Colleges look at a variety of factors when reviewing students’ applications. Three of the biggest are courses taken in high school (competitive admissions colleges are generally looking for at least 4 years of English, 4 years of mathematics, 3 years of social science, 3 years of laboratory science and 3 years of a foreign language), high school grade point average and/or class rank and ACT / SAT scores. If you are a high school junior reading this you, you probably realize that the biggest factor that you can change at this point in your academic career is your SAT score. If you’re still looking for SAT preparation, consider signing up for an SAT course either this spring or next fall. However, don’t forget that you still may have some choice over the courses you take senior year, so consider taking one more year of Spanish, trying out the AP World History course that your high school offers or seeing if you can take a course with the local community college.
My blog postings will take a more in depth look at the various parts of the college application (entrance essays / personal statements, resume / activity lists, letters of recommendation, and more). Keep reading future blogs for advice on preparing for and getting into college. If you have any topics that you’d like to see covered, please email me at jconnell@esctestprep.com.
Tags: College Admissions, SAT Prep, SAT Preparation
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
