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As a junior in the 11th grade, what can I do to increase my chances of a great school?

I know I'm supposed to do good in my essays, but how, what exactly screams "We got to take this applicant in"? Also, what am I supposed to do during the summer? I'm already doing a college mentoring program during the summer but I have no idea if that helps my resume.

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Shannon’s Answer

I've seen some amazing students with perfect ACT/SAT scores not get into the schools they wanted. More important than getting into a "great school" is finding the right school for you and a school that appreciates what you have to offer. Once you get in, doing the best you can is more important than which school you attend.

As far as your essay, show off who you really are as a person. So many students write what they think will make them sound good. Just being open and honest will really stand out. That's great that you are doing a mentoring program, but be sure to have fun and enjoy those last summers before college too!

Shannon recommends the following next steps:

Find schools that really suit you and what you want to study.
Write an honest essay showcasing your best qualities.
Enjoy the end of high school and summers with your friends!
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LaTerricka’s Answer

This is going to sound crazy so bear with me hun. You could be the best academic student ever, valedictorian, highest ACT score , the best pre-college programs to date but honestly they don't matter nearly as much as you think it does. College is more than just education which is why they ask for a essay about you or something you have went through because you can be the best student but who are you outside of that. What do you do in your free time to wind down that is not education based, they want to see how you act outside of the classroom as well as inside. Are you a good person to others or are you self centered? Are you family based or more independent? Yes your GPA is important for senior year acceptance but if you decided to switch schools or even majors, all that work is now diminished because you aren't a fresh candidate anymore. You will stand out by showing them yeah I got the smarts but I can also explain who I am and what I want out of life as well. When you get this degree how are you going to apply it in life because I promise it don't stop after high school or college or after adulthood. Life ends when you close your eyes for the last time so what are you going to do until then?
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Samantha’s Answer

I will absolute recommend to achieve an internship, contracting job, or a temporary job for your choice of major. Such as, if majoring in Science, consider a Junior internship for a biotech company. As of the testing and essays, some schools do not require a extremely high percentage score. In some cases, a school would consider to accept a student with good references (teachers, employers, mentors, and coaches) and good resume experiences. An essay should always be authentic and inspiring for you!
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Nicole’s Answer

Hi Melissa. Thanks for this forward-thinking question!

In addition to the awesome answers already provided, I will add this...think of ways and/or create ideas where you get to demonstrate your leadership skills. If you are in a school club, what role do you play in that club? Are you a member who is creating things for the club to do? Is there possibly a volunteer effort that you can lead?

In my experience, great schools seek out well-rounded students...and that includes students who bring a voice and perspective to the college culture, campus and atmosphere. Oftentimes, the students who demonstrate leadership skills are also those that contribute to positive college atmospheres. That is good for the school and it is good for the attending students.

Generally speaking, summers are a good time to take on jobs or tasks that may be linked to your interests, your interests of study and/or areas that are in high demand from a career perspective. A college mentoring program is a good start. If you are the mentor (the person giving advice), be clear about how you are helping your mentee. If you are the mentee (the person receiving advice), be clear on how you are using the advice given and how it is helping you.

Finally, I totally agree that "a great school" is really about whether or not the school is a good fit for you. Regardless of your grades or the school curriculum, if you aren't comfortable, chances are you will find higher levels of stress in getting things done than if you are in a setting where you feel good about your progress and the tools you have and are getting to succeed. Because let's be real, we go to college to advance ourselves...so progress is the name of the game :).

I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck to you!
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Eileen’s Answer

Great is what works for you. Forget the brand names and high price tags. What works for you. In that vein - do your best, do your research and do well in your coursework. Also, get a job - that will help you learn how the real world works.
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Shanna’s Answer

Something to add - in addition to thinking about a summer internship, which may be hard to come by, demonstrating leadership or other skills through a high impact volunteering role is a great way to get noticed and have something to talk about in your essays.
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Kyra’s Answer

Hey there!
Great question! I would really focus on not only your grades but also any activities or volunteering outside of your normal school hours. If you plan to go to college they really like to know your interests! Its a good way to be eligible for scholarships too! I was part of DECA and many sports teams and was involved in plenty of volunteering opportunities. It depends on what you plan to major in. That will really define where you should look as far as intern and mentorship opportunities go!
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Nayoka’s Answer

Colleges look for a well-rounded student. This means a good balance of academics and extracurricular activities. Those activities include sports, clubs, volunteering (school, church, shelter) and any other activities in which you serve others/show teamwork.

Once accepted and you start college, don't be surprised if you change your mind about your major after you've taken a few courses. That's normal, but be sure to stay connected to your college career counselor (free service) for guidance and planning the area/career works best for you.

Nayoka recommends the following next steps:

Narrow down choices to top 3 schools
Research/contact schools to gather info about curriculum/degree
Pray about your decision
Practice patience
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Brianna’s Answer

Hi, Melissa,

To reiterate what people have already said- there isn't really a "great school," in an objective sense. There are schools with big name recognition like Harvard. There are schools with 100% job placement rates after graduation like trade colleges. There are schools that are known for one specific program, but you never really hear about the others (like MIT). There are schools that don't have a lot of name recognition but will give you a full scholarship and a loan free education. In the end of the day, a "great school" depends on you and what your values priorities as a student are.

I emphasized that a lot because knowing what makes a school great FOR YOU is one if the keys to having a great essay. I, for example, really valued academic rigor and intellectual curiosity, so I applied to many liberal arts colleges that touted having intense academics. It's good to know what kind of student is attracted to and accepted into any particular college because your essay supports that. If you're a kid who loves sports and wants to play sports in college and writes your essay about being a soccer team captain... but you're applying to a school with no sports teams , you're not going to look like a "good fit" for that place, no matter how good your GPA and ACT score are.

The other key to a good essay is to be genuine. Write about something you actually care about- something that you don't mind writing an essay on. There's a stereotype of high school students writing cookie cutter personal statements about topics that they *think* the college likes. They write what they assume the admissions team wants to hear, not what they're actually interested in writing about. This site (https://blog.collegevine.com/cliche-college-essay-topics) has a goodnlist ofs stereotypical essay topics that you may want to steer clear of. Your essay doesn't have to be a big topic. It just needs to get across who you are. I, for example, literally just wrote about why one of my longtime hobbies was fun and important to me.

As for your summer, I'd relax. You're young. You're very quickly going to not have free time like summer breaks anymore. Enjoy it.
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Christina’s Answer

Hi, Something that always sticks out is all your extracurricular. You are doing great so far with your mentoring program. Working with the youth, volunteering, any summer jobs you previously had and sports should all go on your resume. You want to be as divers as possible showing that you can tackle different topics and environments
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