Response to Elizabeth

Posted by Dee

AdmitSpit received a comment regarding the UC application from Elizabeth today on the post titled, “Techniques for dealing with character limits.”

I’ll reproduce the comment below:

“Hi I just submitted my uc application yesterday and realized that I went over the word count limit by 35 words. What can I do? Will the college just cut off my essay or should I mail each campus a letter?”

Elizabeth,

I think you needn’t worry about 35 words. The reason I emphasize “think” is because I haven’t seen a print out of your application. I sure hope you, along with every other UC applicant, took the time to print out a copy of your entire application. If so, you could go to the personal statement section and see if it did indeed cut off part of your essay. If it did not you’re probably okay.

The second reason I emphasize “think” is because I hope that this 35 word surplus was not on one response alone, rather that you went maybe 10 words over on one essay and 16 over on another and over by 9 on another; this would be the best scenario as opposed to going 35 words over on one response alone which will be

A “duh” tip #4

Posted by Dee

The question was recently posed to AdmitSpit by a student of whether or not he should take the SATII tests if he was applying to Yale.

He had already taken the SAT Reasoning exam but wasn’t sure if he wanted to waste the time taking the SAT Subject Tests as opposed to just taking the ACT exam.

Based on the post titled, “Standard list for colleges’ standardized testing requirements” he knew that Yale required either the SAT and two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT test with writing.

So, if you’ve already taken the SAT, then just take the SAT Subject Tests for two hours, as opposed to doing the ACT with writing which takes four hours! It seems obvious enough I’d think, but apparently it warrants writing a “duh” tip about. Only point against this would be if you didn’t have two subjects you were good enough at and preferred to take the more general ACT instead; but, that said, I think it’d be rare to be in such a position where your ACT would be better score-wise than two subject tests.

Little vacation for the T-day holiday

Posted by Dee

Hey AdmitSpit readers!

Sorry we haven’t been writing in awhile; all the contributors have been back at home from college spending time with family and friends, with little motivation to get to the computer to write.

But, starting Monday, look forward to a post about Princeton academics, some posts with our personal tips and suggestions for UC personal statement essays, and our personal tips and suggestions for writing short answer responses.

Also, do let us know for what other schools you’d like academic snapshots from. I’m working on getting someone from USC to write for us, as well as someone from Columbia. What other schools are important for you to hear about? Leave a comment!

UC’s “new” testing requirements outlined

Posted by Dee

Just to be clear, as there is apparently some confusion regarding which tests the University of California accepts and does not accept, AdmitSpit will detail below the UC’s latest testing requirements. I write “new,” because it’s not really all that new; these guidelines have been around since March 2005. Know that the rules affect students entering in the fall of 2006 and later.

Either take the ACT Assessment plus Writing or the new SAT Reasoning Test.

Then, also take two SAT Subject Tests in two different testing areas or subjects. But, pay attention to the list below regarding which ones the UC accepts and which ones they don’t.

Under the English category, UC accepts only the Literature SAT Subject Test.

Under History and Social Studies, UC accepts either U.S. History or World History.

Under Mathematics, UC accepts only the Math Level 2 exam.

Under the Science category, UC accepts Chemistry, Physics, or Biology E (ecological emphasis) or Biology M (molecular emphasis). (For a more detailed explanation of the difference between the two and how to choose between E or M, see the AdmitSpit posted titled, “Biology E vs. Biology M.”)

Under the Language category, UC accepts French, German, Spanish, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Chinese with Listening, French with Listening, German with Listening, Spanish with Listening, Japanese with Listening, and Korean with Listening.

So, be careful to note in particular that, as of Fall 2006, completing the SAT II: Math Level IC or the SAT II: Writing will NOT be accepted for fulfilling the UC application requirements.

Response to Gail

Posted by Dee

Gail recently left AdmitSpit an urgent comment on our “About AdmitSpit” page. I’ll reproduce it below.

“Help – my son decided to add one sentence to his essay after he copied it into his application form and submitted it with a TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR! What do we do? Will his application automatically be dropped!”

I hope I’m correct as interpreting this as: your son finished his essay, copy-pasted it into the text box in his online application, then decided to add a sentence directly into the text box, submitted the application and then realized that it had a typo! Ouch.

Gail? What was he thinking?! I feel terrible using your son’s error as an example, but this shows to all of us the danger of typing essays, even one sentence’s worth, directly in the text box of an online application! Always, always, write your essays, even one sentence’s worth, in a Word processor first! Then, copy-paste it.

Yes, your son made a dumb mistake; I’m afraid it’s difficult for me to soften the blow. But, that said, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll probably be rather upset and worried over it, but it will probably have little bearing on an overall application decision. I’m slightly concerned over the last phrase in your comment: “Will his

Recommended, but not required?

Posted by Dee

What exactly does “recommended, but not required” mean?

You see this phrase every now and again in college application guidelines regarding interviews or additional essays or supplementary recommendations, etc. But when an AdComm writes this, do they honestly mean that they don’t care if you submit it or not, or is it a test where they say it’s not required but they actually do expect you to complete it?

My conclusion is if they say a part of the application is “recommended, but not required,” do it! I don’t think it’s a test so much as if they recommend it, and you’re serious about going to a school, there’s probably good reason they recommend completing something.

But, it may depend on which part of the application it is. I’ll give examples on three of the most common areas of the application where this phrase is applied.

Essays — if they say an additional essay is “recommended, but not required,” then definitely include another essay unless you’ll just be restating everything you said in the first ones. Use the supplementary essay as an opportunity to present new information or stories.

Interviews — if they say an interview is “recommended, but not required,” then definitely, DO an interview. Unless it’s just physically not possible for you to arrange a time and place for your interview, maybe because interviews aren’t offered in your area for example, then you can forego the interview.

Recommendations — if they say an additional recommendation is “recommended, but not required,” then also, definitely submit an extra recommendation. Why wouldn’t you want the AdComm to read about another person saying good things about you? So that brings me to my point; if you know the additional recommendation would present good things about you then definitely submit it, but if you’re scrounging to find another teacher or coach to write a recommendation just because it’s “recommended” and you’re worried they may not have the best things to say, then just don’t submit the extra rec.

A “duh” tip #2

Posted by Dee

Following the October 21 blog post titled, “A ‘duh’ tip #1,” let me remind you of another “duh” tip.

Someone recently reached AdmitSpit by searching for “can we go over 1000 words for personal statements?”

No! If the application says you get 1000 words for your essays, you only get 1000 words. I presume by the way that the Web surfer here was referring to the UC application, but regardless of what school you are applying to, do not exceed the limits they set! If however the application says “about 1000 words,” well then, I guess they’re allowing you some space to add on a bit.

Just make sure you’re aware of what the application directions are!

The six colleges of UCSD

Posted by Teja

The University of California, San Diego may be known for its sunny beaches and super hot surfers but don’t be fooled into underestimating its academic rigor. As a large campus with over 20,000 undergraduates, there is no lack of academic and recreational activities.If you choose to go to a big university, such as UCSD, it is very important to be independent. Unlike in high school and smaller colleges, there is no “spoon-feeding.” You are completely responsible for yourself: signing up for classes, asking for help, getting advice, etc. Consequently, studies at UCSD are as hard or as easy as you make them. There are many opportunities to get involved in leadership, research, and social activities but they do not come to you, you must go look for them. With that said, I’ll tell you a little bit about UCSD…

The academic year is based on the quarter system, which allows you to take a vast number of classes in various subjects. There are four quarters to a year. Fall quarter from September to December, winter quarter from January to March, spring quarter from March to June, and summer quarter during the summer (optional). Each quarter lasts about 10 weeks, so if you really dislike a class it will pass by with the blink of an eye. On the negative side, this system demands a constant output of work; I have only been here for 2 months but have already gone through midterms, and the quarter is almost over.

UCSD is the only UC that is split up into 6 different sub-colleges. The beauty of this

Importance of a CV

Posted by Dee

What is a CV?

As you progress through your academic and professional life you’ll here this term more and more often.

A CV is an acronym for curriculum vitae, a “summary of a person’s educational qualifications, skills, publications, and professional activities, prepared when applying for an academic position.”

Nowadays, I think CVs are defined even more broadly than that, and you can basically think of it as a list of any activity, school, skill, honor, recognition, prize, etc. you’ve ever completed, received, etc.

It is very, I repeat, VERY important, even from a very young age, to keep track of all your accomplishments. Definitely keep records of awards you’ve received, your report cards, test scores, etc. dating back even to kindergarten. Not only does it track your history and personal development, but it is also extremely useful when

How “x” does academics: x = Yale

Posted by Nicole

Entering the academic world at Yale seems like a very daunting challenge at first; the workload definitely requires diligence. However, Yale’s many unique aspects of its academic approach make the task much more manageable and worthwhile.

Yale operates on a semester system. The first semester begins in late August/early September and ends in December (before winter break); the second begins in January and ends in early/mid-May. This allows for more depth in a fewer amount of courses than a quarter system with fewer major assignments.

Students need 36 credits to graduate, averaging 9 credits a year. Most classes are one credit each, with some exceptions (labs, for example, are generally half a credit, while beginning or intensive languages class can be 1.5-2). Many students graduate with over 36 credits under their belts.

There is no “core” curriculum at Yale; instead, students must take two classes in the following categories: humanities, social sciences, sciences, quantitative reasoning, and writing. There is also a foreign language requirement, for which, depending on one’s level of study and AP scores, students take one to three classes. These categories are very broadly defined; logic classes, for instance, count toward quantitative reasoning, while biology courses that require more in-depth research papers fulfill the writing requirement.

Students must declare a major by the beginning of junior year, or can work with