The Guide to Getting In : Winning the College Admissions Game Without Losing Your Mind Book

	Acknowledgments	xi
	A Note to Our Readers	xiii
1.	High School: An Era of Hall Passes, P.E., and Cafeteria Romance	1
	Classes: Easy As or Impressive Honors?	2
	Academic Attitude	5
	Finding a Purpose	8
	A Word on Shyness	10
	Extracurriculars	11
	Summers: Go Join the Circus	16
	Workin' It	18
	Read	20
	Don't Sell Yourself Short	22
	College Counselors	23
	Independent Counselors	24
	Listen to Your Elders	26
	How It All Adds Up	27
2.	Tiny Bubbles: The World of Standardized Testing	31
	What Are Standardized Tests?	32
	The SAT: The Biggie	32
	The PSAT/NMSQT: The Biggie Lite	35
	The ACT: The Biggie's Cousin from the Midwest	37
	The PLAN: The Biggie's Cousin from the Midwest Lite	39
	The SAT II: The Half-Brother of the Biggie	40
	The AP Exams: The Big Brother of the Half-Brother of the Biggie	42
	The TOEFL: The Foreign Exchange Student Living with the Biggie	43
	Where/When/How Do I Take All These Tests?	44
	Preparing for Standardized Tests	49
	Approaching the Tests	49
	Taking the Tests	53
3.	First, They Hunt You, and Then, You Hunt Them...: Starting Out in the College Search Game	57
	Organize Thyself	59
	Whaddaya Want?	64
	OK, Now Decide!	74
	A Note for Parents	76
4.	A Whole Other Ballgame: The College Search as an Athletic Recruit	81
	To Be or Not To Be a Recruit	82
	I Wanna Be a Recruit but I'm Not	84
	Oh, You're So Recruit Material	85
	The NCAA and Eligibility	86
	All Those Rules	87
	All Those Divisions	88
	Non-Monetary Perks	89
	Pros and Cons of Athletic Scholarships	91
	Athletics or Academics?	93
	First Contact: The Coach Quandary	94
	The Recruiting Trip	96
	The Money	98
5.	The Application	101
	Personal Data	101
	Educational Data	103
	Test Information	104
	Family	105
	Academic Honors	106
	Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities	108
	Work Experience	111
	Letters of Recommendation	113
	Choosing an Academic Recommender	113
	Supplemental Recommendations	115
	Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?	117
	Time Frame	119
	Personal Statement	120
6.	10,000 Words on Your 500: Our Chapter on the Essay	121
	The Essay: Why They Like It and Why You Should, Too	122
	Choose Your Own Adventure: Picking a Topic	126
	General Essay Writing Advice	134
	A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words	135
	Danger!	137
	Words, Words, Words: On Diction and Syntax	139
	Sample Essay #1	143
	Critique of Essay #1	145
	Sample Essay #2	153
	Critique of Essay #2	155
	Sample Essay #3	157
	Critique of Essay #3	160
	Reviseing and Pruefreeding You're Essay	164
7.	Face-Off: The Interview	171
	Why Interview?	173
	Who Should Definitely Interview	173
	Who Should Think Twice	175
	On- vs. Off-Campus Interview	175
	Who Interviews?	176
	The Attitude They're Looking For	180
	Preparation	182
	Some Sample Questions	186
	The Rules	186
	The Perfect Thank You	188
8.	Financing College	191
	Where Does the Financial Aid Package Come From?	191
	Visiting the Office Itself	194
	The Wide and Wonderful World of Forms!	195
	Getting Started	197
	Words to the Wise	198
	CSS Profile	199
	Putting Your Poorest Foot Forward	199
	Why Is Stafford Lending Me Money When I'm Going to Harvard?	202
	Types of Aid	203
	The Hunt	212
	Applying	215
	So, How Big Is YOUR Package?	217
	What's That Smell?	219
	Pain in the Assets--Saving for College	221
	College Choice	222
	Community College vs. Four-Year	223
9.	Hopping Ponds: Applying as a Transfer Student	225
	Preparing to Transfer	225
	Selling Yourself...the Legal Way!	229
	The Application	230
	Your Odds	233
	Athletic Transfers	233
	Getting In and Going	235
10.	International Applicants	237
	Into the Woods (a.k.a., the Admissions Office)	237
	Study Abroad vs. Four Years Abroad	238
	Differences Between International and U.S. Universities	240
	Freely Footing the Bill	241
	State and Private	242
	Financial Aid, Please	245
	Checklist for Choosing a School	247
	The Eight Golden Rules of International Applications	249
	Spinning Yourself	251
	A Note to Canadians	252
	Testing Requirements	252
	Post-Acceptance Paperwork	255
	Key Points Before You Go	256
	Culture Shock	257
	Those Loose Learners	257
	All-American Attitude	258
	Student Life	259
	Clothes	259
	Vacations	260
11.	Getting the News: The Envelope Approacheth	261
	"Thank You For Playing--Please Try Again"	261
	An Extremely Short Glossary of Terms for Rejection	264
	Calls from the Governor--Getting Off the Waitlist	265
	The Z-List	266
	"Do You Want Fries With That?"	267
	For the Fat Envelopes: Choosing from Many Options	269
	The Reply Card	270
	Taking Time Off	271
12.	The Post-Acceptance Party: Some Good Advice Before You Go	273
	The Housing Form Crapshoot	275
	Things You Didn't Know About Yourself: Form-Filler Tips	278
	Roommate Ruminations	280
	Dorming Decisions	282
	The Medical Exemption	284
	The Rooming Info Is Assigned	285
	Course Confusion	287
	The Ws of Course Selection	289
	The Buying Bonanza	292
	The Great Computer Decision	296
	Bikes and Cars	299
	The Budget	300
	Glossary	301
	About the Authors	315