The College Interview

   To be honest, I'm having a little difficulty collecting my thoughts for the SAT series, so I decided to take a break from it for a little while and talk about something else that's extremely important; college interviews.

Do all colleges have interviews and where do these interviews take place?

  No, many colleges do not require interviews as part of their admission process, but some schools such as Ivy League schools strongly suggest that you interview. Interviews may take place at the actual college, but many colleges will use alumni networks or admissions representative to bring the interview closer to you.

Okay, so there's no sample question sheet or anything. . . what should I expect?

   Unlike many high school interviews, where you'll probably receive some kind of sample questions or something, college interviews do no such thing. You can expect the normal questions like "Why do you want to attend college XYZ? What do you want to major in?" etc. Outside of these questions, though, your interviewer really wants to get to know you; they want to know why you would be a good addition to their school academically, what motivates you, and what kind of diverse thought and background can you bring to their campus. Below, I am providing some examples of the questions that I was asked in my Princeton interview this past winter:

• What other colleges have you applied to and why?
• Why did you choose Princeton over the other Ivy League schools?
• Frankly, Princeton already has an abundance of wonderful students. What do you think that you could bring to Princeton to make it even better?
• Where did you grow up? What was your family like? (Note, this is in a very general sense, nothing too overly personal that you are not comfortable with sharing.)
• Where did you go to high school? What was your favorite thing to study?
• What organizations did you participate in, both in and outside of school?
• What is your philosophy on higher education?

   This is just a general list of questions that you may be asked. As you can see, they range from academic to personal to philosophical.

What should I wear to my interview?

   Usually, whatever information sheet you receive about your interview will specify how formal your interview is. For example, I know that some take place in a coffee shop and are extremely informal. If this is the case, modest and neat is always the best policy.

   For most interviews, though, the dress is either business casual or business professional. The UGA Career Center has a great article for what this means for both men and women, so click here to visit the website. When in doubt, overdress. In the words of Oscar Wilde, "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." 

   In general, just make sure that your dress is neat, clean, and professional. Ladies, please no excessively tall heels, short skirts, or boots. Gentleman, please iron your clothes and pick out a tasteful tie.

To sum it all up, here are some closing remarks:

• Arrive early to your interview, but not obnoxiously early. Leave in plenty of time, but wait until about 15 minutes beforehand to enter the building.
• Be prepared! Know your résumé like the back of your hand.
• Do not think of your interview as just a series of questions; make it a conversation. Find a common ground that your share with your interviewer and go from there. Remember, they are trying to get to know you to see if you will be a good fit for the college, so be personable but professional.
• Finally, don't stress! It's just a formal conversation. Don't be afraid to ask questions and talk about other things besides just college.

Best of luck in your interviews! Cheers!

Claire

Long Time, No see

Hello everyone! I want to apologize for my absence the past few weeks, but college has been kicking my butt. Luckily, I am currently working on the next installment of the SAT series, so look out for that soon.
See you soon!

Claire

August Update

   Hello everyone!
   I am very excited to announce that I have begun my fall semester at the University of Georgia! Go Dawgs! I am so happy to be starting my classes, and I'm especially happy that I'll now be able to give an official college student perspective. However, regretfully, I will also be a lot more busy than I was this summer. I will continue to update the blog, but the updates might be less frequent. I am aiming for a post every two weeks, so look out for the SAT guide part 2 very soon.
   Also, Georgia Help for College students is on Pinterest! Follow us to receive updates from the blog, tips on interviews, essays, and more. Don't forget to repin an article that you especially enjoyed on the blog. Click here to go to the Pinterest page.
   Thanks for being awesome and keep it up!

Claire

College Help for Georgia Students is on Facebook!

   Hey everyone! Just a quick update: College Help for Georgia Students is on Facebook! "Like" us to receive all of the latest updates and information on the blog.
   As always, thanks for reading!

Studying for your SAT (Part 1): Why is it so hard to study for the SAT?

   The almighty SAT seems to be an increasingly more important component of the college application process. Whether that is a correct way to evaluate students or not, it is still an unfortunate reality for many students. Let's be honest: the SAT is a long, grueling, unpleasant test for the most part, however, there are some things that you can do to make your SAT experience less unpleasant.
   Since there is so much information about the SAT, this entry will be divided into several parts, each giving you specific information on each SAT section and how to study for that section. But first, some general information about studying for the SAT:

   First off, please, please, PLEASE ACTUALLY study for your SAT!
   This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but it is probably the most valuable I can give to you. Why? Well, most students do not study for the SAT very much, or they "study" (AKA, have 5, 982 browser windows open on the internet, one of which has free SAT study questions on it). Some students do not have to study for their high school classes, and they believe that the SAT will be the same way. For a precious few students it is a breeze, but for most of us, the SAT is a whole different animal than most high school classes.

Why is the SAT so hard to study for?

   There are a couple key components to the SAT that make it so difficult to study for, and it has nothing to do with the actual test material:

• The advantage/disadvantage of your SAT score is not immediately visible. It isn't like a high school class where you know if you get a "B" on the test, your grade will drop three points. Your SAT score has a more abstract effect on your college application process, since there are many factors that go into the application that can change the weight of your application.

• That said, the SAT isn't "required" for college applications. You could always take the ACT, which some students tend to find easier, which leads to some students not studying because they think if they don't do well on the SAT, they could always take the ACT. The problem with this belief is that the ACT might not actually be easier for you, and you're wasting your money by taking the SAT and not committing to it. Commit to it, do well, and you won't have to take the ACT and pay more money. Or, take the ACT and commit to it, and you won't have to pay more money. Simple.

•  Lastly, the SAT is a long test. A very, very long test. Many students do not come in with at least a full run-through of the SAT under their belts and are not prepared for the mental endurance that the test takes.

   Now, the SAT might seem even more daunting now, but studying for it does not have to be so daunting if you sit down and plan out your study.

What can I do when planning my study time?

   Okay, you know yourself better than anyone else. The most important part of planning your study time is to not lie to yourself. For example, if you aren't the type of person who can focus while studying online because you tend to wander through the vast world of the internet, then don't study online.
   Choose whether you want to study from a book or from the internet. Each method will have free and paid for services that you can use. For example, you could borrow some SAT books or check them out from a local library, or you can spend the extra money and buy a book that you can physically write in.
   The internet will have many more free services, but keep in mind that the actual test is administered on paper. If you're like me, taking a test on a computer and taking a test on a piece of paper are two entirely different things.
   Of course, I will provide some suggestions for both free and paid for SAT study services in the very near future.

So, what's next?

   Breathe. You can tackle and conquer this test, I promise. This post contained a lot of information, but I hope that it was helpful. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Studying for your SAT!"

 

Quick Advice from College Students (Part 2)

"Get organized. If you plan on applying to multiple colleges. Know the deadlines. It would be silly to miss out on potential money, scholarships, opportunities and honors. Looking back, I wish I would have had a separate email account set up for college stuff. As a senior, you get so many emails from colleges. Sometimes, it gets confusing and hard to use if you have one email for everything."

- Julian (John Hopkins University)

"Get a head start on applying to scholarships. Believe it or not, there is a plethora of scholarships available to high school juniors."

- Duc (Georgia Tech)

"Take the SAT/ACT starting sophomore year. That way you have time to take it over and over so you can get a score you're happy with and don't have to stress over one sitting of the exam in order to get the score you need."

- Mary Katherine (University of Alabama)

How to Calculate your HOPE/ Zell Miller GPA

   Calculating your HOPE/Zell Miller scholarship GPA may seem like a confusing task, but it is actually fairly simple. Before you calculate your actual GPA, there are a couple of things that you need to know:

• Only core classes (math, literature, science, social studies, and foreign language*) count towards your HOPE GPA. *Foreign language courses only count if you're on a college preparatory or higher diploma
• Know if your school weights classes. For example, my former high school added 3 points for Honors classes and 5 for AP classes.
• HOPE uses a GPA on a 4.0 scale

How to Calculate: 

• Have a list of all of your classes and your grades in front of you.
• Go through and mark through all non-core classes
• Subtract the weight points from each class that has one, leaving you with your actual class grade
• For your HOPE scholarship GPA, use the following scale:
• A= 4.0
• B= 3.0
• C= 2.0
• D= 1.0
• F= 0.0
• For each AP/IB class that you have taken, add .5 to your GPA for that class, not to exceed a 4.0. So, if you made a C in AP Statistics, your GPA for that class is a 2.5.
• Now, figure out if each class is a 1 credit class or a .5 credit class. Multiply each grade converted to the 4.0 scale by the credit. (For example, in the picture found below, my freshman year .5 credit Government class multiplied by the 4.0 that I received gives me a 2 in this column)
• Add up the total number of credits attempted.
• Divide the (Credit times the GPA of that class) by the (total number of credits attempted)
• Voila! Your HOPE/ Zell Miller GPA! 

Here's an example: 

    Below is my HOPE grade report available on Georgia411.com. As you can see, classes such as gym classes, band, jazz band, and piano class are all not included in my GPA. As far as the weighting goes for my grades, my school goofed and forgot to weight some of my junior year classes, so no weight points were subtracted. Although this does not make a difference in my HOPE GPA, I just wanted to make everything clear.

Here is the HOPE Grade Report found on GAcollege411.com for each student:

   To get my final GPA of a 4.0, I took the last column total and divided it by the total number of attempted credit hours. 
   As you can see, calculating your HOPE GPA is no great mystery, but it can be a little confusing sometimes. In addition to the GPA requirement, there are more requirements to receive the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships, but more to come on that later.


Resources: 

• GAcollege411 HOPE information: https://secure.gacollege411.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/HOPE_Program/_default.aspx
• GAcollege411 Create an Account: https://secure.gacollege411.org/Home/Create_an_Account/Create_an_Account.aspx