International Education Week (IEW), November 17 -21, 2008, is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. Education and culture are among America’s greatest assets. It is a hallmark of America’s diverse and welcoming democratic society.
IEW offers an opportunity for America to celebrate international educational exchange and its positive impact on our nation and the world. According to the lastest Open Doors 2008 annual report, the total number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States reached a record of 623,805 in the 2007/2008 academic year.
As part of AIT’s IEW week programs to celebrate IEW, we have asked AIT’s officers to share their unique college experiences with Taiwan students. For information about related programs, please check list of events at: http://www.educationusa.org.tw/
View from the Other Side of the College Application Process
During my senior year at Georgetown University, I had the unique privilege to serve as a student representative on the School of Foreign Service's Freshmen Admissions Committee. I served on the Admissions Committee for the Class of 2007 along with professors and admissions officer in order to provide the student perspective in evaluating the applications and to help select a diverse class of students who would be able to contribute to the Georgetown community. I took a deep breath as I looked at the files piled in front of me. Each dark brown file was at least an inch thick. I reached for a folder and reviewed the first application.
For the first time, I realized that assessing an application was as difficult as putting together an application. How do I differentiate two candidates with similar GPA and SAT scores? How do you quantify a student council presidency versus captain of varsity basketball? How do you evaluate a student's achievements in relation to the opportunities and resources available to that particular student?
College admissions, to be perfectly honest, are somewhat subjective and relative. While SATs and GPAs provide a rough rubric for evaluation, the most important elements of the package--from my experience--are the recommendation letters and essays. Well-written recommendation letters shed light on the applicant and explain to the admissions committee how others see the applicant and the applicant's impact on his/her existing community. Personal essays, on the other hand, provide applicants with the stage to showcase themselves. Essays may reveal attitudes, beliefs, and/or personal traits that help admissions committee understand the applicant as an individual.
While each school will have its own set of priorities, colleges tend to prefer students who are well-rounded and multifaceted, and who can contribute to the diversity of the campus. As the admissions season progressed and the files piled up, it was easy to get lost in the files. Oftentimes, applicant "y" sounded exactly like applicant "x", and applicant "x" sounded exactly like another applicant whose file I reviewed earlier. One word of advice…essays should not only detail what you have accomplished--essays should paint a picture of who you are.
IEW offers an opportunity for America to celebrate international educational exchange and its positive impact on our nation and the world. According to the lastest Open Doors 2008 annual report, the total number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States reached a record of 623,805 in the 2007/2008 academic year.
As part of AIT’s IEW week programs to celebrate IEW, we have asked AIT’s officers to share their unique college experiences with Taiwan students. For information about related programs, please check list of events at: http://www.educationusa.org.tw/
View from the Other Side of the College Application Process
During my senior year at Georgetown University, I had the unique privilege to serve as a student representative on the School of Foreign Service's Freshmen Admissions Committee. I served on the Admissions Committee for the Class of 2007 along with professors and admissions officer in order to provide the student perspective in evaluating the applications and to help select a diverse class of students who would be able to contribute to the Georgetown community. I took a deep breath as I looked at the files piled in front of me. Each dark brown file was at least an inch thick. I reached for a folder and reviewed the first application.
For the first time, I realized that assessing an application was as difficult as putting together an application. How do I differentiate two candidates with similar GPA and SAT scores? How do you quantify a student council presidency versus captain of varsity basketball? How do you evaluate a student's achievements in relation to the opportunities and resources available to that particular student?
College admissions, to be perfectly honest, are somewhat subjective and relative. While SATs and GPAs provide a rough rubric for evaluation, the most important elements of the package--from my experience--are the recommendation letters and essays. Well-written recommendation letters shed light on the applicant and explain to the admissions committee how others see the applicant and the applicant's impact on his/her existing community. Personal essays, on the other hand, provide applicants with the stage to showcase themselves. Essays may reveal attitudes, beliefs, and/or personal traits that help admissions committee understand the applicant as an individual.
While each school will have its own set of priorities, colleges tend to prefer students who are well-rounded and multifaceted, and who can contribute to the diversity of the campus. As the admissions season progressed and the files piled up, it was easy to get lost in the files. Oftentimes, applicant "y" sounded exactly like applicant "x", and applicant "x" sounded exactly like another applicant whose file I reviewed earlier. One word of advice…essays should not only detail what you have accomplished--essays should paint a picture of who you are.
