Sarah O'Neill Blog Pennsylvania

  By Sarah O'Neill, Supreme Editing, Coatesville, PA Dartmouth Excerpt: According to Dartmouth admissions ( via the website ): We read every single application carefully, looking for strong-minded, multi-talented people eager to live and learn together with mutual respect for each other’s differences. Listen to: Admissions Beat Podcast “Your essays should help us understand those intangibles that can't easily be reflected in a resume. Show us the qualities that make you you. Your sense of humor, your passion, your intellectual curiosity, your self-awareness, or social awareness, or some mix of these. Your writing lets us get to know you and we read every word. Help us envision what you'll bring to Dartmouth.” Your essays should help us understand those intangibles that can't easily be reflected in a resume. Show us the qualities that make you you . Your sense of humor, your passion, your intellectual curiosity, your self-awareness, or social awareness, or some mix of th...

 By Sarah O'Neill, Supreme Editing, Coatesville CALTECH Excerpt   “Research-driven. Change-motivated. Well-rounded. Sleep-deprived. We're your people.”   According to Caltech admissions ( via their website ): Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM institution . Literally, there is no way to write about too much STEM in your supplemental questions . So lean all the way in on the STEMiest of STEMmy topics (yep, those are made-up words but totally appropriate). Review our What We Look For page before you get started.   Caltech's mission – to cultivate learning, discovery, and innovation for the benefit of humanity – relies on its community members embracing fundamental Caltech values : o   Openness and enthusiasm for having preconceptions challenged o   Respect and appreciation for the idea that, while we are all members of the same community, the opportunities we've had to develop, showcase, and apply our talents have not been equal o   P assio...

  By Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing Rice Excerpt According to Rice’s admissions (via the website). We value a diverse community of scholars, and our processes and policies are carefully designed to evaluate each applicant based on individual merits and potential to succeed at Rice. The Rice supplement offers you the opportunity to share more about yourself. This is your chance to tell us why you are interested in Rice and what you would like to pursue as a student here. We also want you to elaborate on your experiences and achievements to share what you would bring to our community. Rice University offers a new Application Advice Series. Developed by their very own admission counselors, they’re giving you all the advice you need coming directly from the people who read every single application. CHECK IT OUT: Admissions Advice Series . In history, the types of students admitted consisted of students who told a cohesive story about themselves. They focused on fresh...

 By Sarah O'Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing Please tell us why you are planning to leave (or have already left) your current college or university, and how the University of Chicago will satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future. Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago. (500) Andrew Mellon said that everyone wants to connect their lives to something eternal. He’s right. I often ask, “What could I do forever?”. The answer is math, and UChicago has programs like Research Experience for Undergraduates and Directed Reading Program that would add to my eternal quest to use math in real life. In the Paris Mathematics Program, math people are required to take French. I recall the mathematician I admire most – Carl F. Gauss – and how he taught himself Russian at sixty-two. I, too, want to see the other side of the world starting with math learning. UChicago’s program shapes young mathematicians into ...

  Purdue Excerpt By Sarah ONeill, Supreme Editing “Be prepared, be personal, be direct, be focused, be professional” According to Purdue’s admissions ( via the website ): Purdue applications are reviewed individually and holistically.  Please check out the Online Writing Lab and Advice for Writing Successful Application Essays. ▪  The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Purdue's own  Online Writing Lab  offers advice on  writing essays for college applications . Brainstorm by putting your thoughts on paper. You can free write (writing without stopping or censoring yourself), create word association maps (visually clustering concepts that you feel go together), or keep a journal over the course of several days so that ...

  By Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing Columbia Excerpt According to COLUMBIA admissions ( via the website ): Columbia is quite direct about what kind of candidates they are looking for that they want to join in their scholarly explorations. Even more particularly, what kind of essays should be written that move them? Columbia’s undergraduate admissions officers have offered keen insight into what they look for, as it is synopsized on their website. Do you know what kind of student Columbia wants? This kind: “If you're interested in being cloistered away someplace where you can isolate yourself in a study carrel and focus only on academics for several years, Columbia is a real good choice for you. Columbia is a place where students get involved -- in campus affairs, in politics, in service projects, in research activities, in the arts, in clubs and organizations, in athletics and in the life of the city.” From an alumnus This means showing what it takes to be strong...

  By Sarah O’Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing Duke Excerpt According to Duke admissions  (via their website) : A collaborative community of intellectual explorers. Our institutional culture is built upon our history and values.  Our shared values —   respect, trust, inclusion, discovery, and excellence  — are more than aspirations.  They are the beliefs and behaviors that we expect of ourselves and our colleagues.  These are the ideals that we must uphold in order to earn and maintain our reputation for quality and integrity and to inspire confidence in each other and the world that we both serve and rely on for our future viability.  Our values dictate our conduct and drive our culture.  Click here to find out more about Duke’s values .   In history:  The writers identify Duke University highlights and specifics.  They illustrated their passions and recognition of novel approaches to learning.  Most importantly, the writ...