School, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. Vanderbilt is also well known for its undergraduate Blair School of Music, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center is ranked one of the best in the nation.
 With around 12,000 students Vanderbilt  gives one the feel of a big university yet is personal enough that a student never feels lost. Classes tend to medium sized and  student- faculty  interaction is amongdt thre highest of any university.
  Admission to /vanderbilt is amongst the most selective with an acceptance rate of just 12%.
 Vanderbilt requires a "Personal Statememt" essay along with the common app.
 The key to this is make it truly personal.  The reader should have learned something about you  after reading it. Also connect yourself to the university in some way - by academic interest, club activity or  even a love for  Nashville and country  music.