How to Get into Carnegie...
This guide breaks down how to get into Carnegie Mellon using insights from an Ivy League counselor, covering...
AdmissionSight Academic Guidance
Academic Guidance
In this day and age when there are literally tens of thousands of students with 4.0 GPA’s and 1550+ SAT scores, the bar is raised significantly higher to gain a spot at these coveted universities. We can’t tell you how many parents and students mistakenly believe that getting top grades and scores is “enough” to get in.
The top applicants who have the a higher chance of getting accepted are the ones who are winning regional and national awards in different fields. Whether it’s the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML), or the regional science fair that qualifies students for the Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), these competitions play an important role in a student’s qualifications for college admissions.
In this day and age when there are tens of thousands of students with perfect GPA’s and SAT scores, it’s important to pursue these competitions to stand out. Nowadays, getting regional and national awards is what separates the boys from the men, or the girls from the women, so to speak. The problem becomes two fold for aspiring students:
- What is the opportunity set of academic competitions, awards, and honors I need to help raise my academic profile?
- How do I prepare for these competitions and perform well enough to garner these regional and national awards?
At AdmissionSight, we guide you exactly the path to take to compete with the country’s best and brightest. A number of our students have gone on to win national awards, including the Regeneron Intel Science Talent Search, Intel Science and Engineering Fair, and national Math and Science Olympiads. We’ve personally been through it all, as we were in your shoes in high school, whether it’s placing semifinalist in the USA National Chemistry Olympiad or winning Gold or Silver Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition.
Whether you’re fascinated by the humanities or the math and sciences, our expertise lies in guiding you in the right direction – the exact textbooks to study, the precise study habits of the top students, and how to take advantage of the opportunity set to boost your academic profile.
There are many prominent regional competitions in the math/sciences, the humanities, volunteering, speech and debate, athletics, and music. Depending on the student, we may make recommendations to pursue these competitions to boost their raw profile on paper. Students who join our program early on are well prepared to tackle a rigorous opportunity set of academic competitions before it’s too late. Their raw academic stats boast a list of accomplishments and awards to showcase to the admissions committee, increasing their chances of admission.
In addition, we have placed many students into the top summer programs in the country (Research Science Institute (RSI), Stanford Institutes of Medical Research (SIMR), Summer Science Program (SSP), Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) to name a few) to better prepare them for elite universities. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
What they’re looking for
-
Strong unweighted/weighted GPA
Strength of academic courseload (AP’s/Honors) - Standardized Testing (SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Exams)
- Regional Awards & Honors (e.g., Future Business Leaders of America, Model United Nations, DECA)
- National High Impact Competitions (e.g., Math/Science Olympiads, Intel ISEF)
- Academic Summer Programs (e.g., Research Science Institute, Telluride Association Summer Program)
- Outside academic involvement such as scientific research or speech and debate
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