Congratulations! College applications are finally in and you are done with the most stressful semester of your high school career. As a student you really deserve a pat on the back for making it this far, but I must caution that it is not over.

Although students have already turned in their applications and sent out their grades, second semester is much more important than people think. Although it is true that the previous 7 semesters were more significant for your applications, many seniors make the mistake of blowing off 2nd semester of senior year. This year is especially difficult for college applicants because of the amount of competition for any spot at a top university. There are so many applicants that colleges need to be more selective in their admissions process, and second semester is a great way for them to disqualify candidates.

How will colleges know if you slack off? – There are a few ways for them to find out, but the most immediate and obvious way is on the application where it asks what classes a student plans to take 2nd semester. If he has loaded himself with AP and Honors classes throughout high school and suddenly drops all of them for easy elective classes, a college might get suspicious. Would a university really want a student who fizzes out in the home stretch? While schools realize that senioritis hits students as graduation nears, they expect them to at least challenge themselves with a similar level of difficulty as before.

Many colleges also require students to submit their 2nd semester grades before they can become an official student. Universities have been known to revoke an admission offer based on poor academic performance during the 2nd semester. Schools from the University of California (UC) system have notoriously crushed students’ dreams after a lackluster 2nd semester and are willing to do it to almost anyone. I would not be surprised if schools started to revoke more offers this year due to the high number of applicants and demand to keep class sizes small.

While it is important to keep grades high through graduation, there are other areas that students with senioritis can slack off. I do NOT encourage any of this, but funneling the lazy feeling into certain areas is more effective than suffering with senioritis across the board. That being said, colleges will not have any way of knowing what sort of extra curricular activities a student participates in during 2nd semester unless a student specifically states his plans in the application. Even then, colleges will not actually know if a student follows through with the plans unless they check with someone else. Interpret and act upon this as you wish, but keep in mind that (ideally) academics should not suffer because of senioritis.

If you are a high school senior, I hope that you heed my advice and prevent senioritis from taking over. Colleges have revoked admissions offers because of 2nd semester grades. Do not let this happen to you!

This article is courtesy of TeenCollegeEducation.org. To read more check us out!

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A special thanks to Dean Tom for participating in this interview series.  Dean Tom is currently serving as the Dean of Admissions for U.C. Berkeley School of Law.  He has been directing the law admissions program for over 25 years.

As the Dean of Admissions, what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
They vary from day to day and month to month.  In general, I oversee all policies related to admissions, and a professional staff that oversees outreach and recruitment activities, an interactive website, and the entire admissions and file-review process.  During the late fall and winter months, I read and make decisions on applications almost non-stop.

What do you consider the most significant parts of an application, the parts which applicants should prepare the most carefully?
Ours is a very selective admissions process, so no one part of an application is more significant than the other. In fact, if I were asked to give theoretical weights to the three main areas on which we focus – academic record, LSAT score, and subjective factors (personal statement and recommendations) – each would be about one-third.

Is there anything you frequently see on an application that you hope to never see again?
Generic personal statements come close, as do statements that are lifted from another source. Mistakes in grammar and spelling reflect on an applicant in a very negative way.

What common pitfalls should applicants be careful to avoid?
Applicants forget to approach this process in a professional way.  For example, they fail to read or understand directions.  They make mistakes in the application process.  Many often send us replacements for their personal statements or resume because they neglected to use their final version.  Not professional.  Not good.

Are there any myths about the application process which you would like to dispel?
I can’t speak for all law schools, but Berkeley operates an admissions process that is holistic.  Although numbers alone are not dispositive here, you have to have a strong application in all departments to be competitive.

Another myth pertains only to Cal undergraduates many of whom believe that we do not admit them as a matter of policy.  This is false.  Berkeley undergraduates comprise the largest cohort in our entering classes every year.

What advice would you give to an applicant with below-average test scores but significant work experience?
This is a difficult question to answer because the answer depends on how “below-average” the test scores are.  That said, some applicants just don’t do well on standardized tests yet have very high GPAs. If documentation is provided (i.e. a copy of the SAT score) in these cases, then we may place less weight on the LSAT score.  Significant work experience is also a fuzzy descriptor because we evaluate the type of work, range of responsibilities, and length of employment.

Do you frequently have to turn away applicants whom you wish you could admit?  If so, what could those applicants do to be admitted?
This happens all the time. Ninety-nine percent of what I do is all about heart-ache. Applicants should know that timing of an application can make a difference.  Applying early in the process is better than applying just before the deadline.

How much faith do you have in the ability of the LSAT to predict success in law school?
I have faith that the LSAT generally predicts success in the first year of law school because we conduct a correlation study every year with Law Services. The correlation coefficient is not perfect but it is positive and substantial enough for us law schools to continue using the test for now.  There is no correlation, however, between the LSAT and success in the second or third years of law school or, significantly, in the profession.

What do you look for in a recommendation letter?
I look for evidence that the writer knows the applicant well and can provide comparative remarks with other applicants for whom the writer has provided past recommendations.

Suppose an applicant has little or no experience relevant to your program, but has significant experience in other fields.  What can that applicant do to distinguish himself or herself in your eyes as a good candidate for your program?
This is less of a problem than many applicants think because our definition of diversity is to include students who come from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.  There is no different advice for this applicant than we would give to another:  Do well on the LSAT, present a strong academic record, write a compelling personal statement that describes well the voice you will bring to the table, and apply early.

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This interview was conducted by Joseph Fernandez.  Joseph is an SAT Tutor and New York Tutor with Parliament Tutors.

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More and more business schools are accepting the revised GRE as well as the GMAT for admissions. The Wall Street Journal reports that “The aim is to attract students who might otherwise have considered graduate study in public policy, economics or other disciplines. Schools want more than just “quant jocks” or single-minded financial experts.”

It’s easy to point out counter-arguments – for example, one test does provide a uniform measure, and this is especially important for MBA programs where there is no prototypical applicant. Regardless, now that they’ve been given a choice at schools like HBS, Wharton, Stanford, and Davis, students are wondering, “Which test should I take?”

GURU recently took the GRE, and having taken the GMAT as well, he would take the GRE over the GMAT seven days a week and twice on Sunday. GURU believes that the GRE is a much easier test than the GMAT.

However, this is not necessarily a reason to choose the revised GRE over the GMAT when applying to MBA programs. At the moment it’s hard to know what the median scores for accepted applicants will be on the revised GRE. ETS has created a score converter which takes your two GRE scores and predicts an equivalent GMAT score. Unfortunately, this is for the old test, and ETS doesn’t have enough data to even score the new test, much less convert those scores to equivalent GMAT scores.

GURU’s advice is this – take official practice tests for both. If your score is much higher on the GRE then you should probably go with it. Otherwise the GMAT is probably the safest bet at the moment.

John Easter
Content Manager
www.benchprep.com

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