Get into Any College by Tanabe, Gen, Tanabe, Kelly -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Page Contents Special Features Chapter 1: What Selective Colleges Really want from Applicants

Chapter 2: How to Pick the Perfect College for You

Chapter 3: Create A Compelling Admission Application

How to Write a Killer Application Get your Very Own Applications Save Time with the Common Application Get Ready to be a Neat Freak—Even if you're Not Your Online Personality Beef up your Extracurricular and Academic Life Prioritize your Activities Leadership is Always Better than Membership Tastefully Bragging about your Honors and Awards When to Leave it Blank Nip and Tuck in all the Right Places Leave No Question Unanswered Zap! Tips for Applying Online Finally…Don't Forget to Sign An Example Application that Worked

Chapter 4: How to Guarantee Excellent Evaluations

Find Someone to Brag about You Start Early How to Hunt Down the Best Recommenders The Bonus Evaluation Get Recommenders who can Write about the Intimate Details of your Life The Name Game: Bigger isn't always Better A Warning about Numbers Avoid Crunch Time Do the Grunt Work for your Recommenders The Perfect Cover Letter Be a Frequent Visitor to your Recommenders Make your Recommenders Feel Warm and Fuzzy Secret Fail-Safe Weapon for Excellent Evaluations

Chapter 5: How to Write an Irresistible Essay

The Essay: King of the Application The Essay in the Eyes of the Admissions Officer Typical Essay Questions All Questions can be Answered Exactly the Same Five Step Essay-Writing Workshop Step 1: Brainstorm Topics Step 2: Narrow the List of Possible Topics Step 3: Razzle and Dazzle! Answer the Question Uniquely Step 4: Write for Perfection: Rewrite, Edit, Rewrite and Edit again, with Help from Editors Step 5: Polish your Essay The Essay-Writing Absolute Don'ts Totally Dumb Topics to Avoid Specific Tips for Specific Questions Next Up: The Magic of Recycling and Examples of the Good, Bad and Ugly…Essays that Is

Chapter 6: Recycle your Essays when Applying to many Colleges

Presto-Chango! Turn One Essay into Two The Common Application: The Easiest way to Recycle How to Answer any Question with only One Essay Recycling in Action: A Case Study How to Shorten a Long Essay How to Build a Longer Essay A Final Warning about Recycling

Chapter 7: Example Essays: The Good, Bad and Ugly

The College Essay in the Real World Magnum Opuses: Essays that Opened College Doors Seven Disastrous Essays that Spelled Rejection A Final Note on the Essays that Bombed Do you have a Good Essay?

Chapter 8: The Secrets to Crushing the Interview

The Interview Nightmare Secrets of the Interview Make the Most of your Sweaty Palms Interviewers are Real People Too Don't just Talk about You Creative Digressions and Connecting: How to Become Bosom Buddies with your Interviewers Listen, Too Your Interview Homework Cheat Sheet of the Most Commonly Asked Questions The “No-No” Topics Know the World around You Is Religion a Taboo Topic? No Snoozing Allowed The Mock Interview Leave the Halter Top and Short Shorts Behind Nail Polish, Aspirin and Other Emergency Supplies Show Time! Psyche yourself up for the Real Thing Why Blowing it is not Blowing It

Chapter 9: Critical Final Steps before Submitting the Application

You are Done! (Well Almost…) Do a Once, Twice and Thrice Over The Big Send-Off Thank all of your Helpers

Chapter 10: How to Ace the SAT and ACT

How to Survive the SAT and ACT Myth #1: Standardized Tests Make or Break your Chances Myth #2: You have to Score in the Top 90 Percent to get into a Selective College Myth #3: There is Nothing you can do to Prepare for the Tests The Ingredients of the Alphabet Soup of Tests The SAT The PSAT The SAT Subject Tests The ACT Duel of the Three-Letter Acronyms: The SAT vs. ACT Advanced Placement Tests (APs) International Baccalaureate Program TOEFL, TWE and TSE How to Increase your Scores How to Master English and Reading Tests Number Hunching and Crunching: How to be a Math Whiz The Day before the Big Event Test Time Tips A Timeline for Testing A Second Chance How to Deal with a Bombed Test

Chapter 11: How to Win Free Cash for College

Money is Everything Financial Aid Mumbo Jumbo Explained Money From Uncle Sam: Federal Financial Aid All the Forms you Need to Fill Out Tips for Filling Out the Forms What Happens Next? Scholarships: The Best Free Cash in the World Map to the Financial Aid Jackpots Strategies for Winning Scholarships How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay Strategies to get More Money How to Write a Letter to Ask for More Letter to Harvard Get the Latest Scholarship Information

Chapter 12: Admissions for Special Groups

Special Considerations for Special Groups Student Athletes Transfer Students International Students: Coming to America Students with Disabilities Home-Schooled Students

Chapter 13: Get Started before your Senior Year

Catch the Early Bird Worms Everything an Underclassman Needs to know about College Admissions (But is Afraid to Ask) Visit College Campuses The Application? What's That? Challenge your Brain Practice for and Take the Alphabet Soup of Tests The Importance of Extracurricular Activities Compete to Stand Out Keep a Record of all your Accomplishments Kiss up to Teachers, Employers and Advisors Avoid Appliphobia by Previewing Applications

Chapter 14: Get your Child Ready for College

Chapter 15: Decide which College to Enter

The Waiting Game The Quality of Parties and Other Important Criteria for Making your Final Decision The Campus Visit: A Crash Course on College Life Don't Wait for the Wait List Your Last Letter to the Admissions Office

Appendix A: Resources Appendix B: College Search Worksheet Appendix C: Evaluation/Recommendation Worksheet Appendix D: College Cost of Attendance Worksheet Appendix E: Financial Aid Worksheet Index About the Authors Back Cover