Weekly Wisdom

Synopsis:
Enthusiasm for college. December SATs. "Oddball" essays. Occidental College.

Introduction:

This week’s wisdom is about enthusiasm for college. We answer a question about December SATs, talk about “Oddball” essays, and include two articles about college admissions. We also have our vocab words of the week and take a look at Occidental College.

Weekly Wisdom

If you happened to log on to Yahoo over the weekend, you would have found an article regarding students expressing enthusiasm to colleges and how colleges are increasingly finding it important in their admissions decisions. Well, first of all, this is nothing new to us at The Prep School. In fact, the cover girl of the article, Dani Kochavi, is a Prep School alum.

The October SAT is now over, and for most of you seniors, it is time to really put the pedal to the metal – get out there and put your face in front of these admissions representatives, schedule tours at local colleges to which you are applying, and make sure to try to get those letters of recommendations as customized as possible. For all of those application questions that ask you why you want to go to school “A”, make sure you do your research and write something that shows you really care.

For you juniors and junior parents, take a deep breath, because it is all about to start for you. If you haven’t already (and you probably shouldn’t have), you will likely start prepping for SATs in the next few months, and your grades from this year are paramount in the college process. So, keep up the good work, and enjoy yourself – because things are probably going to get a little stressful from here on out. We’re help to help any way we can.
If you want to read the article and another one, check out our “Articles in the News” sections.

Upcoming Deadlines

October 13th – last day for late registration for Nov 6th SAT & SAT II

October 23rd - ACT

October 29th – last day to register for Dec 4th SAT & SAT II

November 5th - last day to register for December 11th ACT

November 6th - SAT I & SAT II

November 10th - last day for late registration for Dec 4th SAT & SAT II

Articles in the News

The first article is the one mentioned in our weekly wisdom – about college admissions and the trend in “enthusiasm.” We love it when our former students can be found in national articles about college admissions, smiling in front of a bust of our nation’s first president.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041009/ap_on_re_us/colleges_enthusiastic_applicants

The second article is about Bates College, which opts for a rather unique admissions policy of NOT requiring applicants to submit SAT scores. The results and potential extrapolations from this are discussed in the article. Very interesting.

http://technicianonline.com/story.php?id=010260

Ask The Experts

asktheexperts@thepreptalk.com

"Is it going to be too late if I take the December SAT to report it to colleges?"

A: Good question. The short answer is, well, long. The reason is that each school has different policy on this. For example, UCs will not guarantee that they will look at your December scores, even if you rush the results. Almost any early action or early decision program will not look at December scores, but most regular admissions deadlines, which fall between mid-December and mid-January, will allow a look at the scores. So, plan accordingly… you cannot depend on the scores being considered for December tests for a number of schools, so the best bet is to know where you are applying before betting on December as your last chance

Application & Essay Tips

The oddball essay. Some people like to think that an “oddball” or “unique” essay is the way to go. Our advice is to let the essay reflect your personality. If you are an oddball, then maybe give it a try. But to make your essay “weird” or “unique” because you’ve heard that’s what “they” like would be foolish. Generally, the schools want to learn something about you, and if you are faking it on a different type of essay, it will come through in your writing and be seen as a gimmick. Stick to your topic of choice that tells the reader about you, and stick to your own personality.

Featured College

www.occidental.edu

Occidental is one of the lesser-known gems in the Los Angeles area. Located in Eagle Rock, just in between Pasadena and Glendale, Occidental is a small school in the true liberal arts tradition. Beautiful architecture and landscapes surround students who work hard in a collegiate atmosphere. Occidental students love their school’s system. The “large” classes, usually topping out at 50 students, are the exception and most classes have between 15 and 20 students. Although to take advantage of all that LA has to offer, a car is often necessary, Occidental still affords its students with plenty to do on campus, including a healthy intramural sports program and Div III intercollegiate sports. Occidental is one of a handful of small, liberal arts colleges dedicated to diversity. The environment here is genuinely diverse, and not in a forced way. Occidental students come from all walks of life, and they pride themselves on blending together harmoniously. It is hard to argue that such diversity does not enhance the educational experience at this already strong academic institution. If Los Angeles remains your game, and UCLA & USC are either too big or too difficult to get into, Occidental should be near or at the top of the list of smaller alternatives.

Vocab of The Week

Penitent (adj): describing one who repents of sin or is sorrowful on account of his transgressions

Elton John had offended nearly the entire population of the country, and yet, he showed no signs of penitence; instead, he continued to disparage the citizens in his own way.

Tedious (adj): Tiresome by reason of length, slowness, or dullness

Some people think that John Kerry can be a bit talkative; others believe him to be overwhelmingly tedious in his explanations.

Inundated (adj): To overwhelm as if with a flood

George W. Bush’s website was inundated with questions from constituents who wanted to know how many “internets” the President thought there were.