Admissions 101 - Application

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Start the application process as soon as possible. Waiting until last minute may seriously affect your application's quality and style - something that you definitely do not want to see.

2. Double-check your applications before clicking the 'Submit' button. Make sure that the organization and presentation of your application is neat, error-free and professional looking before submitting. This is the oldest advice I have ever heard but I still skipped it. Result? A lot of typos that made me worried the whole process.

3. For many colleges, they do NOT start reading your application until the deadline comes. So if the postmarked deadline is Jan 1, it makes no difference at all whether you send out your stuff on Nov 1 or Dec 30. At the end of the day, it boils down to the question: which application is the best, not the earliest. Hence, just spend as much time as necessary to work on your application.

4. If you are unable to submit all the required documents by the deadline for some reasons, you just need to send out your Common Application. Other stuff (test scores, recommendations, etc) can be sent one or two weeks after the deadline.

5. If you apply online, submit applications well before the deadline (preferably at least 2 days). This is because the day on which most schools mark as their deadlines, the Common App website becomes incredibly busy and slow especially for Vietnamese sluggish Internet connection. Watch out for the following days: Dec 31/Jan 1 and Jan 14/Jan 15. Going from pages to pages is very slow and you may have to submit it despite the fact that you have not checked it thoroughly. Do not wait until the last minute.

6. If you have any disadvantages (your school does not offer any AP or honor classes, you are not eligible for some special programs at your school...), make sure that you let admissions officers know about it. You can also ask your counselor to explain your situation in your secondary report, but the best way is to write your own letter or essay.

7. Follow all rules set forth by the application. If you have questions or are tempted to "break a rule," be sure to contact the admissions office and ask for specific advice and instruction.

8. If you submit any additional documents or essays, put your name, date of birth, and email address on top of them to make certain that they will not get lost in a sea of applications.

9. If you're doing "mass" application, remember to SWITCH the school name accordingly. Nothing is more embarrassing than sending a letter titled "Dear Bates College" to Brandeis University (true experience! INCLUDEPICTURE "http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/3.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET .

10. In the extracurricular activities section in the application, find something interesting to write. And do not need to write a long list of activities where you are always a member! That does not say anything good, except for the fact that you participate too much but you do not demonstrate your leadership abilities. Awards do not have to be a big one. Sometimes, it is just a chance to get a scholarship, or get to know something from a program or so. Be selective yet flexible!

11. You are advised to send any supplementary information you think will work in favor of you. They can be anything, but they must be YOURS: for example, additional recommendations from employers or colleagues who personally know you (two is probably enough), creative poems or essays, news about you, tapes, videos, photos taken on a study abroad trip, etc.

12. For those applying from Vietnam, it would be advisable to attach an introduction of your high school to the guidance counselor's recommendation letter as well as a brief summary of Vietnam's grading system. Each should not be longer than one page. You can explain your high school system, its reputation in local areas or nationally or such. It will help polish your application and give admissions officer a better assessment.

13. Application fee waiver is available, so is SAT, ACT, TOEFL and AP fee waivers. Ask your counselor so that you can save a lot of money

Admissions 101- Admissions Essay

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Personal Statement will help the officers to pick the best candidates. Spend as much time in this part of the application as you can. After you write the essays (long and short), remember to let your friends and teachers see and comment on your work. If possible, try to seek help from at least one English native speaker. A spelling mistake will send a bad signal to the readers.

2. Just as every coin has two sides, try to limit the number of people you ask for feedback or proofreading on your essay. Input from so many different sources can spoil your own tone/style - "Too many crooks spoil the broth"

3. Treat each college's essay separately because each college has its own style. A tailor-made, highly personalized essay will help distinguish yourself in a sea of applicants.

4. Do not try to 'eat' too much. Concentrate on one specific topic, whether it is an event, an activity, a memory or a person. Otherwise, your essay might get diluted or fragmented.

5. Do not write too clichéd essays. Avoid topics like volunteer thing. I myself find those essays very boring. And do not philosophize. Write about what you feel important.

6. Do not ever start your essay with "Hello, my name is..." But do not ever start it with "I am a very unique person" either.

7. Admissions officers are also human beings, do not forget. The best applicant can forget all about the tension and write as if you are writing to your best friend or your sister. Do not try to impress readers. Let your eyes and heart speak!

8. Do not curse in your essay, don't use vulgar words like hell, damn, f***, shit, etc. Do not be too informal either: spare words like "gonna", "wanna", "ya", "yo", unless you have a purpose with them. Treat admissions officer like an acquaintance you've just met once or twice, who you're befriending with, so not totally a stranger, but not your buddy either.

9. Do not lie in your essay. Or lie only if you know they absolutely have no way to find out. That is your choice, but remember there's a risk of being found out. Remember also that this is America: the smallest lie can be exposed, and when it is exposed, it's not pretty.

10. Do not get too deep into religions, sex, politics, romantic relationship, etc in your essay. Something that is too emotional (or cheesy) or controversial represents a potential risk

11. Do not copy essay tones and styles from essays you can easily find, especially. from well-known websites like EssayEdge. Your file will be definitely marked a D (Denied). Learning from them is good, but do not copy.

12. Not just competition and how you overcome it to succeed in studying, the admissions officers look more into your personalities. They want to know more about you, not just your study. The admissions officers find that information in your application and recommendation letters. You can write about your hobbies, your childhood... anything that could show the real person behind the austere application.

13. In case your essay is about emotional stuff: when you feel stuck with the essay, why don't you try "emerge" your feeling by stopping for a while to read emotional writings? For instance: HHT articles: "Au tho trong toi la" or "Moi tinh dau cua toi... "

14. Do not write too short an essay. Make full use of the space to tell as much information about you as possible because the readers will not have the chance to ask you for additional information - there's no interview! A too brief essay may mean that you are either rushing for time, or you put little effort in the application. The more time and effort you put in an application, the more impressive it will be.

15. Be concise and straightforward. And stay pretty close to the required word limits (around 1/10). People do not create word limits just for fun.

16. Avoid using too much SAT words, adverbs ("He told me wholeheartedly", "I am excessively happy") or contrived thesaurus vocabulary.

Admissions 101 - Financial Aid

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. If you are interested in a specific scholarship, let the school know that. Just email them and ask if international students can compete. That way they know that you're interested and confident.

2. Before you fill in Financial Aid form, you should do some research through Internet and friends on each specific college's financial health. You should neither over-exaggerate the amount of family contribution knowing that it lies beyond your own means, nor should you leave the whole page blank or put in a zero in family contribution (unless that is your real situation). Either way may backstab you in the admissions process i.e. hurt your chance of getting admitted. A rule of thumb: Be honest and realistic.

3. It always helps to write a letter to explain and support your financial situation. Items can be included in the statement: family background, parents' jobs, info about siblings, your promise to contribute to the campus (diversity, rare talents, etc). This would provide them with clear, detailed picture of your financial circumstance, which mere figures often fail to address. However, it might not be a good idea to write them a melodramatic essay, so please do not whine or beg!

4. Never say "my country is having hard time so please give me more money"! They will not give you anything. Explain to them why your family is having hard time paying your tuition. When you don't get enough money, just write to them. You will absolutely be given more than $100 more. About the financial aid form, don't overvalue your house or your assets. This is because they sometimes compare the price of your own house with a price of houses in the US. If it's kind of the same with a big house here, they will think that your family is rich and based on that, they will not give you enough money. Just write a modest number, my tip for family contribution for top liberal arts colleges is around $2k.

5. If you are not satisfied with your financial aid package, write a letter and ask the Director of the Financial Aid Office to increase your aid. A "touchy", "gentle" and polite request would not hurt you.

6. For at least one school, fill the financial aid form: you'll contribute a little

bit more money per year than other schools in case you are turned down by all the others for the matter of $$$.

7. You should not join FEE-BASED scholarship programs, unless you want to waste your money. Why? (1) Most scholarships provided by 'tailor-made scholarship matching services' are not open to foreign students (2) Think about it, whenever you are asked to pay money to get money, there is probably something wrong (3) From my experience, I do NOT know any Vietnamese students grabbing a scholarship from these services. I know it is very hard because their claims are so sweet. So be CAUTIOUS!

8. Vietnamese students who are applying for financial aid are NOT encouraged to apply through Early Decision program unless you possess an exceptional record together with some extraordinary abilities. It is extremely, yes extremely, tough for international students including Vietnamese students to get in college through ED. Please note that ED would be, in contrast, a smart move for American kids.

9. Consider financial aid for rich colleges. Rich and prestigious colleges will give aid if you are a strong candidate.

Admissions 101 - Recommendations

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Don't send more than 3 recommendation letters. 3 is a magic number.

2. Choose people who like you, and who think you're good at what you do. Choose good writers who can express their opinions clearly and persuasively.

3. Make sure they are aware of deadlines and follow up later. By all means, give them as much time as possible. Writing a good reference takes time and your recommenders will likely have other things to do.

4. A thank-you letter at the end of the recommendation process is always greatly appreciated.

5. If you know someone who is the faculty/alumnus from your targeted school, and are confident about a positive recommendation, ask him/her to do so.

6. Be early in asking for recommendations, esp. from those who appear "popular" teachers. Your teachers will be very busy marking your exams papers. Please allow them more time to work on the letters. You should give them the forms at least one week in advance. Please note that you MUST remind them of the letters. Some busy teachers will accidentally forget until the last day, and therefore they will not be able to write strong recommendations.

7. For those who apply from Vietnam: if the teacher finds it difficult to write, or if you find it also difficult to write it yourself (in case you write it! INCLUDEPICTURE "http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/3.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , make a list of questions and interview your teacher. For instance: first impression, distinguished characteristics, comparison with other kids, etc.

8. To help your teachers in writing a forceful and personal letter, you should give them your resume and a list of interesting things about you that your teachers may refer to if they have time.

9. It is important that you urge your teachers to fill in the forms AND attach an additional letter to talk more about you.

46 Tips from Admissions Officers

Reprinted with permission.

College Bound News: Issues and Trends for the College Admissions Advisor

January 2005

CB's survey asked admissions officers, "What advice do admissions officers have for 2005 applicants?" Here is what some had to say.

1. Meet application and financial aid deadlines. American U.

2. Do submit applications for both admissions and financial aid by the stated deadlines. Take advantage of filing the application for admissions and financial aid documents online. Remember to keep copies. Boston U.

3. Please visit the campus and schedule an interview with the admissions staff. This exposure greatly increases your ability to decide on a college that meets your needs. Brandeis U.

4. Work hard, pursue or develop a passion, be comfortable in your skin. Carnegie Mellon U.

5. Students should apply early, visit the campus of your first and second choice schools. Central Connecticut State U.

6. Visit colleges you're interested in. Centre C.

7. Don't take a light senior year schedule. Claremont McKenna.

8. Apply early if possible. C. of Charleston.

9. Research, research, research! Spend as much time as possible determining what kind of school is right for you. Compare the similarities and differences between four-year colleges and universities; small schools versus large schools and liberal arts schools versus more general or vocational schools. Cornell C.

10. Challenge yourself academically and personally. Do what you love and do it well. Dartmouth C.

11. Understand fully what each of their applicant colleges stand for and what makes each college distinctive. Additionally, they should know themselves thoroughly-how they learn best and interact with others-in order to match college characteristics with their own. Dickerson C.

12. Don't rule out a school until you see the financial aid package. It may be more affordable than you thought. Drake U.

13. Apply on time. Include parents in the process and enjoy the college selection adventure. Duquesne U.

14. The short answer and essay questions are students' primary opportunity to speak to the Admissions Committee in their own voices, and they give the Admissions Committee insight into the students' interests and aspirations. Duke U.

15. Visit. Visit. Visit. Demonstrate interest. Elizabethtown C.

16. Begin your college search early and stay organized. Emory. U.

17. Writing and critical thinking. The Evergreen State C.

18. Do strong work in your courses now and apply in a timely manner. Be proactive about your application. Also, visit the campuses you are interest in attending before making your decision about where to attend. Florida State U.

19. Apply for admissions early, apply online, check application status online. Keep your profile up-to-date. Apply for scholarships and talk with your admissions counselor frequently as he or she makes recommendations for scholarships. Visit our campus and meet our students. Georgia Southern U.

20. Take time on your applications to tell the college who you really are. List all of your activities, community service, volunteer, extracurricular and really take the time in the personal statement to tell the admissions committee something about yourself. Green Mountain C.

21. Study hard. Hampden-Sydney C.

22. Do applications early and financial aid early to avoid missing deadlines. Husson C.

23. Put your best foot forward in the application process. James Madison U.

24. Visit campus and spend time in the town as well during your visit. Keene State C.

25. Decide early. Kettering U.

26. Enjoy your senior year. Challenge yourself and present your best work academically, but continue to pursue your passion outside the classroom. Lafayette C.

27. Apply early if financial aid is needed. Marygrove C.

28. A return to a rolling admissions policy gives applicants a better offer, quicker reply and less complication than any Early Decision or Early Action policy. Students receive a decision about their application when they want to as they control when the application arrives. So you find out if you're accepted as soon as you want. You're in the driver's seat. Messiah C.

29. We advise students to "brush up" on their writing skills. Norfolk State U.

30. Apply early. North Carolina State U.

31. Get a strong course of study in high school; focus on your extracurricular activities. Oberlin C.

32. Reflect on your responses to application questions, visit any university you are seriously considering, research scholarship and aid opportunities. The Ohio State U.

33. Start the process early and ask questions. Point Park U.

34. Apply to an appropriate mix of institutions-only ones you would happily attend. Don't get caught with acceptance to any place you really don't want to attend. Providence C.

35. Complete your application by the end of December. SUNY U. of Buffalo.

36. Apply early, follow directions carefully, take responsibility for your own application-don't hand off to guidance counselor. US Coast Guard Academy

37. Prepare well and challenge yourself in high school. U. of Maine.

38. Apply early, always complete FAFSA form for financial aid. U. of Michigan-Dearborn.

39. Continue to challenge yourself through the end of senior year. U. of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

40. More web use for a quicker response. Apply early. U. of N. Dakota.

41. Apply early. Work hard. Your senior year is very important. Take both standardized tests. U. of N. Florida.

42. Apply early (Feb. 1 for freshmen). There is a new fall application deadline of April 1 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. If you are placed on our wait list, arrange to retake the ACT or SAT or both. U. of Oklahoma.

43. Apply early, follow directions carefully, take responsibility for your own application-don't hand it off to the guidance counselor. U.S.C.G. Academy.

44. Do apply early, but don't apply to too many colleges just because its free on the web. It can get confusing to receive admission material from more than 7-8 colleges. Valparaiso U.

45. Get applications in early-December 15 for priority consideration and aid. Wabash C.

46. Pay attention to deadlines. Xavier U.

Source: Admissions 101 - Application

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Start the application process as soon as possible. Waiting until last minute may seriously affect your application's quality and style - something that you definitely do not want to see.

2. Double-check your applications before clicking the 'Submit' button. Make sure that the organization and presentation of your application is neat, error-free and professional looking before submitting. This is the oldest advice I have ever heard but I still skipped it. Result? A lot of typos that made me worried the whole process.

3. For many colleges, they do NOT start reading your application until the deadline comes. So if the postmarked deadline is Jan 1, it makes no difference at all whether you send out your stuff on Nov 1 or Dec 30. At the end of the day, it boils down to the question: which application is the best, not the earliest. Hence, just spend as much time as necessary to work on your application.

4. If you are unable to submit all the required documents by the deadline for some reasons, you just need to send out your Common Application. Other stuff (test scores, recommendations, etc) can be sent one or two weeks after the deadline.

5. If you apply online, submit applications well before the deadline (preferably at least 2 days). This is because the day on which most schools mark as their deadlines, the Common App website becomes incredibly busy and slow especially for Vietnamese sluggish Internet connection. Watch out for the following days: Dec 31/Jan 1 and Jan 14/Jan 15. Going from pages to pages is very slow and you may have to submit it despite the fact that you have not checked it thoroughly. Do not wait until the last minute.

6. If you have any disadvantages (your school does not offer any AP or honor classes, you are not eligible for some special programs at your school...), make sure that you let admissions officers know about it. You can also ask your counselor to explain your situation in your secondary report, but the best way is to write your own letter or essay.

7. Follow all rules set forth by the application. If you have questions or are tempted to "break a rule," be sure to contact the admissions office and ask for specific advice and instruction.

8. If you submit any additional documents or essays, put your name, date of birth, and email address on top of them to make certain that they will not get lost in a sea of applications.

9. If you're doing "mass" application, remember to SWITCH the school name accordingly. Nothing is more embarrassing than sending a letter titled "Dear Bates College" to Brandeis University (true experience! INCLUDEPICTURE "http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/3.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET .

10. In the extracurricular activities section in the application, find something interesting to write. And do not need to write a long list of activities where you are always a member! That does not say anything good, except for the fact that you participate too much but you do not demonstrate your leadership abilities. Awards do not have to be a big one. Sometimes, it is just a chance to get a scholarship, or get to know something from a program or so. Be selective yet flexible!

11. You are advised to send any supplementary information you think will work in favor of you. They can be anything, but they must be YOURS: for example, additional recommendations from employers or colleagues who personally know you (two is probably enough), creative poems or essays, news about you, tapes, videos, photos taken on a study abroad trip, etc.

12. For those applying from Vietnam, it would be advisable to attach an introduction of your high school to the guidance counselor's recommendation letter as well as a brief summary of Vietnam's grading system. Each should not be longer than one page. You can explain your high school system, its reputation in local areas or nationally or such. It will help polish your application and give admissions officer a better assessment.

13. Application fee waiver is available, so is SAT, ACT, TOEFL and AP fee waivers. Ask your counselor so that you can save a lot of money

Admissions 101- Admissions Essay

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Personal Statement will help the officers to pick the best candidates. Spend as much time in this part of the application as you can. After you write the essays (long and short), remember to let your friends and teachers see and comment on your work. If possible, try to seek help from at least one English native speaker. A spelling mistake will send a bad signal to the readers.

2. Just as every coin has two sides, try to limit the number of people you ask for feedback or proofreading on your essay. Input from so many different sources can spoil your own tone/style - "Too many crooks spoil the broth"

3. Treat each college's essay separately because each college has its own style. A tailor-made, highly personalized essay will help distinguish yourself in a sea of applicants.

4. Do not try to 'eat' too much. Concentrate on one specific topic, whether it is an event, an activity, a memory or a person. Otherwise, your essay might get diluted or fragmented.

5. Do not write too clichéd essays. Avoid topics like volunteer thing. I myself find those essays very boring. And do not philosophize. Write about what you feel important.

6. Do not ever start your essay with "Hello, my name is..." But do not ever start it with "I am a very unique person" either.

7. Admissions officers are also human beings, do not forget. The best applicant can forget all about the tension and write as if you are writing to your best friend or your sister. Do not try to impress readers. Let your eyes and heart speak!

8. Do not curse in your essay, don't use vulgar words like hell, damn, f***, shit, etc. Do not be too informal either: spare words like "gonna", "wanna", "ya", "yo", unless you have a purpose with them. Treat admissions officer like an acquaintance you've just met once or twice, who you're befriending with, so not totally a stranger, but not your buddy either.

9. Do not lie in your essay. Or lie only if you know they absolutely have no way to find out. That is your choice, but remember there's a risk of being found out. Remember also that this is America: the smallest lie can be exposed, and when it is exposed, it's not pretty.

10. Do not get too deep into religions, sex, politics, romantic relationship, etc in your essay. Something that is too emotional (or cheesy) or controversial represents a potential risk

11. Do not copy essay tones and styles from essays you can easily find, especially. from well-known websites like EssayEdge. Your file will be definitely marked a D (Denied). Learning from them is good, but do not copy.

12. Not just competition and how you overcome it to succeed in studying, the admissions officers look more into your personalities. They want to know more about you, not just your study. The admissions officers find that information in your application and recommendation letters. You can write about your hobbies, your childhood... anything that could show the real person behind the austere application.

13. In case your essay is about emotional stuff: when you feel stuck with the essay, why don't you try "emerge" your feeling by stopping for a while to read emotional writings? For instance: HHT articles: "Au tho trong toi la" or "Moi tinh dau cua toi... "

14. Do not write too short an essay. Make full use of the space to tell as much information about you as possible because the readers will not have the chance to ask you for additional information - there's no interview! A too brief essay may mean that you are either rushing for time, or you put little effort in the application. The more time and effort you put in an application, the more impressive it will be.

15. Be concise and straightforward. And stay pretty close to the required word limits (around 1/10). People do not create word limits just for fun.

16. Avoid using too much SAT words, adverbs ("He told me wholeheartedly", "I am excessively happy") or contrived thesaurus vocabulary.

Admissions 101 - Financial Aid

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. If you are interested in a specific scholarship, let the school know that. Just email them and ask if international students can compete. That way they know that you're interested and confident.

2. Before you fill in Financial Aid form, you should do some research through Internet and friends on each specific college's financial health. You should neither over-exaggerate the amount of family contribution knowing that it lies beyond your own means, nor should you leave the whole page blank or put in a zero in family contribution (unless that is your real situation). Either way may backstab you in the admissions process i.e. hurt your chance of getting admitted. A rule of thumb: Be honest and realistic.

3. It always helps to write a letter to explain and support your financial situation. Items can be included in the statement: family background, parents' jobs, info about siblings, your promise to contribute to the campus (diversity, rare talents, etc). This would provide them with clear, detailed picture of your financial circumstance, which mere figures often fail to address. However, it might not be a good idea to write them a melodramatic essay, so please do not whine or beg!

4. Never say "my country is having hard time so please give me more money"! They will not give you anything. Explain to them why your family is having hard time paying your tuition. When you don't get enough money, just write to them. You will absolutely be given more than $100 more. About the financial aid form, don't overvalue your house or your assets. This is because they sometimes compare the price of your own house with a price of houses in the US. If it's kind of the same with a big house here, they will think that your family is rich and based on that, they will not give you enough money. Just write a modest number, my tip for family contribution for top liberal arts colleges is around $2k.

5. If you are not satisfied with your financial aid package, write a letter and ask the Director of the Financial Aid Office to increase your aid. A "touchy", "gentle" and polite request would not hurt you.

6. For at least one school, fill the financial aid form: you'll contribute a little

bit more money per year than other schools in case you are turned down by all the others for the matter of $$$.

7. You should not join FEE-BASED scholarship programs, unless you want to waste your money. Why? (1) Most scholarships provided by 'tailor-made scholarship matching services' are not open to foreign students (2) Think about it, whenever you are asked to pay money to get money, there is probably something wrong (3) From my experience, I do NOT know any Vietnamese students grabbing a scholarship from these services. I know it is very hard because their claims are so sweet. So be CAUTIOUS!

8. Vietnamese students who are applying for financial aid are NOT encouraged to apply through Early Decision program unless you possess an exceptional record together with some extraordinary abilities. It is extremely, yes extremely, tough for international students including Vietnamese students to get in college through ED. Please note that ED would be, in contrast, a smart move for American kids.

9. Consider financial aid for rich colleges. Rich and prestigious colleges will give aid if you are a strong candidate.

Admissions 101 - Recommendations

Created by VietAbroader Group

1. Don't send more than 3 recommendation letters. 3 is a magic number.

2. Choose people who like you, and who think you're good at what you do. Choose good writers who can express their opinions clearly and persuasively.

3. Make sure they are aware of deadlines and follow up later. By all means, give them as much time as possible. Writing a good reference takes time and your recommenders will likely have other things to do.

4. A thank-you letter at the end of the recommendation process is always greatly appreciated.

5. If you know someone who is the faculty/alumnus from your targeted school, and are confident about a positive recommendation, ask him/her to do so.

6. Be early in asking for recommendations, esp. from those who appear "popular" teachers. Your teachers will be very busy marking your exams papers. Please allow them more time to work on the letters. You should give them the forms at least one week in advance. Please note that you MUST remind them of the letters. Some busy teachers will accidentally forget until the last day, and therefore they will not be able to write strong recommendations.

7. For those who apply from Vietnam: if the teacher finds it difficult to write, or if you find it also difficult to write it yourself (in case you write it! INCLUDEPICTURE "http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/3.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , make a list of questions and interview your teacher. For instance: first impression, distinguished characteristics, comparison with other kids, etc.

8. To help your teachers in writing a forceful and personal letter, you should give them your resume and a list of interesting things about you that your teachers may refer to if they have time.

9. It is important that you urge your teachers to fill in the forms AND attach an additional letter to talk more about you.

46 Tips from Admissions Officers

Reprinted with permission.

College Bound News: Issues and Trends for the College Admissions Advisor

January 2005

CB's survey asked admissions officers, "What advice do admissions officers have for 2005 applicants?" Here is what some had to say.

1. Meet application and financial aid deadlines. American U.

2. Do submit applications for both admissions and financial aid by the stated deadlines. Take advantage of filing the application for admissions and financial aid documents online. Remember to keep copies. Boston U.

3. Please visit the campus and schedule an interview with the admissions staff. This exposure greatly increases your ability to decide on a college that meets your needs. Brandeis U.

4. Work hard, pursue or develop a passion, be comfortable in your skin. Carnegie Mellon U.

5. Students should apply early, visit the campus of your first and second choice schools. Central Connecticut State U.

6. Visit colleges you're interested in. Centre C.

7. Don't take a light senior year schedule. Claremont McKenna.

8. Apply early if possible. C. of Charleston.

9. Research, research, research! Spend as much time as possible determining what kind of school is right for you. Compare the similarities and differences between four-year colleges and universities; small schools versus large schools and liberal arts schools versus more general or vocational schools. Cornell C.

10. Challenge yourself academically and personally. Do what you love and do it well. Dartmouth C.

11. Understand fully what each of their applicant colleges stand for and what makes each college distinctive. Additionally, they should know themselves thoroughly-how they learn best and interact with others-in order to match college characteristics with their own. Dickerson C.

12. Don't rule out a school until you see the financial aid package. It may be more affordable than you thought. Drake U.

13. Apply on time. Include parents in the process and enjoy the college selection adventure. Duquesne U.

14. The short answer and essay questions are students' primary opportunity to speak to the Admissions Committee in their own voices, and they give the Admissions Committee insight into the students' interests and aspirations. Duke U.

15. Visit. Visit. Visit. Demonstrate interest. Elizabethtown C.

16. Begin your college search early and stay organized. Emory. U.

17. Writing and critical thinking. The Evergreen State C.

18. Do strong work in your courses now and apply in a timely manner. Be proactive about your application. Also, visit the campuses you are interest in attending before making your decision about where to attend. Florida State U.

19. Apply for admissions early, apply online, check application status online. Keep your profile up-to-date. Apply for scholarships and talk with your admissions counselor frequently as he or she makes recommendations for scholarships. Visit our campus and meet our students. Georgia Southern U.

20. Take time on your applications to tell the college who you really are. List all of your activities, community service, volunteer, extracurricular and really take the time in the personal statement to tell the admissions committee something about yourself. Green Mountain C.

21. Study hard. Hampden-Sydney C.

22. Do applications early and financial aid early to avoid missing deadlines. Husson C.

23. Put your best foot forward in the application process. James Madison U.

24. Visit campus and spend time in the town as well during your visit. Keene State C.

25. Decide early. Kettering U.

26. Enjoy your senior year. Challenge yourself and present your best work academically, but continue to pursue your passion outside the classroom. Lafayette C.

27. Apply early if financial aid is needed. Marygrove C.

28. A return to a rolling admissions policy gives applicants a better offer, quicker reply and less complication than any Early Decision or Early Action policy. Students receive a decision about their application when they want to as they control when the application arrives. So you find out if you're accepted as soon as you want. You're in the driver's seat. Messiah C.

29. We advise students to "brush up" on their writing skills. Norfolk State U.

30. Apply early. North Carolina State U.

31. Get a strong course of study in high school; focus on your extracurricular activities. Oberlin C.

32. Reflect on your responses to application questions, visit any university you are seriously considering, research scholarship and aid opportunities. The Ohio State U.

33. Start the process early and ask questions. Point Park U.

34. Apply to an appropriate mix of institutions-only ones you would happily attend. Don't get caught with acceptance to any place you really don't want to attend. Providence C.

35. Complete your application by the end of December. SUNY U. of Buffalo.

36. Apply early, follow directions carefully, take responsibility for your own application-don't hand off to guidance counselor. US Coast Guard Academy

37. Prepare well and challenge yourself in high school. U. of Maine.

38. Apply early, always complete FAFSA form for financial aid. U. of Michigan-Dearborn.

39. Continue to challenge yourself through the end of senior year. U. of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

40. More web use for a quicker response. Apply early. U. of N. Dakota.

41. Apply early. Work hard. Your senior year is very important. Take both standardized tests. U. of N. Florida.

42. Apply early (Feb. 1 for freshmen). There is a new fall application deadline of April 1 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. If you are placed on our wait list, arrange to retake the ACT or SAT or both. U. of Oklahoma.

43. Apply early, follow directions carefully, take responsibility for your own application-don't hand it off to the guidance counselor. U.S.C.G. Academy.

44. Do apply early, but don't apply to too many colleges just because its free on the web. It can get confusing to receive admission material from more than 7-8 colleges. Valparaiso U.

45. Get applications in early-December 15 for priority consideration and aid. Wabash C.

46. Pay attention to deadlines. Xavier U.

Source: HYPERLINK "http://www.scholarshipamerica.org/students/46tips.php" \t "_blank" http://www.scholarshipamerica.org/students/46tips.php

What Are Colleges Looking For?

Mike Pugh

A rigorous course schedule through high school is important. Good grades are key. High SAT/ACT test scores certainly don't hurt. But what else are colleges looking for in students?

Genuine interest in the school

Colleges want students who show genuine and well-researched interest in their school. "A student who has gone beyond name recognition and reputation and has decided that the university's programs and environment are right for them is the ideal," says Andrew Bryan, a certified educational consultant at The Academic Institute, Inc.

Making concrete connections between what you want out of your education and what the college or university has to offer shows that you've done your homework. "Direct references to courses, programs or other academic opportunities demonstrate a level of interest that will immediately set a student apart in a crowd," says Scott Anderson, former admissions officer at Cornell University.

Interest in coursework

You need to demonstrate the same authentic interest in your proposed course of study.

"While admission officers want to hear about what kids want to study, the students are much more interested in telling us what they want to be. Lawyers. Doctors. Veterinarians. Investment bankers." Anderson says. "These professional goals are fine, but the reality is that law, medicine, and the like are not topics you can study as an undergraduate,"

Colleges would rather hear about the work you'll do before you enter the work world - such as your interest in geometry, philosophy, Peruvian literature or genetics.

Extracurricular activities

While academics are key, colleges also want students who will enhance their campus community in some special way. They seek students who will be leaders, communicators and active members of their college community. "We look for interesting volunteer work, internships, athletic achievement and other good extracurricular activities when we evaluate a student," says Kate Wells, former admissions officer at State University of New York College at Potsdam.

But don't start joining organizations by the dozen for appearance's sake. "In-depth participation in one or two extracurricular activities is preferred over superficial membership in many," says Diane E. Epstein, a certified educational consultant.

That extra "something"

With all the qualified applications coming in, colleges are frequently looking for the elusive extra "something" that can set a student apart from the crowd. This can be any number of things: job experience, involvement with a certain group or even the extra enthusiasm or thought that a student puts into their essay.

That extra "something" can also be an obstacle overcome: financial hardship, English as a second language, serious health problems. "Something special a kid has overcome will make them appealing," says Sue Bigg, a Chicago-based educational consultant.

Finding the right match

When admissions officers review your application, they'll be looking to make a good match. You need to show them that you've chosen them for the right reasons. At the same time, try to show colleges your "real" self.

If you offer a glimpse of the individual behind the grades and the test scores, you'll help the admissions officers make your perfect college match.

Chapter 5

I sat on the couch and looked back and forth at the men from the club earlier. They were all lying on their stomachs on the dirty floor of the factory. I just sat on the metal stool that JaeJoong had instructed me to sit on and watched as he played.

"This is the last time I'm asking this. Who the f*ck is behind all of this?" he asked. He waited for an answer but only received silence. The two men looked relaxed as they lay on the floor. They didn't speak a single word since we arrived.

I thought that JaeJoong would pick one of the men up, beat the crap out of him, then move on to the next man. But I was wrong. Boy was I wrong. A loud gunshot rang through my ears causing me to bring both my hands up against my ear. I heard another loud gunshot but it was muffled this time, with my hands covering my ears. I didn't know it but I had both of my eyes closed.

When my eyes finally fluttered open, they opened up real big. Before me was two men that were shot in the chest. Blood was oozing out of their wounds as they started to groan in pain. JaeJoong used his index finger to demand me to follow him, so I did.

We left the factory and left the men there to drown in their own pool of blood. At this point, I was pretty freaked out. Back in Vancouver, we only watched about these things in movies but never had I seen it happen to anyone. I got on the motorcycle after JaeJoong. "We have one more place to go."

I nodded. I was still shocked with what I saw. "You shot them," I said, still not believing what I had seen. How can someone just shoot someone like that?!

"Yes I did," he said, making me sound like I was stupid. "They deserved it. One of them was the pervert that was feeling you up, so why would you care if he got shot or not?"

"He didn't deserve to die for it." I was still shocked. JaeJoong just ignored me and drove off. I held on to him tight so that I could be warm because it was freezing cold, but I didn't hold on too tight. I didn't want him to think that I was clingy.

By the time I adjusted and got in the right position, we had already arrived at a subway station. He parked his bike and I followed him in. I was walking behind him, but not too far behind. At the other end of the subway, I spotted a girl. She was dressed in hot pink from top to bottom. There wasn't very much hot pink, considering that she was only in a tube top, short skirt and boots.

JaeJoong seemed to be walking up to her, and I followed after him. I followed with my head down and when I looked up, I stopped really quickly, causing myself to almost fall over. Before my eyes, I saw JaeJoong and that girl kissing. Feeling awkward and out of place, I went to sit by a bench that wasn't too far away.

I just looked at my surrounding. There weren't many people in here. In fact, there were only three people. One was a boy that sat on the other end of the bench with his headphones on. The other two were middle-aged women speaking to one another.

I heard the sounds of the trains coming my way so I looked across to see it coming. It was going rather fast but was slowing down. I looked at JaeJoong and the girl who were still making out. The train was just about to past them when I heard a loud noise of something breaking. I looked at JaeJoong to see that he was alone.

Oh my f*cking goodness. If I had seen correctly, JaeJoong had just pushed the girl he was kissing in front of the train that was still traveling really quick! He killed her! I was so shocked and disgusted at all the possibilities of the things that could've happened to her. I replayed the scene over and over again in my head, which caused me to shiver and get goose bumps all over my body.

I closed my eyes, trying to get the picture out of my head. I suddenly felt myself being pulled up roughly. JaeJoong pinned me against the wall and then he laid his lips on me. He was kissing me but I had my eyes wide open, just staring at him. His eyes were closed and I felt awkward just staring at him, so I closed my eyes as well. Slowly, I started to kiss him back. It wasn't very long until we were interrupted by a loud cough. Our lips parted as JaeJoong turned around.

"Did the two of you see what had happened?" asked a police officer. He looked like he was annoyed at our public display of affection but tried to cover it up. When the both of us looked at him confused, he continued, "A young girl just got run over by the train. Do you guys know if she jumped or if someone pushed her?"

I was going to lie and say that I saw her jump to help JaeJoong, but he leaned on me and spoke to the policeman before I could even say anything. "No we didn't. We were too busy."

"Alright. Well, I need the two of you to get out of here."

Without saying anything else, JaeJoong held my hand and led me out of the subway station. We got back onto his bike and the rest of the ride back was silent. At this moment, I was disgusted with this guy's act. How can any human being do such a thing? How can you kill three people in one day?! How can you push an innocent girl in front of a train?!

*~*~*~*

"Do you like it?" I looked at the room that JaeJoong showed me. It was a room that was connected to his. It was smaller that his room but big enough to fit a bed and closet. I just nodded, not caring too much about it. "You can stay here if you like. Where are you currently staying?"

"Seoul's Teen Orphanage," I told him. I turned around to look at him. "I'll just continue staying there."

"No, you're staying here. I know for a fact that it's much better than that hell hole. I've lived there before and I know that it's dirty. If you don't stay here, you're dissing my place and saying that's its worst than that place."

"You lived in the orphanage before?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes I did. If I had parents, I wouldn't be here and who I am. After school tomorrow, I want you to pack your things. I'll pick you up there at four o'clock, so you better hurry and come out." He walked away and I didn't say anything but nod to myself. I walked out of his room when he took off his shirt and entered his washroom.

I walked to the front door, breathing in and out at the sight I saw. It wouldn't be normal if a girl wasn't turned on by that sight. His body was like whoa! Shaking it out of my head, I headed back to the orphanage. It was past nine when I arrived, meaning I was coming back after my curfew. I walked in the orphanage to see Mrs. Choi.

"Where were you?" She sounded both mad and worried at the same time. I didn't answer because I was stuttering, not knowing what to say. Her face softened as she said, "Next time, don't come home past nine."

"Mrs. Choi," I said, stopping her after she had walked off. She turned around to face me. "I was wondering if I could move out of here."

"You don't like it here?"

"I do but I think I would rather live with my friend."

"Then that is your decision," she said, smiling at me. "When are you going to leave?"

"Tomorrow," I said. I received a nod from her and then watched as she walked off. I went into my room and packed all of my belongings so that I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow. I walked into the laundry room to grab my clean clothes. I put them in my suitcase as well.

When I was done, I put my suitcase aside. I suddenly remembered that I had left my bag at JaeJoong's place, meaning that I couldn't do my homework. Sighing, I decided to go out to the recreation room. I took a seat next to the guy that helped me earlier this morning but not too close to him. Everyone was watching a comedy and I joined in.

It was funny at some parts but I didn't laugh because I didn't want to seem like I fitted in with them. The show was over and it was quarter to eleven. I stood up and walked away, into the washroom to wash up. After that, I went into my room and climbed into bed. It wasn't even a minute after when my door was opened and the lights turned on.

I turned to my right and tried to sleep, hoping that my roommates wouldn't bother me. At the sound of a masculine voice, I immediately sat up. "Sleeping already?" I didn't say anything but just looked away. "Where were you today?"

"None of your business, get out."

"Is that your way of thanking me for this morning?" he asked, chuckling. I just ignored him, not being appreciative at all. "Fine fine. Don't count on me to help you next time then."

"There won't be a next time, don't you worry. I'm leaving this hell hole," I said, recalling to what JaeJoong called this place earlier. I looked to see that the guy was surprised.

"Going back to Canada?"

"No," I said, lying back down on my bed. "Leave me alone and get out please." I closed my eyes and could feel him still in the room because he was breathing rather loudly. Soon, I heard footsteps and the lights were shut.

The door opened and after a few more footsteps, I heard, "Kim JunSu," before the door fully closed.

*~*~*~*

I changed out of my gym strip and walked back to my locker with ChangMin. We had just practiced more on wrestling. During breaks at school, ChangMin, YooChun and I would just sit against our lockers and talk. The two of them asked me to go somewhere with them after school but I declined, remember that JaeJoong was to pick me up.

JaeJoong. I was thinking about him the whole night. He's such a mysterious person. He could be nice and joking around one second, and the next, he's cutting me with a knife. He wasn't a cute guy nor was he a hot guy but I found him really attractive. I know that ChangMin and YooChun are better looking than him for sure, but I was attracted to him more. I think it might have to do with his eyes.

After my favorite class, English, school was over. I liked this class a lot because what they learned was so easy for me. I even corrected the teacher every time he made a mistake.

When school was over, I waved to the two guys and started to walk back to the orphanage. I changed out of my uniform and into jeans and a beater when I arrived. I walked outside of the orphanage to see JaeJoong on his bike. He walked over to me and actually offered to carry my stuff. There was a cab behind his bike as well. He walked into my room and helped me with one of my two suitcases.

Before we walked out of the door, we were greeted by Mrs. Choi. "Linh! You're leaving with JaeJoong?" She had a surprised look on her face. How does she know him? I just nodded and smiled at her. "I do not support this decision of yours. When you said a friend, I thought you had meant a girl. Even if it's not a girl, you could've picked a better kid than JaeJoong," she said, looking disgustedly at him. I don't blame her.

"Shut up lady," JaeJoong said, pushing me behind him. "She's a grown girl and she can do whatever she wants." I couldn't believe the attitude she was showing him. This guy sure is one of a kind.

"Disrespect," Mrs. Choi said, shaking her head. "That is all you've given me since I brought you back here. Linh, you're staying here." She tried to reach for me but then JaeJoong blocked her way and dragged me towards his bike.

Mrs. Choi tried to run after us, but we left right after JaeJoong had shoved my stuff in the cab, told the driver to follow him, got on the bike and drove off with me behind him. We arrived at his place not long after. JaeJoong paid the cab driver and carried my stuff inside. He put my stuff in the room I'm staying in and then left, telling me to unpack.

I bit my lips and sighed. I slowly unpacked and when I got through with the first suitcase, I was already dead tired. I lay on the queen sized bed to relax and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

JaeJoong:

I sat on the couch and was drinking my beer while watching some basketball on TV. After I finished three bottles, I got bored and decided go check up on Linh. I walked into my room and into hers and saw one of the suitcases opened and empty. The other one was just where I last left it. I looked on the bed to see that she was sound asleep.

She didn't have the blanket on her and I could see the goose bumps that were on her arm. Idiot. I walked up to her and left her up. I could hear her mumble a few words but couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. It wasn't English nor was it Korean so it must've been Vietnamese. I spread the blanket out and laid her down, placing the blanket on top of her.

I looked at her for a while and came to conclusion that she would be my ideal girl, if only her hair wasn't that stupid color! It made me want to rip it right off her head, but obviously I didn't. I walked out of the room and decided to go to sleep as well so that I wouldn't be tired later when I go out. I took off my black beater and champions, wearing only my black boxers. Hopping into bed, I fell asleep.

*~*~*~*

I woke up to see that it had been four hours since I slept. It was nine o'clock. I had to take a piss so I walked into the washroom. The door was closed for some reason so I opened it. What I saw brought a semi-smile to my face, causing my eyes to admire the view in front of me.

The girl before me didn't have a smile on her face though. "Oh my gosh," she said, covering whatever she wanted to cover up.