‘So Long, Farewell…’ Me and my colleague, Olivia, during the Discover USC Open home last year

It is difficult to believe after working for nearly 3 years on the admission blog, this is my last post. Reflecting on my time as an admission counselor at USC is bittersweet. I discovered a ton, i have grown professionally, and I was challenged in and day out day. But, more important than what I’ve achieved or added in my job, we get to go on from this chapter of my entire life with amazing memories, hilarious stories, and best of all, some pretty incredible friends.
The silver lining for me personally is that I’m not leaving the college admission world entirely—I’ll be transitioning to ‘the other part of the desk’ as we like to express in this profession by employed in a high school as a college therapist. I am excited to continue working with pupils and families in this capacity and I also feel therefore fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience at USC to assist guide me continue.
Saying goodbye is not simple, but much like it is hard to graduate from high school and start your life as a scholar, life is really all concerning the transitions and embarking on new and exciting chapters. Therefore, that’s how I’m going to view this change—I’m ‘graduating’ from my 4 years in the admission that is undergraduate at USC and simply moving about the next chapter of my entire life. I’m leaving USC with amazing memories and entering my next adventure with a mind that is open. On top of that, my experience at USC will always be described as a part of me personally — Fight On!
Guidelines for Tackling the Personal Statement
Calling all seniors! The institution year is right just about to happen, and that means it is time to start thinking about college applications. While grades and test ratings are definitely a essential element of the application, at USC, we conduct a holistic review of files, meaning that people take all components for the application under consideration when creating an admission decision.
Therefore, we expect you to put a fair amount of time and energy to the qualitative aspects of the application; namely, your essay and answer that is short. This 12 months, the Common Application changed the essay prompts to the following (you pick one):
Some students have actually a story or background that is therefore main to their identity they think their application would be incomplete without it. Then please share your story if this sounds like you.
Recount an incident or time whenever you experienced failure. Just How did it affect you, and what lessons did you discover?
Think about a right time whenever you challenged a belief or concept. What prompted one to act? Would you make the decision that is same?
Describe place or environment where you might be perfectly content. Exactly What do you are doing or experience there, and just why is it significant for your requirements?
Discuss a accomplishment or event, formal or casual, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your tradition, community, or family members.
While there is not merely one topic that is better than another, we do expect a few things from you. Firstly, your essay is free of grammatical and mistakes that are spelling. This may sound very obvious, but you would certainly be surprised at how many individual statements we see that contain errors. While most are tiny, it does ultimately look careless and, does perhaps not reflect well in your application as a whole. Ensure you have few people—parents, counselors, instructors, etc.—look over your writing to make sure that it is spotless!
Your writing must also be authentic and show your very own voice that is unique. Do not try to impress us by using fancy words you found in a thesaurus. We would like to hear your story, your struggles, your triumphs. You are able to share this while staying true to your writing style.
Do keep shmoop essay help services in mind that your personal statement is an opportunity to share something, well, personal about yourself, and to let an admission counselor know who you really are outside of one’s GPA and standardized test score. The writing components of the application are your opportunity to paint a complete photo of whom you are to highlight something which may not shine through elsewhere.
While admission counselors cannot review any personal statements we are here to answer any questions you may have about the process before they are officially submitted. Happy writing!
On the Road Again!
As summer comes to a detailed (where did the right time go?!), my peers and I are turning our attention to Fall travel season. Many of us will visit up to ninety high schools during the months of September, October, and November, in nearly 50 states and in over five different countries. We shall also be attending receptions and holding interview weekends in major towns like Seattle, New York, Boston, San Francisco, etc.
And we have been not alone. A great deal of colleges and universities in the united states is visiting high schools in an attempt to meet up with great students and interest that is generate their respective institutions. We know that these ‘college visits’ can seem overwhelming, confusing, and yes, possibly a good bit repetitive, but there are ways to help make the many out of a university visit. Here, we desired to share a few recommendations:
1. The individual who is visiting your high school is most likely reading your application. Many institutions implement a ‘territory manager’ system, where in fact the nationa country ( and quite often, the world) is divided up into different territories. These regions are then assigned to various individuals in any office. The first person to read your application, and is also your direct contact throughout the entire application process at USC, the person visiting your high school is in fact.
2. Make an impression that is good! No, this does not suggest shower us with gifts and compliments (though wouldn’t that be nice whenever we could accept them!) creating a good impression means doing all of your research concerning the institution, remaining attentive during the check out, asking insightful questions, launching yourself after the visit and telling the territory manager a bit about your interests, and potentially writing a follow-up e-mail or note.
3. Avoid being nervous. an university visit just isn’t an interview. There is a split procedure for that. This is your opportunity to gain just as much information you can in regards to the university or college.
4. Sometimes, two colleges perhaps you are interested in will be scheduled on the same day, and even at the time that is same. We realize that in betwixt your AP/IB classes, tests, and extracurriculars, you might not be able to attend every check out that interests you. You can still link with a representative by sending an email and introducing yourself. We’ll always keep materials that are extra the counseling office for individuals who cannot attend.