November 1 for early action and early decision is approaching quickly. Early applicants have a huge advantage at selective colleges. Cornell, Northwestern, and Penn, just naming a few, will fill approximately 40% of the freshman class from this early group. 
 
In this newsletter, I'd like to discuss four major components of your college application that the admission offices must assess in reaching their final decisions: Academic, Personal, Supplementary, and the Application Forms, each of which, like four legs of a table, will compliment and support your application.  
 
Academic Profile
Your GPA and SAT scores must exceed the minimum cutoff level imposed subjectively by each school through an academic index in the preliminary evaluation. Usually, students at the bottom 40% were automatically cut off from going into the readers. For students who fall into this category, even the best essays may not save them from rejections. At highly competitive programs, the cutoffs could be as high as 3.75 and 700 for the GPA and SATs, respectively. Candidates whose academic profile falls below these levels can still gain admission in special circumstances, but their odds of success are at an absolute minimum.
 
Colleges seek strong and well-prepared students who can thrive over the challenges of a rigorous learning environment. Your "numbers" provide them with a measure of your ability and academic potential compared to other applicants not only from your high school but from all over the world. This is the time when all of your sacrifices for a stellar academic track record will pay off.
 
Personal Profile
Students who survived the cut off will go on to be read by real people. In this round, top grades and high scores will no longer be the only factors. This is the part of the application in which you need to showcase the other element of you, your personal side. Just as the Academic Profile highlights your scholastic "hardware", now the Personal Profile should bring your amiable "software" to life.
 
In creating a diverse, contributing student body, colleges look into your essays, activities list, and even personal interviews. So what you write about yourself can make a huge difference in the admissions outcome. This part of your application demands a sound strategy. Remember: if we are what we eat, we're also what we write. You have to absolutely position yourself and set yourself apart from the pack.
 
How do you set yourself apart?

 
The essays that have worked for me, as an advisor to high school, college and graduate students, are the ones that have effectively brought me into the mind set of the young rising buds, with vivid details in a real and heartfelt way that caught my attention. At times, I jumped for joy out of my chair; other times, I laughed into tears (and as a result, I stayed awake all night), and still other times, I felt as if I was the heroine jumping over the train to save the world.

 
Most of the essays I read were Happy Meals with Hamburger, or I call McEssays. What does it mean? It means the burgers taste the same, whether you eat them in Beijing or Silicon Valley. These essays are predictable and boring. They often use clichés like "From this experience, I learned to not repeat the same mistakes." "I have been a member of the marching band. It taught me about devotion and teamwork." "Soccer has always been a part of my life; it has proven to me that practice makes perfect." "I have been playing piano since I was six. I learned, after all, no pain and no gain is true." While there is nothing wrong with McEssays, you just won't stand out.

Supplementary Materials
These are made up of any additional information you submit to be included in your file. Your supportive document should serve to bring the other two profiles to a full circle, by offering new information that is not covered in other parts of the application. Your goal is to reinforce your position in the application, not simply to give more information.
 
The Application Forms
These forms are trickier than most thought. Languages, cultural influences, and even ethnicity can make a difference. Use the forms to your advantage. A few years ago, I had a student whose mother is a Caucasian and father a Mexican. The student is quite light skinned. Every one thinks he is white including himself. On his application, he put down Caucasian. The student forgot that under-represented ethnicity has a leg up in admissions.
 
Selection of majors can make or break an application. For example, early childhood programs, among others, often seek male students in their applicant pools. On the other hand, you cannot simply declare an undersubscribed major without stated interest in other parts of your application. Family bio is another place to identify several admission hooks.  
 
The activities section is a great opportunity to stand out and shine. Try to balance between too much and too little information. Keep two words in mind as you review your activities: highlight and compliment.
  
All best wishes,

Wan Qiu Chen
College Admissions Consultant
Helping you get in!