Tips for Getting Recommendation Letters

One of the most important parts of your college application is a part that you don’t write and over which you don’t really have any control. Selective colleges in the United States require that applicants include recommendation letters with their applications. In order to get recommendation letters, you must first ask someone to write one for you. Choose teachers or community leaders that have had to a chance to really get to know you well. Absolutely do not have a family member or your best friend in high school write your letter as the school will assume that close family and friends are prejudiced in your favor. Make sure that you ask for recommendation letters a long time in advance of actually sending in your application. You need to give the person that is writing a letter for you a reasonable amount of time to write something on your behalf. Let him or her know which school you are applying for and be very clear about the format requirements for the letter. If the deadline for sending your application is getting closer, it is acceptable to contact you recommendation letter writer and remind them of the approaching deadline. After they have written the letters, remember to thank them! They have done you a big favor!

How Should You Approach Writing Your Application Essay?

The college application essay is one of the most important ways that a college has of getting a very clear idea of the sort of person that you are, so it is important to spend some time carefully putting your essay together. Often colleges will give you a list of essay topics that you can write about. Choose the one that appeals to you most. First, decide what you want to say before you say it. Create a simple outline of the points you want to make in each paragraph of your essay. Then, begin writing a first draft. When you write your first draft do not try to use a lot of fancy language or impressive vocabulary words. Write as naturally as you can. When it is time to revise your essay, let someone else read it and give you some ideas for how you can improve it. When you are writing your final draft, be very careful about checking grammar, spelling and punctuation. Finally, the essay should give a sense of the kind of person that you are. Your application already has long lists of your accomplishment and activities. Your essay should not be another list of great things you’ve done; it should express your personality and beliefs.

How Can You Prepare for Your Interview?

One question that an interviewer is certain to ask is why you want to go to their college in the first place. Think about what makes this college unique and how it appeals to you as a person. Review your own application materials so that you can easily discuss the things your already said about yourself and will be able to talk about your achievements in high school and what you would like to achieve when you get to college. Finally, the interview is not really the most important part of the application process. The most important thing to do here is to relax and just try to be yourself!