Mitchell Lipton Dean of Admissions and Records and

Mitchell Lipton Dean of Admissions and Records and Registrar Cooper Union For The Advancement of Science and Art

Today’s Presentation: Searching for the colleges that best “fit” your needs and the parts of a college application

How to search ? Begin early-don’t wait until December of Senior Year-this could limit your options Use variety of sources (guidance counselor, family, guide books, internet, Naviance, teachers) How many college should I ultimately apply to?

What questions should I be thinking about as I search? • • Location (NE, SE etc. ) Setting (urban, suburban, rural) Weather Size (>2, 000, >7, 000, etc. ) Co-Ed/Single Gender Religiously Affiliated Majors Extra Curricular Offerings

The Next Step-The College Visit • Can be costly, ask colleges if assistance is available • If still too expensive, visit schools in local area to get a sense of urban, suburban, rural colleges

The College Visit-Questions to Bring • • Get general feel from billboards/flyers Ask actual students questions Faculty access outside of office hours Weekend/After Hours scene Food Support Services/Advisement/Tutoring Ask yourself honestly: Do I feel comfortable in this environment?

More of what to look for/ask • • • Retention rates Graduation rates Internship opportunities How many students work after graduating? How many go off to graduate school? What kinds of graduate school?

Questions?

How does a college admissions office work? • Charged with creating a class comprised of a mix of students based upon institutional needs • Athletes, musicians, writers, students in government, researchers, volunteers, socially/environmentally conscious, boy scouts, tutors, etc. .

The Components of a College Application • • Actual application (most students apply on-line, some schools waive fee for applying on-line) Fee waivers available from most colleges High School Transcript Standardized Test Scores Essays/Writing Samples/Supplemental Work Extra Curricular Activities/Resume Letters of Recommendation

• High School Transcript (most important factor for most colleges) • Strength of program of study • Trends • Anomalies • Performance overall • Course selection relative to college plans • Questions?

Standardized Test Scores • How much are they used by admissions offices? • SAT I or ACT (how many times should I take them? ) • SAT Subject Tests (required by the colleges I’m applying to? ) • AP Scores (credit, discrepancies) • Regents Exam Scores (Regents vs. Class Grades) • Questions?

Essays/Writing Samples/Supplemental Work • Tips: make personal essay personal, tell us a story, tell us something not apparent in your app • What did you learn from experiences? • More Tips: answer question directly, check spelling, grammar, punctuation • Most Important Tip: Remove Cornell from essay when applying to Cooper Union • Questions?

Extra Curricular Activities/Resume • Start by writing everything down: babysitting, working in parent’s store, research, sports, volunteer activities, etc. Explain gaps. • Anything has the potential to be significant • Quality over quantity • Leadership involvement • Questions?

Letters of Recommendation • How many? • From whom? • Like essays should tell a consistent story about you • Something unique not apparent in rest of application • Questions?

Special Applicants/Preference: • • Alumni Athletes Musician Friend of donor Racial/Gender/Academic Geographic Socioeconomic

Closing Thoughts: • Research every college to validate requirements • Things can change year to year-don’t rely on hearsay • There is always more than one college that fits your needs • There are many paths to get to where you want to go • Define success for yourself