College admissions: What You Need to Know

by: KelseyBrennan
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Everyone worries about college admissions and everyone has their own thoughts and ideas on how best to do this. Many students believe that the SATS results are the most important. However, the admission factors most often taken into account appear to be your high school record.

And, while this is true, college admissions look at many factors before making a decision and about 35 to 50% of that decision is influenced by your high school records.

And yes, they do look at whether or not you took difficult courses and how well you handled them, they will check to see if your grades improved during high school, as well as whether or not you let your grades slide a little during your senior year.

But around 25 to 40% of their admissions decision is based on how well you did in tests. Both the ACT and SAT test are used to judge applicants because they demonstrate skills like problem solving, reading and other basic skills.

This is one reason why SAT test preparation is vital if you want to do well and improve your SAT test score. They will check out your activities and other accomplishments. Their decision is influenced anywhere from 5 to 20% on these factors.

Colleges feel that if you were active in community services or took a leadership position in an activity, then it is likely you will continue to be active at college. College admissions also base anywhere from 5 to 20% of their decision on essays and recommendations.

College admissions also base anywhere from 5 to 20% of their decision on essays and recommendations. They want to know what you are like as a person, something that SATS tests cannot tell them. They want to know what is important to you, what type of personality you have and to determine your greatest strengths and weaknesses.

However, the bottom line is that to get into any college you need good marks and taking SAT preparation classes, along with practice SATs tests improves your chances of making a much higher grade. College admissions tell us that high GPA's and good SAT scores will get a lot more attention than average scores. Taking AP (advanced placement) courses shows them that you are serious about your education and that will get you extra attention.

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Your Guide to College aims to make it easier to find the right college. You'll find Kaplan Test information, student loan advice and other college help.  

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