Thanks for the overwhelming response to the last post. I have received many comments and queries for advice. If I have missed out on replying to any of you, do drop me another email and I shall revert immediately.
Here are a few more tips for students in Class XI who are aspiring for admission into American colleges. Hope these too would be beneficial for you all.
Read as much as you Can
This is a good habit anyways! In the context of your college application, it would help in improving your SAT performance, giving you more ideas for your essays, and ofcourse, improve your grades at school.
Grades do Matter
While colleges shall take a holistic look at your application, please remember that your courses and grades will feature at the top when they consider your application. In case your have not done well in Class IX and X, your current grades would be even more important, so make sure your concentrate on school work as well. If you have done well earlier, do not slacken as it would be hard to explain why your grades have come down. A higher class rank also shows better achievement.
Your College List
Start browsing the web to do your research on colleges. By the middle of next year, you would need to narrow down on the colleges you intend to apply to so use this time proactively to check out various categories of colleges, their specialities, whether they offer the areas of study you might be interested in, their competitive index, any location preference you might have, et al. Also make note of the admission requirements of the colleges you prefer so that you can start working towards satisfying these before you apply next year.
Don’t waste Vacation Time
Colleges would look at how you have effectively utilised your vacations, whether it is through an advanced program of study, or participation in an extracurricular activity, or a part time job to acquire some skills. Please note that taking up tution classes is not something that you would ideally like to report on your application so think beyond regular school prep work. Don’t waste your vacations idling away at home or with friends.
I am currently working with 23 candidates to help them with their college application process. In case you need help as well, do drop me an email.
All the best through the rest of your journey!
Nirmal Agarwal
nirmal@stanfordalumni.org
nirmal.agarwal@apexindia.org
If you wish to subscribe to our periodic advice and suggestions newsletter, do drop in an email to collegeprep@apexindia.org with the following details:
Your name:
Your current school:
Year in which you passed Class X:
Board & % obtained in Class X:
Your Email ID:
Your Telephone: