U.S. University Application Process

1. U.S. University Application Process Yang Zhu Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute Yale University

2. Topics • Self-introduction • General Timeline • The SATs! • Academics and Competition • Extracurricular activities • Volunteer experience • Summer Activities • Recommendations • Essay • Interview

3. Self-introduction • Shanghai, China (14 years) • Toronto, Canada (4 years) • United States • Prospective major: Math and Economics at Yale University

4. General Timeline • Grade 9-10 • Participate in as many activities as you can • Make friends, have fun • Self-discovery—find out who you are and what you want • Academics—take courses that are challenging and interesting

5. General Timeline (cont’d) • Grade 11 • Discover what your major interests are • Take the SATs—SAT I and SAT IIs • Decide on which universities to apply to: Research, research, research! • Time management—balance your life • Maintain your grade!

6. General Timeline (cont’d) • Grade 12 • Finalize your school list • Application essays • Application forms • Recommendation letters • Interviews

7. SAT • SAT Reasoning Test • Critical Reading, Math, Writing • Resources—where can we get the books we need • SAT Subject Tests (2-3) • Math and sciences • Foreign languages • Social sciences • Which ones should we choose?

8. SAT • College Board • Research the requirements for SAT I and SAT IIS • Self-study the knowledge that is not covered in school • Choose an SAT II test that is a) something you are good at or b)something you will study in university; ideally, these two should overlap

9. Academics and Competitions • A challenging course load • AP courses • Essay Contests • DECA competition • Science Contests • Math Contests

10. A challenging course load • Don’t take a course because it’s easy; take it for its content and future value • Don’t limit yourself too early; explore all the areas you can • Try to take higher level courses if you think you can handle the academic challenge

11. AP courses • Advanced Placement courses • 37 courses and exams available • Sharpen your problem-solving techniques. • Develop the right study habits for university • You can self-study AP courses and register through www.collegeboard.com to write the official exam

12. Essay Contests • The Royal Commonwealth Society, annual essay contest • http://www.rcsint.org/essay/ • Dominion Institute-- Great Canadian Questions Essay Contest • http://www.greatquestions.com/e/ • And A lot more! • Try “Canada high school essay contest” on Google if you are interested in more essay contests

13. DECA competition • Based on different areas in business, but anyone can participate • Oral/written exams • Participated by thousands of high school students in Canada • www.deca.org

14. Science Contests • Sir Issac Newton Physics Contest • http://sin.uwaterloo.ca/ • Canadian Chemistry Contest • http://www.cheminst.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/2762/la_id/1.htm • National Biology Competition • http://biocomp.utoronto.ca/

15. Math Contests • AMC, AIME, USAMO • http://www.unl.edu/amc/ • COMC, CMO • http://www.math.ca/Competitions/COMC/ • Euclid, Fermat, Cayley • http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/ • Kangaroo Math Contest and Tournament of Towns by University of Toronto • http://www.math.toronto.edu/oz/turgor/kangaroo2.php

16. Extracurricular activities • Do what you like and like what you do • Do what you are good at, but also participate in activities that will help you improve your weaknesses • Don’t be afraid to try new things • It’s not about what you do; it’s about how you do it and what you can learn from it • Time management

17. Extracurricular activities • Student government • Yearbook Committee • Academic groups (math/science clubs, etc.) • Peer Tutoring • Drama/performance groups

18. Volunteer experience • Many organizations are always looking for volunteers • Charities, girl guides/boy scouts, hospitals, school libraries • Try to find something that you are interested in/passionate about, and see if there is anything you can do as a high school student • It doesn’t matter where you volunteer or who you work for, it’s why you do it, and how you do it that matter

19. Summer Activities • Summer camps • Internship/job • Volunteer abroad • Study for the SATs! • Registration/application for summer activities usually end before May, so start looking as early as you can!

20. Rural China Education Foundation • RCEF takes an integrative approach to rural education. • Focuses on developing teaching methods that make rural education more relevant to rural students' lives, more well-rounded, and more enjoyable. • www.ruralchina.org • You can volunteer as a long-term volunteer for our projects (fundraisers, translations,etc) or you can apply to participate in our summer volunteer program

21. Recommendations • Get someone who knows you, and LIKES you! • It doesn’t matter how famous the person is • Length is not as important as content • Requirements can vary, make sure you prepare the right ones for each school

22. Essay • One of the few steps in the application process that you can carefully work on • Present yourself as who you are • Show the universities what is important to you, what changed you, and what made you the person you are today • Edit very carefully. Ask someone who knows you (your teacher, counselor, friend, etc.) to evaluate it for you.

23. Essay (cont’d) • Essays that are too long tend to cause readers to lose interest. • Use proper English; no msn language, etc. • Start brain storming as early as possible (Gr.11). Ask yourself—who am I and what do I want? • Why do you want to go to this school? How does it meet your special talents and interests? • You know yourself the best; therefore, believe in your own writing!

24. Interview • It’s not mandatory • It is randomly assigned • Good interview skills are not only useful for applying to universities in the U.S., they are also crucial for applying to scholarships in Canada

25. University interviews • Bring a copy of your resume • Dress appropriately according to the setting (Starbucks=casual, office=business casual) • Read over your application to that school, make sure your answers are consistent • The one question that will always be asked—Why did you choose our university? Make sure you know the answer for that

26. My 2 university interviews • University of Pennsylvania • Starbucks • 80 minutes, current professor at University of Toronto • Found a common interest to talk about • Was very nice and gentle • Yale University • Office • 50 minutes, currently a lawyer • Found common interests and common life experience to talk about • Was very nice, but asked a few sharp questions

27. Scholarship interviews • Most scholarships require at least one interview. • It’s very hard to prepare for interviews, but not impossible if you know yourself very well. • The day before interview, take an hour to think about your experience, interests, ambitions, accomplishments, failures, and why you did the things you did • Dress appropriately! (business casual for most) • Stay calm and composed.The interviewers only want to get to know you more.

28. My scholarship interviews • Phone interview • Talk slowly, and cover all details since the interviewer can’t see your body language • Individual interview • Look at your interviewer in the eyes when you talk • Group interview (several students Vs. one interviewer) • Don’t interrupt others when they are talking • Be friendly, yet firm and confident • Answer all your questions clearly and carefully; this might be your only chance

29. Scholarship interviews (cont’d) • Lunch interview • Eat carefully, because you will have to talk through the whole thing! • Usually quite low-stress due to the setting • Panel interview (one student Vs. many interviewers) • Usually used at the final stage • Make sure you cover all the questions raised by all interviewers • Don’t get nervous! They just want to know you better. • Show them who you are, but don’t argue with your interviewers. • Usually the hardest of all types of interviews.

30. General tips for interviews • Stay calm! • Know who you are and why you want the scholarship (or a certain university) • Don’t seem unsure about your answers • Arrive on time and dress appropriately • Take time to think if you get a tough question, make every answer count!

31. A Few Things to Keep in Mind… • Be true to yourself. Be true to others.Consistency is very important no matter what you are applying for. • Manage your time wisely. • Use university as a stepping stone to success, not as the definition of it. • Relax, no one is perfect. • No matter how busy you are, don’t ignore your friends. They will pick you up when you fall. • Never limit your options; Always believe in yourself.

32. Resources • www.collegeboard.com • www.collegeconfidential.com • www.princetonreview.com • www.google.com!!! • www.ruralchina.org • www.tpl.toronto.on.ca • The official websites of various universities

33. Resources (for essay writing) • http://www.ups.edu/x470.xml • http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html • http://www.sparknotes.com/college/admissions/page21.html • http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/mar/010326.essays.html • http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/essays.htm

34. END. Thank you! Good luck with your applications!