The American college admissions process is, at its best, mysterious and vague. The structure of the system is far less easy to comprehend than that of China’s. The purpose of this article is to bring out the differences between the determining factors of college acceptance of America’s and China’s respective universities.
From what I understand from my most recent visit to China (feel free to correct me if I am wrong), it seems that a student’s score on the gaokao is what ultimately determines which university he is admitted to, in addition to the origin of his hukou. Extracurricular activities and leadership positions do not seem to have any effect on admission into prestigious universities. In the United States, focus is placed on the latter.
That is not to say that academic standing and standardized test scores do not matter, as some people may suggest. It is in fact the opposite: a student’s transcript and GPA take first priority in considering a student’s eligibility for admission. Think of it as a pre-requisite for legitimate consideration: only if a student demonstrates intellectual capability will he be considered by the admissions staff. But that is all scores and grades are good for: consideration. No doubt the stories of excellent students with perfect 2400’s on the SAT and 4.0 GPAs getting rejected from Harvard and Yale have reached the ears of many across the world. To get in to any prestigious university, a student needs to have not only a remarkable transcript but also a wealth of extracurricular activities and demonstration of leadership.
Let’s start with extracurricular activities. These include anything from membership and/or commitment to clubs or outside organizations to a part-time job on the weekends. The purpose of emphasizing these activities is to emphasize the desire for students who do more than bury their faces in their textbooks all the time. Top universities analyze each application for dedication to community or passionate dedication to a cause or hobby. These qualities bring personality and character to an application that would otherwise be simply scores and words on a sheet of paper. Leadership positions in any of these extracurricular activities would do much to bolster an applicant’s resumé, as prestigious universities almost universally pride themselves on producing the “leaders” of the world.
In terms of filling out the application itself, the process is long and arduous. The majority of universities in the US accept the Common App, which is an online application that offers the benefit of completing one application and sending it out to multiple schools. The Common App is generally released in late August or early September. Students would input information concerning identification, academic standing, school ranking (if applicable), extracurricular activities, awards, etc. However, the biggest stressor for students by far is the personal essay. This is an essay consisting of 500 words. For the Common App, students can generally write about whatever they want. Many people mistakenly look to the essay as an added opportunity to praise themselves and emphasize their academic achievements. Admissions officers will already know of a student’s academic caliber through the other parts of the application; the essay is a means by which to get to know the student as a person. Words praising a student’s genius or a student’s infatuation with reading encyclopedias would be wasted on the personal essay. This is an opportunity to demonstrate character and passion. Write about something that has changed your life, or some person who has influenced the way you think. If an admissions officer were ever to be deciding between two equally distinguished students, the personal essay would play a huge role in determining who is accepted and who is rejected.
Most schools also have an individual supplement. Supplements are essentially a set of extra short answer or essay questions that the student needs to complete in order to apply to a specific school. These questions are different for each university and usually involve at least one question asking why the students wishes to attend that specific university. The purpose of this section is to ensure that the student knows the school itself for more than its prestige or national ranking. Completing supplements takes the majority of one’s time during the application process. I wrote upwards of fifteen essays and numerous variations to use across my applications.
For those interested in pre-professional programs – programs that simultaneously accept a student into the undergraduate and graduate schools – a number of additional essays will have to be written. These programs are mostly for pre-law and pre-medicine, and the essays in these additional supplements are usually concerned with why a student has chosen that specific profession. Those who are admitted to these programs need to demonstrate a strong will to see their education through to the end. These programs are for those who already know very clearly what they would like to do for a living. Those who have volunteered or done research/internships in organizations involved with that profession will boost their chances by a little bit. But with these kinds of programs, acceptance rates are consistently around 5% or lower (harder to get into than Harvard, at 6%), so don’t expect too much when you apply.
By the end of the college admissions process you will be worn out and glad that it’s over. To those of you considering applying to American schools, I hope I have helped and I wish you luck.
中文译文：美国高考 （译文）（原作者唐诗儒）