Applying
For many American students, the application process for US Colleges starts in the fall of their junior year, when they take either the PSAT or other preliminary standardized tests. The pace doesn't let up until December of their senior year, when most applications are submitted.
For students in the British education system, the process of applying to an American university will start as early as the beginning of their lower sixth year, when they begin to research selected universities and their SAT requirements.
British students are advised to take the SAT I for the first time in the spring of their lower sixth year, before their AS exams. Applications should be worked on during the summer. The SAT I (and any remaining SAT Subject tests) should be taken again in the autumn if an ideal score wasn’t gained first time around – most students will take the SAT I twice.
What is the admissions committee looking for?
Is it true that if your test scores aren't high enough, your application is automatically dumped in the "reject" pile? ...Are schools looking for people with a two-page resume of extracurricular activities? ...What do admissions officers "want to hear" in your essay?
Just about everyone applying to college asks these questions. The first step to answering them is to get a grasp on the application process—when, where, and how to apply. After getting all the information, your goal is to end up with a list of target colleges—places where you would like to go and where you have a reasonably good chance of being admitted.
