Profile 2: Darian The Photographer
Portfolio: Darian’s portfolio shows strong photography skills, particularly for portraits. He uses his advanced technical and lighting skills to showcase his sitters in the best light. Darian also uses photo editing programs, including some he modified on his own, to give his photographs a bleak, minimalist mood. This adds a unique aspect to an otherwise standard portfolio.
Grades: Although photography is his passion, Darian enjoys school, especially when he’s able to connect his schoolwork to photography. He especially excels in computer classes and English classes . He understands the importance of a good education and pushes himself to take challenging classes. He’s taken numerous honors and AP classes, in each main subject, and gotten mostly As. His unweighted GPA is 3.85.
Test Scores: Darian studied quite a bit for the SAT, and, on his third time taking the test, was able to achieve a 750 in both sections. He’s taken five AP exams and earned a 4 or 5 in each of them.
Analysis
What Are The Exact Academic Requirements You Need To Get Into Stanford Or Harvard
All top colleges say that their admissions criteria are holistic, and that they don’t use cutoffs or rubrics. This is generally truethey do care about where you are in your life, what opportunities you’ve had access to, and whether you’re taking advantage of them.
That said, they also have soft requirements. If you get 20 on the ACT, it will be very difficult for you to get into Harvard, no matter your other accomplishments. This is just too low of a score for top schools to have confidence in your academic ability. Furthermore, it’s very likely there’s another applicant who’s done what you’ve done but also has the academic ability to match. Harvard will take that candidate every time.
More specifically, your test scores and academic performance need to be consistent with your story. If you’re applying with a science focus, for example, here’s what you’ll need:
- 780+ on SAT Math, or 34+ on ACT Math and Science
- Transcripts with challenging AP science courses and high marks/scores
The reason is pretty simplefor people with science focuses, the SAT/ACT Math and AP courses are trivially easy. I know this from personal experience. Even starting from freshman or sophomore year, I consistently scored 800 on every SAT Math section I took without much prep. If you’re applying with science or math as your spike, you’re competing against people like me. If you don’t measure up on these standardized metrics, MIT will simply think you’re not that good.
Your Guide To College Applications
A Note from BestColleges on the Coronavirus and College Applications
The impacts of COVID-19 on higher education extend beyond current college students; incoming first-year students now have to navigate changes to campus tours, exam requirements, and admission deadlines. Institutions that have traditionally conducted pre-admission interviews continue to transition to phone or video conferencing.
High school graduates have to rely on virtual tours and information sessions this year, as almost all schools have temporarily suspended in-person campus tours. While admission components remain largely unchanged, many colleges continue to extend application deadlines and waive entrance exams due to the closure of many test centers and the cancellation of many testing dates during the pandemic.
With each college handling the situation differently, students should seek information online and contact their prospective schools individually to keep track of new deadlines and application requirements.
We continue to provide students with information and resources related to the impact of COVID-19 on college life. Read our latest Coronavirus Resources for Students guide for more details.
Students should always apply to more than one institution and consider applying to several schools in the following categories: dream school, safety school, and a low-cost institution.. Source: Dr. Gordon Chavis, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services, University of Central Florida
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Tips For Getting Into The College Of Your Choice
College admission officers carefully assess your high school grades, courses, test scores, essays, activities, recommendations, and interviews, if required. You will increase your chances of getting into the colleges of your choice by following these twelve tips:
What Gpa Do You Need To Get Into Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt Universitys average GPA is 3.83. Vanderbilt University does require GPA.This average GPA means Vanderbilt University is very selective. Often times, schools in this range are trying to increase their selectivity and prestige. We cant read the minds of Vanderbilt University application readers, but they likely want to increase the average GPA from 3.83 to 4.02 this year – to play it safe, we recommend striving for the 4.02 GPA.
*BEFORE CONTINUING PLEASE NOTE: GPA and prestige DO NOT mean a college is right for you. Vanderbilt University may seem amazing on paper, but you may hate it… Thats why 700,000 students transfer colleges every year – they end up going to the wrong school. Its crucial to watch the videos on CampusReel and make sure you can envision yourself on Vanderbilt Universitys campus. These Vanderbilt University admission statistics do not sufficiently tell you what a college or university is like.
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The Ultimate Admissions Guide: 75 Steps For Getting Into Your Dream College
Applying to college can be both exciting and stressful. With so many colleges to consider and important deadlines to meet, daunting might be an understatement for the work ahead. Not to mention, the competition is fierce among the many highly qualified applicants applying to elite schools.
But with the right approach and a better understanding of what makes a strong application, applying to college can be an empowering processespecially when the big envelope arrives in the mail. In the meantime, you have a lot to think about, so weve created an admissions road map that is designed to help you in applying to, and ultimately enrolling in, the college of your choice.
College Application Advice with Ashley McNaughton
Need help or advice on applying to college? Check out this episode of the YesCollege podcast. Scott was joined by Ashley McNaughton, founder of ACM College Consulting, LLC who had so much great information to share on the subject.
Admission rates at some of the most common dream schools are getting lower each year. Even if you arent interested in one of the schools included in the above graph, its never been more challenging to get into the college of your choice. You must work hard, study hard, and stay focused on your dream school to ensure optimal consideration for admission.
Apply Early Action Or Early Decision
Applying to a dream school early action or early decision can tip the scales, as competition is thinner. “Most parents don’t realize that if their child applies early action or early decision, it can make all the difference in whether they are accepted,” notes Gupta. “Because so few students actually turn in all of their work ahead of time, the admissions officers have more time to review the early applications versus the regular decision ones in the tens of thousands.”
You may well have been dreaming of your “baby” happily going off to college since, well, she was a baby. Now that the day is approaching, it’s completely normal to have some worries mixed in with the excitement and pride. Just take a deep breath, and keep doing what you’ve been doing…standing by her or his side with good advice and support. “I like to use this scenario with my students and often suggest parents do the same: If there is one seat left at a college, and it comes down to you and another student with the same GPA and test score…What will make that admissions counselor choose you?” concludes Satriano. “There is no right or wrong answer, really. Just really think about that, and position yourself carefully, before you click submit. That thought process will pay big dividends when the ‘I am delighted to inform you’ letter arrives.”
Cue the hug and the tears .
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Good Test Scores And Good Grades
Your journey into any Ivy begins with the requirement of stellar test scores and grades. As mentioned by The National Association for College Admission Counseling, these two are the essential factors you will need. Thus, its helpful to choose your passionate course. The most critical factor for your admission is grades and also course rigor. Some of the things schools look at is to know youre challenging yourself and also succeeding. Your test scores are also crucial. Unless you fill an institutional need for the school or have other achievements that help you stand out, you will be sent right to the no pile if you lack scores in line with the Ivy standards.
Do You Know How To Improve Your Profile For College Applications
See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. Calculate your chances at your dream schools and learn what areas you need to improve right now it only takes 3 minutes and it’s 100% free.
Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest university in the U.S. as well as one of the most prestigious. But with an acceptance rate under 4%, precious few applicants get to pull up into the Yard on move-in day.
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Harvard Law School Programs
You can attend Harvard Law School to earn a Juris Doctor the thing you think of as a law school degree, a Master of Laws a one year masters program meant to complement a JD or equivalent earned abroad, or a doctorate a route to legal academia.;
In this article, well focus on the route to traditional JD admissions.
Its worth noting that thanks to Harvards wealth of top-notch graduate programs, many students earn dual degrees.;
Common are:
-
JD-MBA from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, respectively
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JD-MPP from Harvard Law School, and the Harvard Kennedy School, respectively
Admission to dual degrees is unsurprisingly competitive, but well-coordinated, since Harvard is no stranger to students pursuing multiple intellectual, academic, and professional paths concurrently.;
Guide To Getting Into A Us College Or University
If youve decided you want to study in the UnitedStates next comes the hard part- the process of getting accepted. Its not a simple or quick procedure getting intoa US school, but with the right guidance it can certainly make it easier. This is why weve created our Guide toGetting into a US College or University. Combine this guide with hard work and dedication on your part and it canhelp make your dreams of studying in the US happen. Whether youre only in the beginning stages of trying to tryingto study in the United States or youre about to have admission interview- its the perfect time to read our guide!
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What Do Strong Spike Applications Actually Look Like
I’ve been talking abstractly for a long time. Let’s make this more concrete.
For illustration, we’ll walk through two example applications for people with very different application profiles. For these, we’ll look at the major components of the application:
- Grades/GPA
- Recommendation Letters
- Personal Statement
In general, extracurriculars are where you will develop your spike. This is where you can truly stand out, since the other components are standardized between most applicants and don’t differ much. But as you’ll see, the other pieces will all be part of your consistent story.
What Types Of Students Ivy League Schools Want To Admit And Why
Let’s cut to the chase. Schools are looking for two main qualities in applicants:
- Students who are going to accomplish world-changing things.
- Students who are going to contribute positively to their communities while in college and help other students accomplish great things as well.
That’s essentially it.
For every student who enters Harvard or Stanford, the school hopes that he or she will go on to change the world. Again, this can be in a multitude of ways. The student might start the next huge company. She might join a nonprofit and manage a large global health initiative. He might write a novel that wins the Pulitzer Prize. He might even “just” become a great parent to children who will then also go on to do great things.
Here’s some proof of this from William R. Fitzsimmons, long-time Dean of Admissions at Harvard College:
“Each year we admit about 2,100 applicants. We like to think that all of them have strong personal qualities and character, that they will educate and inspire their classmates over the four years of college, and that they will make a significant difference in the world after they leave Harvard.”
This, of course, is hard to predict when you’re just 17 years old. You’ve barely developed, you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your life, and you have a lot of room to grow. But the college application process, as it’s designed now, is the best way that colleges have to predict which students are going to accomplish great things.
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I’m Applying To College Soon And Don’t Have Time To Implement What You’ve Described Here What Do I Do
Unfortunately, if you’re very close to college applications , there’s only so much you can do to improve your applications. Namely, work on your personal statements and make sure you have strong letters of recommendation. Everything else is more or less set.
But if you have a few months left before applications go out, you can probably do a lot more than you imagined if you prioritize your time and efforts correctly. Be strict about cutting out items that aren’t helping your application and about working hard on your passion project.
If you can show a growth trajectory that’s interesting to schools, that helpsespecially if by interview time you’ve made a lot more progress since submitting your application.
How To Get Into The Ivy League: Brief Overview
If there’s one central takeaway from this article, it’s that most students are spending their time on entirely the wrong things because they have an incorrect view of what top colleges are really looking for.
If you’re struggling to stay afloat with a ton of AP classes in subjects you don’t care about, a sports team, SAT/ACT prep, and volunteering, you’re hurting yourselfand are probably incredibly unhappy, too. We’ll drill down into exactly why this is such a huge mistake.
Here is an overview of the major sections in this article:
This article islong and detailed,but I strongly believe it’s well worth your time. These are all the lessons I wish I had known when I was in high school myself. So I suggest you read it through fully at least once.
When you finish reading this guide, it is my hope that you’ll dramatically change your beliefs about how to get into Stanford, Harvard, and other Ivy League-level schools.
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What You Need To Get Into The Ivy League
For the class of 2021, the eight Ivy League schools, including Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, and Brown, had a sum of 281,060 applicants. Less than 10 percent of these applicants got admission offers. Of all, the lowest acceptance rate is Harvard, with about 5 percent. As such, it is indeed a clear achievement to get into an Ivy League school. So, how do you get into an Ivy League school?
What Does It Really Take To Make A Difference In The World
In a word, focus. Relentless focus.
The world has gotten so specialized now that the days of the successful dilettante are over. Each field has gotten so developed, and the competitors so sophisticated, that you need to be a deep expert in order to compete.
If you become a scientist, you’re competing with other scientists who are thinking about the same problems all day, every day. And you’re all competing for the same limited pool of research money.
If you’re a novelist, you’re competing with prolific writers who are drafting dozens of pages every day. And you’re all competing for the limited attention of publishers and readers.
This applies to pretty much every field. There really is no meaningful area that rewards you for being a jack of all trades .
If you don’t have your head 100% in the game, you’re not going to accomplish nearly as much as those who are 100% committed. This is what it takes to make a revolutionary difference in the real world.
This does not mean you can’t have multiple interests. Successful people often have wide-ranging interests and do especially interesting things at the intersection of them. I’m just saying that it’s harder to be a true Renaissance man now than it was during the Renaissance, when much less was known about the world. Life necessarily has tradeoffsthe more areas you try to explore, the less deeply you’ll explore any one of them.
To find evidence of this, we looked at what Princeton’s admissions office had to say:
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