Everything you need to know about letters of recommendation

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What is a letter of recommendation?

This is a letter written by a high school teacher, guidance counselor, mentor, employer, coach or arts coordinator to a school you are applying to vouching for you and explaining why you are a good fit for a school.

Which letters of recommendation do I need?

In most cases, schools require a minimum of three letters of recommendation: two teachers’ recommendations and a guidance counselor’s recommendation. It is highly advisable to have a recommendation from a sciences teacher, and another one from a humanities teacher. A science could be biology, physics, mathematics or chemistry. On the other hand, humanities include History, English or Geography. 

If you are applying for a specific major, it is important to get at least one letter of recommendation from a subject that is tied to your intended major. For example, if you plan on majoring in Biology, then why not get a letter of recommendation from a Biology teacher? This way, your application will be well-themed and therefore stronger.

And yes, you don’t have to worry if your school does not have a guidance counselor! A class teacher can recommend you in place of a school counselor.

Who should I request for a letter of recommendation?

You may have scored all A’s, but you surely would not ask for a letter of recommendation from just any teacher, especially just because you did well in their subject. There is more to it than just doing well in that particular subject. It is highly advisable to request letters of recommendation from teachers who know you well, both in and out of class, preferably, a teacher who has taught you for the longest time. 

 

Go to that teacher who is a friend and request for that letter of recommendation. Let’s look at this scenario, you have two options, a teacher of English who just taught you in class, and another one who was your poetry club patron and classroom teacher. I will definitely advise that you go for the latter, because the teacher knows your abilities both in class and out of class.

 

If you would want to submit an additional recommendation letter outside the ones required by the school, for instance one by a sports coach, employer or mentor in a research lab, then be sure to have a stellar letter of recommendation. Moreover, be sure that your recommender knows you to the letter, and that he or she can come up with a recommendation that will stand out. This is because this is just additional information you have decided to give, and doing mediocre work in it may be detrimental to your application.

Why are letters of recommendation important?

You may be wondering why you have to go through all this hassle, for just a letter of recommendation. And you may even think that everything about you has been captured in the application, and the letters of recommendation aren’t really important. On the contrary, this is an important aspect of your application. Letters of recommendation give substance to everything you said in the essays. They add a person to the SAT scores, GPA e.t.c. Your recommenders reinforce what the teachers said, and so the admissions officers take everything more seriously!

Letters of recommendation can be life savers sometimes. Many applicants have almost the same test scores, and their essays may be at the same level. In such a case, a good letter of recommendation can make one stand out. It could get you off the waitlist. Isn’t that good news?

When should you request letters of recommendation? How should you do it, and who submits them and how?

If you are planning to apply to an Early Decision School, be sure to have your letters of recommendation completed by September. This will give your recommenders adequate time to go through them and correct any mistakes they may have made. And if you are planning to apply for the Regular Decision Admission pla, be sure to have them done by November.

It is advisable to contact your preferred recommender, either through a phone call or email and request them if they can write you a letter of recommendation. Be sure to be kind, respectful and polite even as you do so. Once they have agreed, you can now proceed to the recommenders section of your common app and invite your teacher or counselor.

Make the arrangements as early as you can, to give the recommenders enough time to write you a letter of recommendation. 

About submission, you DO NOT submit your letters of recommendation; your teachers do. They can submit them electronically, or physically  via mailing them. Electronic means however, have proved to me more efficient. Before submission, liaise with your teachers to ensure that the letters of recommendation are signed, stamped and have a letterhead on them.

Lastly, if your recommender does not speak or write in English, they can always write the recommendation in the language they use, and then it can be translated by a teacher of English or any other person who can be of help.

Remember to mention that it has been translated, and submit both copies. However, if your school does not require you to translate, then submit it as it is.

NOTE THAT:

  1. When you tell your recommender of the things you would want them to highlight in your letter, DO NOT LIE!
  2. And remember to waive your FERPA rights.

Understanding Early Action, Single Choice Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Early Decision 1, Early Decision 2,Regular Decision and Rolling Admissions.

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In this article, we are going to discuss the different types of admission plans, accompanied with a few examples of schools that have those admission plans.

Early Decision 1

In this admission plan, students are required to submit their applications from November 1st to November 15th based on the submission deadline of your school. Most schools in the US have this admission plan. As indicated by the name, the decisions come out early, mostly from Mid-december all the way to January.

For this admission plan, a student is only allowed to apply to one private school, and the student must make a commitment to the school. To make the commitment, you, your parents and counselor will sign the ED agreement. Unless there is a financial aid factor, such as inadequate financial aid, a student is expected to adhere to the agreement. Although it is not legally binding, failure to honor the agreement will lead to some consequences. If the other schools you have applied to learn that you have breached your ED agreement, you will risk losing all the acceptances in the other schools, and you will end up with no college!

You are also expected to accept your Early Decision offer a few weeks after you have been accepted and reject admission offers from other schools.

Most students apply to their number one target schools for ED, and this shows their commitment and interest in a school. As a result, schools are confident that the students they admit in Early Decision will enroll. Often, schools have higher acceptance rates in Early Decision as compared to the Regular Decision admission plan.

Early Decision 2

This admission plan is almost similar to Early Decision one in that it is binding. However, the deadline comes later, almost at the same time as Regular Decision deadlines. Decision dates are normally from Mid February all the way to March. This admission plan gives one enough time to pay attention to particular aspects of their application and polish it. A student will also get adequate time to decide whether they actually want a school for their Early Decision.

Early Action

This admission plan has almost the same deadlines as ED, and the decision dates still lie in the same category. Applying for Early Action shows that a student would like to hear from a school earlier compared to other schools. This admission plan is non-binding, meaning that even if a student is accepted, they do not have to enroll at the college.

Restrictive Early action/ Single Choice Early Action

This admission plan is also non-binding. However, in this case, a student is only allowed to apply to one private school. They are not allowed to apply to any other Early Action private school or Early Decision school. However, students are allowed to apply to Early Action Public schools. These REA schools include Princeton, Harvard and many more schools. It is important to check a school’s Early Action guidelines and rules before applying.

Regular Decision

This is the one admission plan that allows students to apply to as many schools as they would want. However, a student is allowed to apply to a maximum of 20 schools on the Common App. So if you applied to let’s say one ED school and 2 EA schools, then you can apply to 17 schools on the Common App for Regular Decision.The submission deadline for Regular Decision ranges between January 1st and January 15th. Decisions normally come out from Mid March all the way to April.

A student is given up to May 1st to accept or rescind the admission offer. The main advantage of applying in Regular Decision is that a student normally has a wide variety of schools to choose from.

Rolling Admissions

Schools with this type of admission plan normally take applications almost all the time throughout the year. Acceptance is on multiple cycles until the required class size is met. This means that even a week before classes kick off, you can still apply to a school. An example of a school with this type of admission plan is Xavier University.

It is important to carefully study different types of admission plans before settling on the one you want to go with.

30 Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid Opportunities For International Students

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30 Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid Opportunities For International Students

There are many scholarship opportunities offered by school, and it is important to get a glimpse of what they entail. I will describe several scholarship opportunities for international students, and you can find your niche in any of them!

Below is a list of different scholarship opportunities.

1. Mastercard Foundation Scholarships– Mastercard has partnered with several schools in the US, UK, Africa and Asia. Mastercard offers full scholarships to students who qualify for them, and other than applying for the Mastercard Scholarship, a student should make an application to the school too.

2. King Mogridge Scholarship– this is a scholarship specific to the University of Wisconsin Madison. Outside the application to the school, a student should do a different application for the scholarship.

3. King Scholars Program– This is a need-based scholarship for Dartmouth University admits. It is meant for international students and it does not require any additional application. It is advisable to have an extra letter of recommendation.

4. Boston University Presidential Scholarship– there is no extra application for the scholarship, and it is advised that a student applies early enough for this one.

5. Robertson Scholars Leadership Program– this type of scholarship applies for students who have already been enrolled at Duke University and North Carolina Chapel Hill Campus. The scholarship serves as a connection between the two schools.

6. African Leadership University Presidential Grant– this a need based scholarship that is awarded to students in the school.

7. Minerva University– the school offers merit and need based financial aid, and admissions are need blind.

8. American University Emerging Global Leaders Scholarships– there is a separate application for this scholarship, and there is a need to submit English Proficiency test scores. The applications are submitted during the Regular Decision round and a GPA of 3.8 is required.

9. Clark University Presidential Merit Scholarship-this is a merit-based scholarship that is awarded to about five exceptional students who demonstrate outstanding academic and leadership achievements. The school also offers 3 smaller merit based scholarships.

10. St. Lawrence University Kenya Scholars Program– the university offers two slots to Kenyan students who meet the eligibility criteria.

11. Lincoln University International Students Scholarship– an extra application for the scholarship is required together with SAT scores and a stellar application to the school.

12. University of Arkansas– this is a one year non-renewable scholarship for students admitted to the university and applications should be sent in by March 1st.

13. Wien International Scholarship Program– this is a scholarship awarded to students accepted into Brandeis University with high grades and a strong activities profile.

14. Michigan State University– the school offers several merit-based scholarships that are mostly partial.

15. Berea College-applications to the school are done over the school’s admission portal as well as applications for the school’s financial aid. The financial aid meets the full cost of attendance for all international students in their first year.

16. Illinois Wesleyan University Presidential Scholars– the submission deadline is on February 15th and they offer four year renewable tuition scholarships

17. NYU Wagner merit based scholarship– under this, there are two scholarships, the Dean’s Scholarship and a Public Service Scholarship. Both are dependent on the strength of one’s application and academic records

18. University of Oregon– the school offers a partial scholarship that ranges from $9000-30000 annually that caters for tuition fees. A student is required to do detailed presentations to the school about his or her home country as part of the application process.

19. Wesleyan University Scholarship– the school offers full scholarships to almost 30 international students based on the strength of their applications.

20. Freeman Asian Wesleyan Program–  this is a very competitive full scholarship awarded to about 11 outstanding candidates from selected countries in Asia.

21. Tulane University Global Scholarship program– the scholarship caters for tuition fees and it is awarded based on merit, and the students mostly considered are the top 20% in each class.

22. Sub-Saharan African Leadership Award– this is a scholarship program in Tulane University that is awarded to undergraduate students from Sub-Saharan Africa.

23. Hope College Trustee Scholarship– this is a partial award ranging between $24000-30000 that is aimed at covering tuition fees.

24. Meredith College Impact Scholarship– for one to be considered eligible, they are required to have attained a GPA of at least 3.4 and the scholarship amount is $20000.

25. Legacy Scholarship-this is a scholarship specific to Meredith College  that covers the full cost of attendance for the four year period and requires one to have a minimum SAT score of 1500.

26. Meredith Presidential Scholarship– a merit based scholarship that covers full tuition fees and requires one to have attained at least a score of 1480 in their SAT.

27. Whitman Garret-Sherwood Scholarship-awarded based on strong academic and leadership records, meets the full cost of attendance and only 1% of the applicants are awarded the Scholarship.

28. Ashinaga Africa Initiative– a student is first required to apply to get into the initiative. Thereafter, one applies to schools in the US and the initiative pays the full cost of attendance. The initiative highly considers orphaned scholars.

29. Hillsdale College Presidential Scholarship– full cost of attendance is met for the students who are awarded the scholarship.

30. Reed College– awards scholarships to international students based on financial need. Depending on the degree of need, the scholarship can be partial or full.

College Application Timeline

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College Application Timeline

As an international student who wants to study in the US, you have to start preparing for the college application process as early as you can. You don’t want to rush through the application process in a span of one week, so you better start early.

How early, and how late should I finish?

There is no correct amount of time to spend preparing for your college applications, but it is important to kick off the process as early January. It sounds crazy to start preparing in January, but we’ll see why one should actually do that.

What am I supposed to do at a certain period of the year?

There is no correct amount of time to spend preparing for your college applications, but it is important to kick off the process as early January. It sounds crazy to start preparing in January, but we’ll see why one should actually do that.

 

To make the whole application process a smooth sail for you, I will break down the available time in months.

 

January-June

This is the perfect time to research schools in the US, familiarize yourself with the different types of schools, and come up with a list of colleges that you deem fit.

This is also the perfect time to study for your SAT exams, if you intend to take the test, or any other standardized test. It is important to prepare adequately for the SAT exam, and you therefore don’t have to take it as early as March. SATs have seven different test dates, and there is no pressure to take it on the first test date.

During this period, a student could also take part in volunteering exercises and internships to add to their list of extracurricular activities.

Request for school documents such as letters of recommendation and official transcripts during this time. Be sure to have all the documents set by June latest, to avoid situations where you lack school documents when deadlines are nearing.

Brainstorm ideas for your personal statement and put them down on a Google Doc. It is not advisable to directly write your essays on Common App,as they will require lots of editing and reviewing.

Lastly, talk to your parents about financial documents and the family expenditure. That way, they will get enough time to collect the documents and find the correct figures for your household expenses.

July

If you are planning to take the August SAT, this is the last month you have to work on any difficult areas. Use all the available resources to study for the upcoming SAT exam, and revise thoroughly for the same. 

Should you want to go for the Early Action round, this is the time to settle on an Early Decision  School and/ and Early Action School. If the schools have supplemental essays, read through the prompts, understand them and start putting down ideas for the same.

Keep working on your application: the activities, honors, gap year essay and supplemental essays.

August

The common app is opened during this period. Go through the latest version to familiarize yourself with its components and start filling it out.

Keep working on all your essays and other parts of your application

September

Keep working on your essays and entire application, keeping in mind that the deadlines are nearing.

This is the last chance for those applying for Early Decision to study for the October SAT. If you are intending to take the test in October, then study for it rigorously.

Moreover, be sure to confirm with your teachers that all your school documents are ready, and email your Early Decision school requesting for a CSS profile waiver code, if you intend to apply for financial aid.

Work on your Financial Aid application, ensuring that every detail you fill out in the CSS, IFSAA or any other financial aid application form is accurate.

October

Finish up on your application,and after thoroughly reviewing it, submit it before the deadline.

Submit your Financial Aid application as well, and embark on working on your Early Decision 2 school and  Regular Decision Schools

November

Work on all the supplemental essays, and email your Regular Decision Schools Requesting for CSS profile Waiver Codes.

You could also add to your list of schools or remove a school during these period if you make any new discovery

December

Perfect all your supplements, and start submitting your application in late December to Schools with the January 1st deadline.

It is not advisable to submit your application on December 31st, because anything could happen. Systems and even devices crash. So Why don’t you just do it on time? To avoid the stress and panic that comes with the last minute rash.

Be sure to submit your financial aid applications too.

Finally, in early January, Submit your application to schools with the January 15th deadline, and follow suit with your financial aid applications.

After that, keep track of your applicant portal and emails for any new update!

Introduction to US College Application Process

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Introduction to US college application process

The US college application process has become a thrilling exercise due to its simplification  through different application platforms such as the Common App and the Coalition App.Traditionally, students had to physically mail their applications across the Atlantic via DHL or UPS. However, these new electronic ways have made it simpler and more convenient.

What is Common App ?

This is an online platform that enables students to submit college applications electronically to more than one school. A student fills out the profile once, and it is submitted to many different schools. One can use the common App to apply to many different schools, owing to the numerous partnerships that the Common App has with Universities and Colleges in the US.

Opening a Common App Account

It is absolutely free of charge to start a common app account, and below is a list of all you need to fill out!

  1. Your name
  2. Email Address
  3. Phone Number
  4. Address
  5. Home Country
  6. Setting a password for your Common App Account 
  7. Answering the required few questions
Opening a Common App Account

It is absolutely free of charge to start a common app account, and below is a list of all you need to fill out!

  1. Your name
  2. Email Address
  3. Phone Number
  4. Address
  5. Home Country
  6. Setting a password for your Common App Account 
  7. Answering the required few questions

Once you have all these, then you are good to go!

Opening a Common App Account can be done as early as you would wish to, but it only opens in August for the subsequent year’s Fall admission applications. Essentially, you can only start filling out different parts of the Common App in August. Any work done before that will be lost once the Common App is renewed in August. It is therefore crucial to start working on your Common App after August 1st.

Parts of the Common App

Below is a glimpse of the different parts of the Common App and what they entail

Profile

In this section, one is required to fill in the following: personal information, address, contact details, demographics-in this part you fill out your gender and your identity in terms of race-language, your nationality and application for the common app fee waiver.

Family

All that is needed for this part is the nature of your parent’s household, i.e , their marital status, their occupation and highest levels of education. In addition to that, sibling information is also required in this section.

Education

This is one of the sections that requires a student to pay keen attention to it while filling it. Carefully fill out the high schools you attended, the courses you took and the level of course difficulty, taking note of the required gap year essay if you took any. If a student is in college already, they are required to give the number of courses they are taking.One can also report up to a maximum of five honors, while including the levels of recognition. It is in this section that 

one talks about their future educational plans also.

Testing

Test Scores for SAT, ACT, IB, Duolingo English Test and many more are reported here. Some schools have adopted a policy of applying test-optional and there is that option by clicking on the ‘No’ option. One also self reports senior secondary school leaving examination scores here.

Activities

This is an area that has an influence on your admission decisions and should be handled with uttermost attention.Here, one is supposed to fill in the activities they took part in while in high school, mentioning the type, leadership position, organization name, a brief description of the activity, grade of participation, the timing of participation, and the time spent on every activity.

Writing

The writing section of the Common App is of great significance in the entire application process. This is the section where one writes their personal statement by responding to one prompt from the seven prompts. Most schools require that one submits a personal statement, and it is of great importance that you do a good essay. The additional information section allows one to talk about any other thing they feel would have an influence on their admission decision.

Courses and Grades

For the schools that require this, a student is supposed to fill out exactly what is in their official high school transcript.

Recommenders

Because a student cannot submit their own recommendations, they are required to invite a teacher to complete the submission of recommendations for them. This is done by inputting the teacher’s email address, name and the subject they taught you.

-This is not all about the Common App. It also has a tab called Financial Aid where one gets guidance on how to apply for the different scholarships applicable to them.

The Coalition App on the other hand was majorly started to serve students from underrepresented groups. It has fewer partnerships with schools compared to the Common App, but for schools that accept the two, one does not have an advantage over the other.

A student should therefore carefully evaluate the two before settling on the most appropriate platform to use.

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