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Choosing the Right College The good news: There's more than one "perfect" college out there for each and every student. That said, it's up to you to figure out what you want in a college so that you can determine which schools are right for you. Here are two important tips to help you get started:
- Don't focus too much on selectivity and rankings. Prestige isn't everything. Too many high school students run around in circles, practically yelling "Pick me! Pick me!" at any big-name school they stumble across, without stopping and thinking about why they want to attend that college. Often, when they do get accepted to a so-called dream school, they transfer out after their first semester or year. Why? They didn't bother to find the right match. They were so concerned with rankings and reputation that they never considered whether or not they'd actually be happy in that environment. Big mistake!
- Don't limit your choices right off the bat. When starting their initial college search, too many families limit their choices by looking only at colleges that have a tuition the family can readily afford. We encourage you to "think outside the box." Consider all of the possibilities when trying to find colleges that are a good match. If you then fall in love with a college that seems out of your price range, thoroughly investigate all financial aid options, including both need-based and non-need-based aid.
Get more tips on choosing the right college. |  | | | | | |  | Admissions |  | | | | Last-minute Essay Tips As a high school senior, it's certainly possible that with studying for SATs, preparing for exams, and planning holiday travel, you haven't had a chance to work on your college application essay yet. Don't worry—you can create a unique, compelling essay in limited time. Keep in mind that the application essay is your chance to provide an added boost to an already strong application package; in many cases, a well-written, communicative essay can help compensate for a low GPA or SAT/ACT score. Your essay will give college admissions officers a much better idea of your personality, interests, and goals than test scores and grades can provide. Make the most of this important opportunity to let the real you shine through. Make sure your essay is interesting to readers. Read your essay aloud to a friend, parent, or teacher. Does your audience remain attentive throughout your reading? Even if no one's around to hear you, reading aloud is a great way to spot clunky language, grammatical errors, or typos in your writing. Proofreading your essay is extremely important. You certainly don't want to send an essay that mentions the wrong school, has missing words, or includes other errors. However, if you've been staring at your essays for hours or days, the words may start to blur together, and you may have trouble spotting mistakes. Have another person read over your essay, or read your essay backwards. You'll get a fresh perspective on your work and will be able to locate trouble spots much more quickly. Get more essay-writing advice at kaptest.com/college.
| | | Back to Top | | | | | | | SAT/ACT Tips | | | | | Decipher SAT Word Meanings Simply knowing that you're dealing with a positive or negative word can earn you points on the SAT. For example, look at the word "cantankerous." Say it to yourself. Can you guess whether it's positive or negative? Often words that sound harsh have a negative meaning, while smooth-sounding words tend to have positive meanings. If "cantankerous" sounded negative to you, you were right. You can also use prefixes and roots to help determine a word's charge. Mal-, de-, dis-, un-, in-, im-, a-, and mis- often indicate a negative, while pro-, ben,- and magn- are often positives. Not all SAT words sound positive or negative; some sound neutral. But if you can define the charge, you can begin to define the word, and you can probably eliminate some answer choices on that basis alone.
| | | | Back to Top | | | | | | Campus Visit | | | | | Haverford College
Location: Haverford, PA
Web Site: www.haverford.edu
Applied: 2,598
Admitted: 843
Enrolled: 311
Number of Undergraduates: 1,105
Male-to-Female Ratio: 47% men / 53% women
Tuition and Fees: $28,880 "Do you mean Harvard?" is how people often respond when they first hear of this excellent, but less famous, college. Haverford College may not have the big name cachet of that other educational icon, but it's nevertheless one of the best liberal arts schools in the country. Haverford offers a strong, general liberal arts program. The core curriculum includes three courses each in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, as well as requirements in such fields as foreign language, writing, phys ed, social justice, and quantitative reasoning. In addition to the academic rigor, the school's character is dominated by its honor code, which is student-run and covers not only academics, but social interaction as well. In addition, students have the option of taking courses at Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania, so despite Haverford's small size, there's not much you can't find if you really look and make an effort. The park-like 216-acre suburban campus includes a nature walk, a duck pond, and 400 species of trees and shrubs. The dorms are in good condition, and most are in suite arrangements. The housing policy is a prime example of how Haverford treats its students like adults: Men and women can share a suite (and for upperclassmen, a bedroom) in some apartments. The school tends to be rather quiet during the week—and on weekends. With no Greek organizations, most of the social life involves casual hanging out in dormitory common rooms. Haverford isn't known for its athletic teams, but over 40 percent of students here play one of the 21 varsity sports offered. Nearly everyone finds time to volunteer for local organizations.
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