Description
You’ve heard all the bad news. It’s really hard to get into prestigious colleges. Perfect grades and test scores don’t seem to be enough. The kid who built a working time machine got rejected from Yale. It’s like an academic arms race. Enough is enough.
It turns out it’s never been easier to get into college than it is today. And you don’t have to go to a prestigious one to be successful. You don’t need perfect grades, perfect test scores, or four sleep-deprived, overstressed years of high school to get into college and have a bright future. What you need to do is stop worrying and start taking control of your college admissions process. Enter If the U Fits.
Written by Kevin McMullin, founder and president of Collegewise, this book does more than just tell you to relax. (Nobody would buy that book.) It tells you, step by step, how to find and apply to the right schools, get accepted, afford it with financial aid and scholarships, and actually have some fun while you’re doing it.
Along the way, you might also be surprised to learn:
- You should spend less time trying to improve your weaknesses
- Quitting and failing can help you get into college
- Working at McDonald’s can be just as impressive as attending Harvard Summer School
- Test scores aren’t that important
- You can prepare well for the SAT or ACT for just $50
- Even an average writer can produce a great college essay
- You can get better grades and study (a lot) less
- Drawing a blank during a college interview is a great opportunity
It's all in the book.
These strategies work. Collegewise has helped over 5,000 students thrive during the college admissions process. If the U Fits shares the Collegewise secret sauce (without actually getting the book, you know, all saucy).
Download the free preview
If you’d like a sneak peek, here’s a PDF that includes five full essays from the book. It’s like a movie preview. Just imagine the deep foreboding voice saying, “…In a world where the college admissions process had spun out of control, a hero emerged...”
Contents
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Basic Restraining:
How to Approach the College Admissions Process
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- Focus on the good news
- Worry less about college
- Put yourself in charge
- Work, work, work hard
- Think about the big picture
- Be a kid
- Create your own magic formula
- Think more what than where
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Finding Fits:
How to Find the Right Colleges for You
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- How to cure namebranditis
- Beware of popular opinions
- Do a success search
- Have swagger—it’ll serve you
- Start with why college?
- What do you want in a college?
- Look for your fit
- Start your search by junior year
- Evaluate yourself, too
- Start with these questions
- How to learn more about college
- Beware of common search derailers
- Use the right college search tools
- Click key sections on college websites
- Evaluate your admissions chances
- Have fun visiting
- Connect the dots later
- How to finalize your list
- Strive for balance
- Commit later
- Get your counselor’s approval
- Love your list
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Preparing:
How Any Student Can Become a More Competitive College Applicant
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How to plan a college-prep schedule
- Challenge yourself sanely
- Ask for a drop option
- Follow your favorite subjects
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How to get better grades (and study less)
- Make class time study time
- Start before you need to
- Eliminate study-time interruptions
- Make academic workouts intense
- Ask for help
- Use old tests as study guides
- Teach it back
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How to prove you’re college-ready
- Offer more than a transcript
- Take charge of your high school education
- Get to know your counselor
- Rise above the grade grubbers
- Maximize strengths over fixing weaknesses
- Feed your passions
- Lose the excuses
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How to Thrive in Extra-Curricular Activities
- Choose what you enjoy
- Show passion
- Stand out from the crowd
- Make an impact
- Learn when and how to quit
- Get a job
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Testing:
Planning and Preparing for Standardized Tests
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- Learn your testing ABCs
- Don’t panic over PSAT scores
- Keep tests in perspective
- Don’t take test scores personally
- Plan your testing calendar
- Pick a test and go with it
- Prep smarter
- Prep for less than 50$
- Know when to say when
- Realize your test scores soon won’t matter
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Applying:
The Art of College Applications
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Part I: It gets personal
- Look inside the admissions office
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Part II: How and when to apply
- Make sense of application plans
- Seek early decision if...
- Apply strategically
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Part III: Completing Applications
- Start early
- Get requirements from the source
- Manage your parents
- Follow instructions
- Get the basics right
- Make it easy to understand your activities
- Avoid gimmicks
- Avoid the five don'ts
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Part IV: How Any Student Can Write Better College Essays
- Give yourself a boost
- Help readers know you
- Keep the focus on you
- Honest beats impressive
- Share the details
- Keep it fresh
- Avoid clichés
- Sound like a teenager
- Admit you’re not perfect
- Seek feedback outside the family circle
- Rewrite before you reuse
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Part V: How to Get Stronger Letters of Recommendation
- Send only what they ask you to send
- Choose the right teachers
- Ask the right way
- Waive your right
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Part VI: What to do after you submit
- Resist letting fear hijack your applications
- Bang a gong
- Make follow-up calls
- Give thanks
- Resist the worries
- Keep up the good work
- Update sparingly
- Resend missing information
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College Interviews:
What to Expect When You’re Face-to-Face
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- Relax and be yourself
- Know what’s preferred
- Make conversation
- Respond promptly when contacted
- Be ready for common topics
- Find your stories
- Drawing a blank is a great opportunity
- Consider questions you’d like to ask
- Leave your parents at home
- Dress for Thanksgiving
- Work the waiting room
- Make a good first impression
- Make a good last impression
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Affording College:
How to Get Financial Aid and Scholarships
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- Saving is your best strategy
- Don’t make aid assumptions
- Know the cost of attendance
- Meet the Net Price Calculator
- Look beyond sticker price
- Apply the admissions advice
- Talk to your parents about costs
- Apply to colleges that may pay
- Update schools if circumstances change
- Compare awards
- Tell colleges about better offers
- Answer the $2800 question
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Deciding:
How to Handle Admissions Decisions and Pick Your College
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- Celebrate every offer of admission
- Make rejection pain temporary
- Resist the urge to appeal
- Consider declining the waitlist spot
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Adults Only:
How Parents Can Help without Hurting
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- Focus on what’s really important
- Think long term
- Set good examples
- Support without hovering
- Help with balance
- Run with the right crowd
- Ignore bad advice
- Find the fun
- Treat rejections like high school break-ups
- Buy the sweatshirt
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Endearing: Ten Secrets of “Great Kids”
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- Cultivate greatness
- Meet people well
- Write good emails
- Remember peoples’ names the first time
- Learn from failure and move on
- Accept responsibility
- Learn to apologize well
- Laugh at yourself regularly
- Give off positivity
- Rise above the drama
- Nice is underrated
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Parting Words
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- Find college memories
- Want more?
This approach isn’t for everybody. But if you’re tired of the bad admissions news and ready to start enjoying your ride to college, you’ve found the right book.