Ahead of our 2024 SK Model UN Institute, program instructors Sammy Guerrero, Madhurum Bhuvan, and Tessa Conrardy met with prospective enrollees to discuss the benefits of Model UN, the structure of the program, and the timeline for registration. This info session took place on April 25th, 2024, but find below a recording of the session and the slides from the session. Webinar Recording Webinar Slides To keep an eye out for future Model UN and other summer programming, make sure to follow SK on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and to follow updates on our website!

Admissions officers are trained to look for the "fit." Remember this: The ad-com dude wants to help you, but only if you help him. Simplify his life. Help the dude make the case on your behalf. Get to the details and stories quickly, and put everything they need in front. For example, don't just explicitly state your values, but instead, with the research into the school values how you fit those like a glove. Quickly give the team enough unique qualities and ammunition to make the case for how your candidature fits in.  What is a supplemental application for college?  Supplemental essays are a chance for applicants to give more information to an admissions committee to further show why they are a good fit for a school. Make sure you aren't repeating something that's already covered in your main essay. Many colleges ask you to write an essay or paragraph about why you're applying to their school specifically. In asking these questions, admissions officers are trying to determine if you're genuinely excited about the school and whether you're likely to attend if accepted. What do colleges want to see in supplemental essays?  When answering this essay question, use specific details. Mention courses and professors of interest . Students should elaborate on the on-campus organizations or programs that fit certain goals, and specific aspects of the campus community that make it a good social and academic fit. Do colleges care about supplemental essays?  They're your chance to demonstrate that you know what makes the school special and that you're excited to attend that particular institution. How long do supplemental essays take?  Once you've done all the preliminary steps for filling out the application, actually filling out each school-specific application and writing their supplemental essays should only take 5-10 hours Are supplemental essays more important?  College admissions officers report that supplemental essays play an increasingly important role in the college application process. How do you end a supplemental college essay? The end of a supplement is your last chance to make your point. You may not have a lot of space but set aside at least a short sentence to bring everything together. If you have more than 250 words to work with, commit at least two sentences to the conclusion. The nine types of supplemental essay prompts are: Why Us? Why Major? Community. Leadership! Diversity! Extracurricular! “Quotation” Short answer. 10 Tips for Writing Great Supplemental Essays for College... Ascertain which of your college choices require supplements. ... Read the essay prompt carefully. ... Write about yourself. ... Do not repeat anything from the rest of your Common App or Coalition App. ... Do your homework. ... Recycle your essays the smart way. ... Know there are no optional essays . ... Stay within the word count. Harpal's list (made this for researching BU, but applicable to all schools, just replace BU with target school name) Unique classes taught: https://www.google.com/search?q=unique+classes+taught+at+BU&oq=unique+classes+taught+at+BU+&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l5.6358j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8   Quirky traditions: https://www.google.com/search?q=quirky+traditions+at+BU&oq=quirky+traditions+at+BU&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l2.7425j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8   Unique opportunities students get: https://www.google.com/search?q=unique+opportunities+students+get+at+BU&oq=unique+opportunities+students+get+at+BU&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i299l2.11613j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF- 8

Fireside chat with SK Mentor Tessa Conrardy The conversation revolved around mentorship and essay-writing strategies in STEM education. Tessa emphasized the importance of connecting students with the right resources and providing emotional support, the value of humanities and social sciences for STEM students, and the need to consider interdisciplinary approaches in addressing the social implications of technological advancements. Why STEM students should engage with humanities and social sciences. Empirical evidence supports the importance of humanities and social sciences for college preparation and future success. Harpal agreed, citing the value of humanities in developing critical thinking and analytical skills. College admissions, GPA, test scores, and story criterion. • The importance of storytelling in college applications, illustrating examples from humanities subjects to illustrate how students can bring their perspectives to life. • The importance of demonstrating problem-solving skills and awareness in college applications, citing examples from her experiences. • There is a need for applicants to show engagement with history, social sciences, and literature. How to engage with humanities classes as an engineer or pre-med student. • Admissions officer seeks connections between personal experiences and broader historical contexts. • Developing effective writing and critical thinking skills early on will be crucial for success in any career. • How can mentors encourage students to attend humanities classes, ways to sharpen intellectual curiosity, citing examples • Wasy to identify a personal lens through which to approach course material, leading to more engaged and better work. Students often lack the initiative to propose their own interpretations of course material, leading to disinterest and poor performance. • Showing interest and initiative can lead to more relevant and well-written work, even in classes unrelated to one's primary interests. Using humanities to solve social problems in STEM fields. • Engineers and pre-med students could build exciting research projects by analyzing the Great Depression's impact on innovations in technology and health. • The importance of bringing humanities and social sciences perspective to the college application process can make a vital difference. • Tessa cites an example of a friend who studied biology but is also well-read and engaged with current events. The friend discovered a creative solution to tuberculosis treatment in developing countries. The value of interdisciplinary approaches in STEM fields. • The importance of engaging with current events and social problems in STEM fields, citing examples of students who have done so and achieved success. • Research on public policy has the potential to make one a more exciting and desirable person, citing examples of policy changes and inflection points in the discussion. • How the history of science degree at Harvard is popular among pre-med students who want to engage with STEM classes and explore how medicine has interacted with other spheres over time. • Students tend to do well in medical school applications due to their unique perspective and knowledge beyond conventional STEM students. • Encourages STEM students to think about how their fields impact people's lives and explore interesting questions and problems. • Tessa expressed concern that some STEM students may be unable to distinguish between good and bad writing, which could be concerning for their future careers.

Fireside chat with SK Mentor Tessa Conrardy Tessa underlines the importance of taking initiative in academic assignments and college applications by connecting them to personal interests and compellingly showcasing unique experiences and perspectives. College application essays and the importance of unique perspectives. • Tessa shares insights on STEM students' essays, noting two main issues: overemphasizing personal interests and lack of depth in storytelling. Sh e advises applicants to approach essays with a more complex and nuanced perspective than just stating a problem they want to solve or an experience that profoundly impacted them. Students must provide a unique perspective or angle on their experiences or ambitions to stand out in the college application process. Incorporating humanities and social sciences into STEM fields to address ethical concerns is of considerable interest to anyone and everyone. An interdisciplinary approach to AI is essential, citing potential privacy and minority group implications. College applications, essays, and interviews. Admissions officers seek exciting and unique stories from applicants rather than simply flexing on problems. Students should curate their most thrilling experiences and achievements in their personal essays, like a movie trailer showcasing the best moments. Harpal emphasizes the importance of storytelling and curation in personal essays, citing engagement with good storytellers as a critical learning opportunity.

A few tips :-) Begin early!  You should start developing a personal statement and trying out topic ideas. Exact essay topics can be downloaded when college applications come out mid-summer, but the questions often remain the same for several years. Unless the college specifically asks for it, avoid the general autobiographical essay. Most essay topics are fairly open-ended, but if the question is specific, be sure you answer it. Try to avoid much-used topics (unless they are addressed in a unique way). Some examples include Outward Bound type experiences, trips that awakened you to difference and inequality, how sports builds character, etc. On the other hand, don't go overboard in your attempts to be original, memorable, or profound. Avoid using the essay to apologize for some perceived inadequacy on your part. However, if there have been unusual circumstances in your life, the essay might be a good chance to explain them without making excuses. Avoid attempts at humor that are obscure or not funny or experimental or stream-of-consciousness writing that may be confusing to the reader. Avoid anything that may appear too offbeat, cute, or elitist. Get feedback, a lot. Have a teacher, parents, friends, or neighbors read and critique your essay for its form and content. Does your essay effectively communicate who you are? Is the voice natural? Listen to their advice, but make the decisions that are right for you. Your Personal Statement/Essay should sound like it was written by you and only you. Spellcheck is not always your friend. It will not pick up homonyms (there/they’re/their), nor will it save you from accidentally sending your Vanderbilt essay to Emory.

Recently, I've noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it's appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications. ... So the short answer: don't do it. Is it OK to talk about depression in a college essay? All counselors interviewed for this piece agreed that students' college essays should not be about their struggles with mental health. ... Vinik says that mental health problems should only be shared in the essay if the college would not be able to understand the applicant without knowing about this part of her. (https://www.noodle.com/articles/how-to-discuss-your-mental-health-on-college-applications) Does mental illness affect college admissions? Of those with a diagnosed mental illness who dropped out of college, 64% directly attribute this event to their condition/disorder. Only 36% of college students with a mental illness are sure that their university includes mental health information on their website. (https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/tackling-depression-anxiety-on-your-college-application-and-beyond/ )

Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions a high school student will make, and the college search process can be overwhelming. With so many options to choose from, it's important to have a plan and a clear understanding of what you're looking for in a school. Here are some tips and strategies to help you navigate the college search process: Start Early: It's never too early to start thinking about college. Begin by researching different schools and their admission requirements. This will give you an idea of what you need to do in order to prepare for the application process. Identify Your Priorities: Before you start your college search, identify what matters most to you in a school. This could include factors such as location, size, academic programs, campus culture, or extracurricular activities. Knowing what you're looking for will help you narrow down your options and make a more informed decision. Utilize Online Resources: There are many online resources available to help you research schools, including college search engines, virtual campus tours, and social media platforms. These can be a great way to get a feel for different schools and narrow down your list of options. Attend College Fairs and Information Sessions: College fairs and information sessions are a great way to learn more about different schools and connect with admissions representatives. These events can also provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and get a sense of the school's culture. Schedule Campus Visits: Visiting a college campus can give you a firsthand look at what the school has to offer. Take a guided tour, sit in on a class, or talk to current students to get a better sense of what life is like on campus. Keep Track of Deadlines: Each school will have different application deadlines, so it's important to keep track of them and make sure you're submitting your materials on time. Get Advice and Support: The college search process can be overwhelming, so it's important to get support from your family, friends, and school guidance counselor. They can provide advice and support throughout the process and help you make informed decisions. By following these tips and strategies, you can navigate the college search process and find the school that's right for you. Remember to stay organized, keep track of deadlines, and utilize resources to make the most informed decision possible. Good luck!

Many full-ride scholarships have similar eligibility requirements, so making yourself a great candidate for one will often make you a great candidate for multiple scholarships. While the specific details they require can vary between scholarships, most require or recommend the following qualities: GPA: Good grades are required for practically every full-ride scholarship. Most will require either a certain GPA (like 3.5 or higher) or a certain class rank (like top 5% or 10% in your class). Test Scores: Many full-ride scholarships also require a certain score on the PSAT, SAT, and/or ACT to be eligible. Extracurriculars: Many schools look for skills and interests outside the classroom. Leadership and volunteer experience are particularly highly valued. Letters of Recommendation: You may also need to ask a teacher, mentor, or boss to write you a letter of recommendation so schools can get a better idea of your character. Personal Statement: For some scholarships, you may also need to provide a personal statement or respond to essay prompts as part of the requirements. Many schools require this so they can get a better sense of your personality and goals. What's Next? Make sure you stay on top of your high school GPA while taking rigorous classes to be considered for these kinds of scholarships. You should also know how to get a high score on the SAT and ACT! Not sure how much college will cost without a free ride? Check out the real cost of attending college. If you can't get a full ride, don't give up! There are a lot of other scholarships out there based on extracurriculars, such as community service, instead of on academics.

The list of colleges NOT offering merit scholarships include many of the most well-known in the United States. Amherst College Dartmouth College Reed College Bernard College Goddard College Saint John’s College Bates College Hamilton College Sarah Lawrence College Bennington College Harvard University Stanford University Bowdoin College Haverford College Swarthmore College Brown University Julliard College Trinity College, CT Bryn Mawr College Marlboro College University of Pennsylvania Bucknell University MIT Vassar College Colby College Middlebury College Wellesley College Colgate University Mount Holyoke College Wheaton College, MA Columbia University New England College Williams College Connecticut College Princeton University Yale University Cornell University Reed College

Your application should clearly communicate your “spike.” A spike, hook, etc. is a set of activities and accomplishments that show admissions officers what you are truly passionate about and what you bring to the table. Your spike can be pretty much anything - music, sports, math, journalism, entrepreneurship, programming, etc. Meeting the minimum threshold for academics/test scores will get your foot in the door, but your spike will make the admissions officers go to bat for you It is vital that you demonstrate your spike with truly distinctive and colorful examples of your impact: Compete and excel in major competitions. Submit your work to well-known publications. Look for ways to quantitatively measure your impact (e.g., “Applied innovative strategies which increased membership of the dance team by 200%”) Think big and think deep Having depth is more important than having breadth. Admissions officers strive to build a well-rounded freshman class, which doesn’t necessarily mean well-rounded individuals. You don’t need to be amazing at everything. You just need to have solid performance overall, and really shine in 1-2 areas Your nonprofit and volunteer work will pack a bigger punch if you can weave them into your personal story/spike. For instance, someone with a passion for humanitarianism could organize a group from their church to send care packages or run homeless shelters in disaster-stricken areas. Someone with a science spike could create a non-profit that runs science fairs at elementary schools around the state. Someone with a music spike could arrange a monthly ensemble that teaches music to people in assisted living communities. Get creative! These activities can show greater depth than if you did something more run-of-the-mill like volunteering at a soup kitchen.

This process can be a LOT more fun than most students make it out to be. They try too hard to impress the Admissions Officer. All I want to know is who you are... and trust me, your core is super unique. You just have to let me in. So much of the college application recounts things past—past grades, old classes, and activities the student has participated in over several years. The personal essay is your chance to share who the student is now and what they will bring to a college campus community. Basically, college admission officers are looking for three takeaways in your college essay: Who is this person? Will this person contribute something of value to our campus? Can this person write? Brainstorming iterations A good brainstorming session can be the difference between creating a strong and unique essay or a mediocre and predictable one. Remember, a unique topic does not have to be out-of-this-world zany, but simply something that has personal resonance to you. To hone in on those topics, break up your brainstorming into three rounds. Round 1: Find your stories Your goal should be to identify the important experiences, people, or periods of time in your life. For specific brainstorming exercises to help you do this, see our videos on brainstorming exercises for the college essay. But for this phase, simply look around and ask yourself, Who or what is most important to me? Round 2: Delve into the sensory and concrete details It's time to take your initial list and delve into the sensory and concrete details that surround the characters, times, and experiences that formed your initial list. If you're writing a college essay about your mother, the second phase of your college essay brainstorming should include a list of feelings (love, admiration, respect), settings (her office, the kitchen), etcetera. These will help give you a basic sense of the emotional texture of your essay. Round 3: Connect the gathered pieces It's time to draft. Your objective here is to put the pieces you gathered during rounds 1 & 2 together in a writing process. Start to assemble the pieces of your essay into a narrative that moves beyond the realm of the brainstorm and into the territory of an essay. This can seem a bit abstract or difficult at first. In the next section, we provide an example of a stellar essay and show you how this process of brainstorming led to its creation.

During ninth grade it's important adjust to the new work load and learn how to deal with the social stress that often accompanies high school, but it's also important to remember that you're now in the “college prep” years. The activities you join and grades you earn will be a part of your college application. Take challenging courses in high school (e.g., honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), HS/college dual enrollment), focusing on the core academics: English, math, science, history, and world languages. Rigorous courses that go beyond the minimum graduation requirements will make you a more impressive applicant and can even earn you college credit while in high school! Your high school transcript is considered one of the most important parts of your college application, and good grades will distinguish you from many other applicants. Freshman year is a great time to try several different extracurricular activities to see which ones are most interesting to you. Once you decide what you like, dedicate more time to fewer activities in order to become deeply involved. Summer is a great time to earn extra money for college while exploring different career fields. Getting to know your guidance counselor early in your high school career makes it easier to talk about your plans for high school, college, and career. Start discussing ASAP, both in terms of why you want to go to college and how you're going to pay for it. That way, you and your family will be comfortable with the topic when it's crunch time in 11th and 12th grade. Even if you can only put aside a few dollars each month, every little bit helps, and creating a college savings account makes the idea of going on to higher education much more real. Though most scholarships are available only for seniors applying to college, there are some scholarships available regardless of where you are in your high school career.