Solving the College
Puzzle
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Akhil Kohli
Center Director
510-608-0701
The College Admissions Process
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Remember, the
admissions process is a
process. There is no
magic to it.
Like baking a cake, the
process requires
understanding of the
right ingredients, the
proper steps, and right
timing
Why Go To College?
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Higher earning power
Average Annual Income
High School Graduate
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Doctorate
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$
$
$
$
31,075
50,394
60,514
77,445
Lifetime earnings (In Millions!)
The World Is Changing
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Changing global economy
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Your life is going to be a whole lot more
complicated than your parents’
The Better Education You Have, The
Better Your Chances In Life
The Ingredients
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GPA / Honors / AP Coursework
Standardized Tests: SAT / ACT / SAT II
Extracurricular Activities
High School Four Year Plan
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For Graduation and College
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GPA & AP Classes
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There is no
formula for
how many AP’s
to take. Each
student can
handle a
different
workload. The
key is to find
the most AP
classes you
can realistically
handle but not
over-stretch
yourself
GPA
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The higher your Grade Point Average, the better off you are
AP and Honors courses can help increase your GPA in certain
circumstances/schools
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UC schools give extra weighting to an AP grade. For example, an “A” in an AP
class will give you a GPA of 5.0 instead of 4.0. A “B” would give you a 4.0, etc.
Other schools have different ways of weighting AP and Honors classes
AP Courses- What They Are
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Advanced Placement courses are college-level classes given to highachieving high school students. Your performance in an AP class is a
good measuring stick for colleges to see how you will perform in a
college-level environment.
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Advanced Placement (AP) classes are typically taken Junior and
Senior year, with limited classes available to Sophomores
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High AP test scores can give you college credits, allowing you to
potentially enter college with credits on your transcript or allowing you
to skip entry-level classes to higher level electives
When To Think About Them
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You should start thinking about them freshman year, but no action
needs to be taken until you are entering sophomore year
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Most high schools in the area only allow one AP class to sophomores. Check
with you school counselor on your school’s particular policy
SAT I / ACT (and the PSAT / PLAN)
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The SAT and ACT are standardized college admissions tests normally
taken by high school Juniors and Seniors as part of the admissions
process
Most schools will accept either of the two tests (do not have to take
both). SAT I, however, is more popular here in California.
The tests are administered by the testing organizations, not your
school – separate registration through those companies’ websites, not
your school counseling office
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There are practice tests given for these tests, usually taken during the
fall of Junior year.
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SAT: www.collegeboard.com
ACT: www.actstudent.org
SAT: PSAT
ACT: PLAN
Example: UC Admit Profile For 2011
As you can see, the average GPA at UC Berkeley and UCLA were higher
than 4.0. That is due to high performance in AP and honor level classes by
the average student entering these schools
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UC Admit Profile - 2011
2400
2300
2200
2100
BK
LA
2000
SAT
SD
DV
1900
IR
1800
SB
SC
RV
1700
MC
1600
1500
10
1400
3.40
3.50
3.60
3.70
3.80
Weighted GPA
3.90
4.00
4.10
4.20
SAT II
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Available Subjects
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Literature
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History
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US History
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World History
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Mathematics
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Level 1
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Level 2
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Sciences
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Biology
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Chemistry
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Physics
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Languages
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French
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German
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Hebrew
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Latin
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Spanish
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Chinese
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Japanese
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Korean
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SAT II’s are different from the SAT I. They
are subject tests that test one’s achievement
in a particular academic subject
Certain schools (especially the tougher ones)
require students to take 1-3 SAT II’s
However, some schools do not require SAT
II’s in their application
You want to take your SAT subject
test immediately at the end of your
subject of choice. This way, the
material is still fresh in your mind.
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This may mean you take scattered
testings throughout your academic
career (perhaps Chemistry at the end
of Sophomore year, US History at the
end of Junior year, etc.)
Essay and Recommendations
Essay
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Higher level schools will typically
ask for an essay. Many private
schools may require more than one.
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Do not worry about these until
senior year. The questions change
year to year.
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However, do not underestimate the
amount of time you will need to
spend on your essays once you
start your application. These are
not things that you can get done in
a weekend. You will need weeks to
come up with your statement, and
to draft and revise.
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Recommendations
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Many schools will ask for personal
references for a student.
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These can typically come from
coaches, teachers, adult
supervisors of your student’s
club/extracurricular activity or other
adults that interact with you in a
professional manner
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You will not need to collect these
until senior year, but as you go
through high school keep in mind
certain relationships that you have.
Keep them warm.
Extracurricular Activities
Common Activities:
 Sports
 Music / Choir
 Community
Service
 Work / Volunteer
Experience
 Clubs /
Organizations
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Colleges want to see that you are a
complete person, not just a study
worm. They want to see:
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In what you are interested
Maturity, responsibility and
dependability
How you manage time and
responsibilities
Your perspective on the world and how
you plan on affecting it
Potential diversity you bring to the
student body
Passion / Interest / Curiosity
Why These Ingredients?
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Why so many things to worry about?
Colleges are seeking to discover the whole person.
Any individual piece of the application gives the
school an incomplete view of an applicant’s
strengths and weaknesses.
By having “more things to worry about” gives you a
better chance at getting into the school of your
choice because you get to show all of your strengths
Financial Aid
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Talk to counselors
Both federal and private money is available
for grants, scholarships and student loans.
“Where there is a will there is a way”
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Timing
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Freshman Year:
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Work hard. Get acclimated to your new school. Start
exploring extracurricular activities – sports, clubs, public
service groups, drama, choir, etc.
If you are up for it, try an Honors class
At the end of freshman year, start thinking about and
discuss the possibility of taking Honors and/or an AP class
sophomore year – if allowed by your school and if you think
you are up for it (don’t worry if you don’t think you are, it’s
not the end of the world)
Timing
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Sophomore Year
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Keep working hard. This is the second most important year
of grades
Start expanding your extracurricular roles – deepen your
involvement in an activity(ies) that you are passionate
about.
You may be taking an AP class this year. Look ahead to
potentially taking AP class(es) Junior year
You may end up taking an SAT II if you find a subject that
you excel in this year
For the go-getters, try taking the PSAT sophomore year
(October) just to get a feel. No downside to taking it, other
than a free Saturday morning gone
Timing
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Junior Year – THE BIG YEAR
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October: Take the PSAT (even if you took in Sophomore year)
Attend college fairs
Fall/Winter: Start developing a preliminary list of schools in which you are
interested
Investigate scholarship opportunities through counselors and school career
center
May/June: If applying to higher end schools, will probably be taking SAT II’s
Spring/Summer: Try to plan a college tour of possible schools either Spring
Break or summer before Senior year
Summer after Junior Year: Request catalogs and application forms from
schools of interest.
Take the SAT I sometime during this year (timing of which discussed on
next page)
SAT I Timing – The Big Question
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Most common time of year to take the SAT is May or June of Junior
year. However, various factors affect when the right time to take the
test
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What level math you are in Junior year
Sports / Extracurricular schedules
AP course load
If you have finished Algebra II by the end of sophomore year, you may
want to explore taking the test in the first half of Junior year, depending
on class load and other activities.
If you are taking Algebra II Junior year, wait until after January to start
preparing, and take the test in the spring
Remember, if you need to take the SAT II’s for your college choices,
you need to reserve a test date (May or June) for that test
Case Study
John Doe (Real Example, Fake Name)
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Freshman year took Algebra
Did 3 years of Math (Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II)
2 years of Science
2 years of Spanish
Played baseball Freshman and Sophmore year
Prepared for SAT in the middle of Junior year
Overall GPA: 3.3
SAT: 1700
Accepted to San Jose State Senior Year!
Case Study
Jane Doe (Real Example, Fake Name)
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Took 4 years of Math (Through Calculus)
3 years of Science
4 years of Spanish
AP US History, AP Spanish
Did SAT prep after 10th grade summer, took test in early Junior
year
Took SAT IIs (Spanish and History) end of Junior year
Played Soccer Sophomore and Junior years
Volunteered at hospital, Junior, Senior years
Overall GPA: 3.8
SAT: 2060
Accepted to UC Davis Senior Year!
Timing
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Senior Year
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Summer/Fall: Conduct your interviews if applying to private schools that
require them
Early Fall:
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Winter:
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Start narrowing down your list of colleges to 5-7 selections. Pick 1-2 safety
schools.
Start collecting recommendations from teachers and/or mentors
Start working on your essays
Last chance to take your SAT, ACT and/or SAT II (by November or December at
the latest)
Submit applications.
If you are really passionate about a particular school, you may want to look at
Early Decision
Spring: you got your acceptance letter! Keep up your grades second
semester. Acceptance can be revoked by a schools if your grades fall too
low
Thank You!
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Questions and Answers
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If you have follow-up questions about the process or
would like to inquire about our education programs
and SAT/ACT preparation services feel free to
contact us at 510-608-0701
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For attendees of today’s event, a thank you benefit:
all evaluations are reduced to $95 (Reg. $195)