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GPA Test Prep College Admissions

Top 3 Tips to Help You Start to Prepare for College Admissions

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes to every aspect of our lives, from how we socialize to how we learn, and of course, to how we need to prepare for college admissions. If you are still unsure about which path to take on your college admissions journey, don’t worry – you’re not the only one.

 

While we don’t have the superpower to predict the future, Team Insight has been keeping a close monitor on the latest college admissions news and making projections that can help keep your options open as we gear up for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle.

 

Now, let’s dive in!

 

Insight Advice #1: Provide Positive Data (as much as you can).

 

A solid GPA, a progressively challenging curriculum, and well-written college essays – all of these are considered positive data about yourself. College admissions offices want to see that you can handle the academic work, but they also want to get to know you. What are your values? How do you spend your spare time? What are you devoting your time to during the summer?

 

In addition to GPA, academic profile, college essays, extracurricular activities, and awards, another positive data you can provide on your college application is test scores. A strong ACT or SAT score adds value to your college application, even for test-optional schools. In 2021, more than half of the applicants chose to submit their test scores. From the data, those who included their test scores have a higher chance of acceptance. Approximately 60% of the students who applied for Rice University submit a test score. Of the students accepted by Rice University, 80% submitted an SAT or an ACT score.

 

Insight Advice #2: Stay Informed. Prepare Ahead.

 

While we are uncertain whether test-optional admissions policies will continue, what you can do is research thoroughly into the school of your choice. Stay informed about their testing policies. Check the admissions website and their emails to see if there are any changes in test-optional policies. Most importantly, don’t wait till the last minute! It takes time to prepare for the ACT or the SAT, so plan enough time for test prep.

 

Read more: How to approach standardized testing this summer

 

At Insight, we use the term “relative to your peers” as a guide. What does it mean? In the case of testing, if your friends are planning on taking the SAT or ACT in the fall, it may be a good idea for you to take the test, too. When the admissions office evaluates your college application, they are comparing you to those similar to you, such as your high school’s graduating class. In addition, if you are applying to a competitive school or program that may have many applicants with test scores, you should also prepare for the ACT/SAT.

 

Need help improving your SAT test scores? CLICK HERE to see our summer programs

Taking the ACT instead? CHECK OUT our ACT summer boot camps

 

Insight Advice #3: Research. Research. Research.

 

The biggest 2021 college admissions trend we’ve noticed at Insight is the rise of virtual sessions. Learning about your potential school is now as easy as tapping a few keys. Attend virtual college tours. Ask your questions at virtual info sessions. Use different websites to gather information about a school of your choice. At Insight, our counselors guide students to conduct college research starting in May or earlier, and we continuously revise their list with them.

 

Read more: How to conduct virtual college visits?

 

Another trend that has been accelerated during this time is more students are applying to selective schools, which leads to decreasing acceptance rates. For example, the acceptance rate at the University of Pennsylvania in the 90s was 39%; the acceptance rate in 2021 for UPenn was 9.9%. So be practical when building your college list. Remember, every college on your list, even your safety school needs to be a school you can see yourself in.

 

Read more: Why is it important to find your Best-Fit college?

 

Concluding Thoughts

 

Even if your top schools remain test-optional, remember that test scores may still be required for scholarships or other funding opportunities. During transitions like this, you want to remain flexible and keep your options open. This may mean spending part of your summer doing test prep, but the upside is that you will not be scrambling to take the SAT or ACT at the last minute. Keeping your options open may also mean joining a virtual tour of a college you have not heard of, but you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. As always, we are here for you! Reach out if you have any questions!

Top 3 Tips to Help You Prepare for College Admissions

 

 

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Why It Is Important to Find Your “Best Fit” College

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Warren Buffett (Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway). George Lucas (creator of “Star Wars”). Larry Page (co-founder of Google). Jerry Jones (owner of the Dallas Cowboys). Arnold Schwarzenegger (former Governor of California, movie star). Oprah Winfrey (media executive, former talk show host, actress, etc.).

 

What do all these people have in common? You might be thinking that they are all extremely successful and some of them are even billionaires. That is correct. But what you might not know is that while they are all extremely successful, another commonality is that none of them earned an undergraduate degree from an Ivy League school.

 

Insight #1: It’s more important what you do at college, not which college you attend

Warren Buffett graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  George Lucas graduated from USC (but first attended Modesto Junior College).  Larry Page graduated from the University of Michigan.  Jerry Jones graduated from the University of Arkansas.  Arnold Schwarzenegger graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Superior (but first attended a community college, Santa Monica College).  Oprah Winfrey graduated from Tennessee State University.   

 

With college decisions being released and high school seniors deciding where they will go to college, it’s important to remember that what matters most is not what college or university you attend, it’s what you do while you’re there.  Regardless of what college or university you attend, the most important thing is that you excel at whichever of the thousands of institutions of higher learning you decide to attend—whatever that means to you.  It’s important to take advantage of internship or work opportunities, to make connections with your classmates and professors, and to attend your classes and do as well in them as possible.  Also, college is an amazing time in life—in addition to building up your resume, remember to have a little fun.

 

Insight #2: Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond

Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond, rather than the other way around. In other words, if you attend Harvard, you are going to be one of thousands of students who did extremely well in high school and probably had perfect or near-perfect standardized test scores. You will be surrounded by extremely accomplished people, and therefore, it may be harder for you to get noticed or make yourself stand out from the crowd.

 

But don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to Harvard. If you are lucky enough to be accepted by Harvard and think you can thrive in a very competitive academic environment, then Harvard may be the place for you. What I am saying, however, is that if you are one of the tens of thousands of students that don’t get admitted to Harvard every year, don’t dismay—that rejection can open new doors for you.

 

Insight #3: Find your “best fit” college, not simply the most highly ranked college that accepted you

The most important aspect of college admissions is finding the “best fit” college. Maybe the best fit is Harvard. Maybe it’s a large state school. Maybe it’s a small liberal arts school back east. Everyone is different and thus the “best fit” college for your best friend may not be the “best fit” college for you.

 

And maybe the “best fit” college for you is a place where you can be a big fish in a small pond. There is a lot to be said about attending a school where you can build up your self-confidence by being near the top of your class, having real relationships with your classmates and professors, and not having to worry about being in a cutthroat environment.

 

The bottom line is this: if you are one of the few to be accepted by an Ivy League school, that is awesome; and if you decide it’s the “best fit” school for you, more power to you. However, if you are like most students, who are not accepted by an Ivy League school, you should remember that it’s more important that you attend a college where you will thrive, rather than blindly attending the most highly ranked school that accepted you.

 

 

Written by Jason Katz

This article was written by Insight Counselor Jason Katz.

Jason has helped hundreds of students gain admission to their best-fit universities. In addition, he wrote more than 170 college admissions/college life columns for the Palo Alto Daily News and the San Jose Mercury News. Read his full bio here.