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By the end of junior year, every high school student is pursuing that age-old question of where to spend the next four years of his/her life. In the meantime, they are struggling to add more extra curricular activities to their résumé while toying with the first draft of that dreaded college application essay, and nervously biting their fingernails as they await SAT scores. Getting into college can be one of the most stressful times ever!

But it doesn't have to be, says Andrew Allen, president of Andover college prep (Westpoint, CT), who believes the search gets easier -- if you know what admissions officers are looking for.

Allen, a former executive director at The Princeton Review, gives students the scoop on how to get into the school of their choice with his book  

College Admissions

  Trade Secrets (Writers Club Press, 2001), the ultimate guidebook for students who want the inside dirt.

Check out some juicy secrets those college admissions folks don't want you to know:

Myth 1: Everything you read about in college guidebooks is true.

Truth: The numbers aren't always accurate, says Allen. According to the Fiske Guide to Colleges (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2004), average SAT scores at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) are listed as 1470, tuition at Boston University (Boston, MA) is about $28,000, and Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) selectively accepts only 11 percent of its applicants. But are these and other schools' stats always true? Allen says don't be so sure. He found that most SAT scores will almost always be lower. "They can totally manipulate the numbers," he says. Additionally, college tuition is higher than reported because of small, random fees. "It's not uncommon that the [stated] tuition [in the guidebook] is $24,000 and is closer to $30,000," he says. Finally, he found admissions rates to be two to three times higher. "Colleges need to admit more than necessary because they need to make sure every seat is filled." His advice: Don't believe everything you read about colleges. "They can say anything they want. No one has any idea if it's true," he says. "They report higher numbers because that would attract better students."

Myth 2: Colleges want well-rounded students.

In other words, straight A's, high SAT scores, tons of extracurriculars, and...the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

Truth: Not necessarily, says Allen. Well-rounded students get rejected. Colleges want a well-rounded student body, he explains. Students who are good at a lot of things are not the kind of students who are competitive. Although applications boil down to class rankings, improved grades, and SAT scores, colleges prefer interesting people to high numbers. Allen lists three steps he feels are necessary to turn an ordinary high school student into the apple of an admission officer's eye.

1. Think of one thing you really like and pursue it.
2. Prove your maturity by getting involved outside of school. Get a job or volunteer your time.
3. Take the initiative to start something unique and different at your school. Create a club or organize an event.

Myth 3: Admissions officers are stuffy scholars.

Truth: Admissions officers rarely graduate from the college they are working for, says Allen. The facts: Back in the 50's and 60's, part-time professors were also in charge of admissions. Now, colleges hire full-time staffers to run the process -- often ones who wouldn't have been accepted had they applied out of high school, says Allen. Translation? A lot of bitterness in the admissions office, Allen admits. If you're the snooty, smarty pants kids, they often don't admit you and will hold it against you.

Whether or not you agree with all of Allen's advice, it's a given applying to colleges can truly be an ordeal! Fortunately, picking up Allen's book can give you a few insider tips into the minds of admissions officers. It may just make the process a whole lot easier to handle.


http://www.collegesurfing.com/blog
Dawn Papandrea is the Managing Editor of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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