<p>Glad my post was helpful. One other recommendation I have is about the essays—read up on the most powerful way to write them. Too many kids make the mistake of either restating their EC resume or simply TELLING the reader about themselves. Another mistake is that kids try to find some super grand event to write about when one is usually better off writing about something much simpler that reveals a side of you not blatantly obvious in the rest of your resume. Georgetown’s essays, however, are a bit more straightforward, although the personal statement always allows for some creativity which should reveal your voice and passion. You need to show them who you are, NOT tell them.<br>
Some excellent books that cover college admissions essays are the ones by Collegeboard and Fiske. I also like 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays book—a terrific reference for applying to any college. Also, although it’s always a good idea to start your essays early, take a good look at them again in the fall right before the application deadline. The changes in kids your age in just a few short months are amazing. You will gain more insight between summer and GU application deadline.<br>
Finally, read up on ways to go about the application process. Here’s a good article from U.S. News & World Report on the entire admissions game: [How</a> to Get Admissions Officers to Say Yes - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/how-to-get-admissions-officers-to-say-yes.html?PageNr=1]How”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/how-to-get-admissions-officers-to-say-yes.html?PageNr=1) Also, I especially liked what the dean of admissions of Yale said in a NY Times interview a few months back about the application process. Here it is: Questions from Times editors:</p>
<p>What part of the admissions process is most misunderstood?</p>
<p>Jeff Brenzel of Yale University: It is not well understood that we are not aiming to pick out the best candidate in a particular school or from a particular area, as measured by some predetermined criteria. Rather, we are trying to assemble the most varied and most interesting class we can from an extremely diverse group of close to 25,000 outstanding applicants. We do not aim to compare a student primarily with other students from his or her school; we look instead for students who will bring something of particular value to the entering class.
Second, few people seem to grasp the weight given to various aspects of the application, though this can vary considerably by institution. For us at Yale, for instance, standardized test scores generally do little to differentiate applicants, because virtually all our applicants score very well. Most important to us are the transcript and the school and teacher recommendations, which students can do little to influence once it comes time for an application. We also look closely to see where and how a student has developed talents or engaged the school or community outside the classroom. Essays and interviews round out an application, and we look here mostly to see whether they convey information that enlarges or enhances, while remaining consistent with what we hear from counselors and teachers.
Good luck!</p>