{"id":11137,"date":"2017-08-25t09:25:52","date_gmt":"2017-08-25t16:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=11137"},"modified":"2018-06-26t07:08:01","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26t14:08:01","slug":"overcome-weaknesses-college-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/overcome-weaknesses-college-application\/","title":{"rendered":"overcome weaknesses in your college application"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
even if you were captain of the swim team, a member of the school chorus, and <\/em>an honor roll student, it\u2019s pretty likely that there\u2019s something in your academic background that you consider a weakness. here\u2019s how you can overcome those weaknesses and position yourself for success in the college application process.<\/p>\n the best way to address weaknesses in your academic and personal background is to avoid them. while this may sound impossible, if you create an action plan for yourself early in your high school career, you\u2019ll be less likely to end up with deficits to surmount when it comes time to apply to college.<\/p>\n so, what\u2019s the plan?<\/p>\n choose courses that are challenging, with context. use your own strengths and interests as a guide when selecting advanced courses.<\/strong><\/p>\n structure the demands of your school work, extracurricular activities, and paid work to balance one another as best you can.<\/strong><\/p>\n it\u2019s ok to start wide with extracurricular activities, but don\u2019t forget to narrow them down.<\/strong><\/p>\n testing is another area in which a little planning goes a long way.<\/p>\n instead of choosing which admissions test to sign up for based on your friends\u2019 suggestions, start the testing process by taking practice tests for both the sat and act. you\u2019ll find which test is better suited to your skills to increase the chances of a strong score.<\/p>\n don\u2019t wait til the last minute to take your tests, i.e., your senior year. take your first sat\/ act in the spring of your junior year if possible, and no later than the summer before your senior year. that way, if you\u2019re not happy with your initial scores, you\u2019ll have plenty of time to retake the test. if you start the process early and put in the time to prepare, you can avoid the conundrum of addressing a low score altogether.<\/p>\n if you plan to apply to the most competitive schools, you will likely need to take sat subject tests. research these requirements as soon as you start narrowing down your list of schools. it\u2019s best to take sat subject tests as soon as you\u2019ve finished the relevant coursework, even as early as your sophomore year. proper timing will ensure that you have the material fresh in your mind and won\u2019t have a backlog of tests in your senior year.<\/p>\n even with the best planning, most students approach the college application process with one or two gaps in their admissions package. first, remember that colleges are not looking for perfect<\/u> applicants. the admissions officers are human too, and know that no one always lives up to his own expectations.<\/p>\n moreover, applicants don\u2019t have to rely solely on their numbers to demonstrate their strengths and make the case for their acceptance. while it would be great if the common app were shorter and had fewer questions, the plus side to all those sections is that they give students plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and qualifications. here are some examples of common weaknesses and how to employ all the pieces of an application to counterbalance them.<\/p>\n i bombed geometry. how do i demonstrate to colleges that i have decent math skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n i\u2019ve participated in a bunch of extracurricular activities, but i\u2019ve never been the captain or president. how do i demonstrate leadership skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n my freshman year grades were weak, and bring down my gpa.<\/strong><\/p>\n the college application process is stressful enough without panicking over perceived weaknesses in your application. remember to stay true to yourself, and pursue what interests you most. with some planning and strategy, your true personality and strengths will shine through in your application, and you\u2019ll be on your way.<\/p>\n about the author: jennie thoman is the director of admissions at \u00a0www.admitadvantage.com<\/a>, a leading admissions consultancy, and www.admit.me<\/a>, a free admissions social network with the goal of leveling the admissions playing field. jennie graduated with honors from harvard law school, where she was editor of the harvard civil rights-civil liberties law review. she received her bachelor of arts in english literature from princeton university.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" even if you were captain of the swim team, a member of the school chorus, and an honor roll student, it\u2019s pretty likely that there\u2019s something in your academic background that you consider a weakness. here\u2019s how you can overcome those weaknesses and position yourself for success in the college application process. start your planning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[92],"ppma_author":[24880],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nstart your planning early<\/h2>\n
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test like a pro<\/h2>\n
use all the portions of your application to highlight your strengths<\/h2>\n
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conclusion<\/h2>\n