Harvard Outreach Newsletter Issue 54, February 2018

54th issue

February 2018

New US College application guide available – written by Harvard students

Two students in their senior year (final year) at Harvard College, Luke Heine and Cole Scanlon, have put together a comprehensive guide about how to navigate the US college admissions process.  Called simply ‘The Guide’, it is based on their own experiences and has taken them two years to develop – and they have launched a non-profit initiative called the ‘Fair Opportunity Project’ in the process.  Their stated goal is “….for students from all backgrounds to have a fair shot at applying for college.”

The Guide is a comprehensive compendium about all aspects of the application process and includes samples of real college essays, a list of financial resources, and tips on how to organise applications.  The overall aim of the Fair Opportunity Project is identical to that of Harvard UK Outreach – to create a level playing field so that students who don’t have access to US college advisers at their school are still able to find the information and support they need to put together a high quality application.

Although it has been written primarily for the American market (The Guide has been sent to 57,000 US state high schools), most of the contents are relevant to British students since the application process for international applicants and US citizens is the same.  However, some of the terms used in The Guide will not be familiar in the UK, particularly the names give to the last four years in a US high school.  So for the benefit of British students, here are the four names and their equivalent for a UK secondary school:

Freshman Year:      Year 10

Sophomore Year:    Year 11

Junior Year:             Year 12 or Lower Sixth

Senior Year:             Year 13 or Upper Sixth

The same four names (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior) are used to describe the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th years of an undergraduate degree course at a US university.

We will be highlighting different sections of The Guide in coming months, starting with information on standardised tests and financial aid.

Standardised tests: the SAT or ACT

Most, but not all, US colleges require you to take one of two standardised tests: the SAT or the ACT.  The two tests are administered by two different organisations and US colleges accept both tests equally, so from their point of view it doesn’t matter which one you take.  The best way of deciding is to take the free online practice tests for both the ACT and SAT and go with whichever one gives you the better score.

Both tests are mostly multiple choice and have an ‘optional’ essay.  However, the more competitive universities will expect you to complete the essay section, so always register for ‘SAT with writing’ or ‘ACT with writing’.

The best way to get a good score in this type of test is to become very familiar with it: especially the type of questions asked and the time allowed for each section.   So it is essential to set yourself a weekly practice schedule in the three months leading up to the exam, so you reach peak performance just before the test date.  When you run out of the free online practice tests, there are many practice books available for purchase online.  Simply type ‘ACT practice books’ or ‘SAT practice books’ into your search engine to see what is available. For SAT, excellent (and free) online tutoring is available through Khan Academy (see link below).

If you are in Year 12 and planning to apply to US colleges in the autumn, you should start your practice routine immediately in preparation for sitting the tests in the spring.  The spring of Year 12 is a good time to take them as you will be well into your A Level or IB syllabus by that time, and will also have the opportunity to retake them in the autumn if your scores are not as good as you hoped.  But don’t forget that if you retake them, you will have to pay the test fees again, so it’s a much better option to keep up your regular practice so you achieve the scores you need at the first sitting.

Both tests cover reading, writing and mathematics, but are scored and structured differently, and the ACT also contains a science section.  Here is an outline of both tests:

Outline of the SAT

• Scored on a scale of 400-1600
  • 200-800 for maths
  • 200-800 for evidence-based reading and writing
  • Mostly multiple choice
  • No penalty for wrong answers
  • Essay is scored separately on a scale of 6-24
• 1 evidence-based reading and writing section
  • 65 mins reading section
  • 35 mins language and writing section
• 1 maths section
  • 55 mins with calculator
  • 25 mins without calculator
• 1 essay
  • 50 mins – must analyse a 650-750 word document and draft an essay
• Successful Harvard applicants who take the SAT tend to score between 600-800 for each of the two main sections.

Outline of the ACT

• Scored on a scale of 1-36
  • Each of the four tests (sections) is scored on a scale of 1-36, and you will also receive a composite score, which is the average of your four test scores
  • Mostly multiple choice
  • No penalty for wrong answers
  • Essay is scored separately on a scale of 2-12
• 1 English test
  • 45 mins to answer 75 questions
• 1 maths test
  • 60 mins to answer 60 questions
• 1 reading test
  • 35 mins to answer 40 questions
• 1 science test
  • 35 mins to answer 40 questions
• 1 essay
  • 40 mins – you’ll be given a topic or issue and expected to take a position on it, supporting your point of view with examples and evidence.
• Successful Harvard applicants who take the ACT tend to achieve a composite score of between 30-36.

Take home message about getting good SAT/ACT scores 

1. Take both of the practice tests and go with whichever gives you the better score.
2. A good score is one that fits the profile of the colleges you have selected.
3. Consider test dates, the location of your nearest test centre, the availability of places and PLAN AHEAD.
4. Familiarity with the test is the best way to boost your score, so make use of the free online practice tools (see below).
5. If your test scores don’t reflect your potential, consider one of the test flexible colleges (e.g. NYU, Hamilton, Middlebury) or test optional colleges (e.g. Clark, Connecticut College).  Click here for a full list of test optional colleges.

Here are the links to the free online practice material:

SAT Reasoning Test

SAT Subject Tests

For the SAT, there are also free online practice tools provided by the Khan Academy.

ACT Test – the ACT has started charging for its own online practice tools, but there is free practice material available on other sites, including this one.

If you need additional practice material, books of SAT and ACT practice tests are available from online publishers at around £18 each.

Upcoming SAT dates and deadlines (35 UK test locations)

The main SAT Reasoning Test is offered on all dates, but not all subjects are offered on every date, so check the table below before booking a date for your Subject Tests.  The Reasoning Test also has an optional essay, but the more competitive colleges will expect you to take it, so make sure to register for ‘SAT with writing’.

Upcoming ACT dates and deadlines (18 UK test locations)

The ACT offers a Reasoning Test, but not Subject Tests, which have to be taken under the SAT administration.  The different test dates offered by the ACT increase flexibility by providing additional days on which to take the Reasoning Test.  US colleges have no preference between the ACT or SAT Reasoning Test, so you should take whichever one gives you the better score when you practise.  For the more competitive colleges, students should always register for ‘ACT with writing’, which includes a short essay in addition to the multiple choice sections.

Types of Financial Aid 

Last month we gave you some tips about how to research the US college system to identify a short list of colleges that you might want to apply to later this year.  An essential element of the research process is to find out which colleges provide financial aid to international students, and if so, how much you are likely to be awarded.

Over a decade ago, Harvard improved its already generous need-based financial aid so that today, families earning less than $65,000 a year (around £47,000 at current exchange rates) pay nothing toward the cost of their son or daughter’s education. These students now also receive a $2,000 start-up grant that helps support move-in costs and other expenses incurred in making the transition to college.  International students have the same access to financial aid as domestic students.  Families earning up to $150,000 a year (about £108,000) with typical assets will expect to pay from 0-10% of their income towards university costs, and many families with higher incomes will qualify for some aid.

Other colleges with generous financial aid schemes include Yale, Princeton, MIT and Amherst, but others may not provide aid to international students, or may have limited aid available, so you should always check out all financial aid options before arriving at your final shortlist of colleges.  The main types of aid available are:

Need-based aid
This is the most common type of aid so is usually the first port of call for families on modest or middle incomes.  As the amounts awarded by different colleges vary from year to year, you should check the websites of all your short-listed colleges to find out if you are eligible for financial aid, and how much you might receive.  By law, every college website must have a ‘Net Price Calculator’ that will estimate the annual cost of a college education based on your family’s current financial circumstances. Not all such calculators will work for international students/currencies.  Click here to see an example of one that works for all families.

When to apply: you should apply for need-based financial aid at the same time as you submit your admissions application, since an offer of financial aid, or lack of it, will have a significant effect on whether you accept any offers of admission you are sent by the colleges.  You therefore need to receive any offers of financial aid at the same time as the result of your main application.

Merit-based aid
Many colleges, in addition to need-based aid, may offer merit-based aid for strong academic performance, or a particular talent in sport, the performing arts or other extracurricular involvement.  As funding is usually reserved for top students, your SAT/ACT test scores should be well above those of typical students admitted to the colleges where you will be applying.  To help you to assess your performance in comparison with others, the percentage of admitted students who achieved particular scores is shown on all college websites.

Sports scholarships
College sport is massive in the US and universities are keen to attract the best players, particularly for their varsity teams (premier league teams that play in organised inter-college competitions).  Unlike academic scholarships where students simply submit an application to the college, the process for applying for sports scholarships is long and complicated.  Click here for the Fulbright Commission’s web page on sports scholarships and the athletic recruitment process.

Niche scholarships
Some scholarships are also awarded based on specific personal qualities outlined by the university or an individual donor or sponsor.  These qualities often correlate to the mission of the organisation or interests of the donor and could include country of origin, ethnicity, religious faith, interest in a particular field, gender, interests and talents.  There should be information about such niche scholarships on the college’s website.