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Should I still apply to my dream school even though my SAT score isn’t up to par? If so, how can I make my application stand out to the admissions committee?

My SAT scores are below average for my dream college, however, my GPA, community service, and extra curricular activities are great. #college #school #high-school-classes #college-applications #vanderbilt #university

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Stephen’s Answer

Hi, a couple of things to know if you don't know them already, SAT score is only 1 of 4 components most colleges look at to determine if you are worthy of admission.  Of the other 3 components GPA is still very important as derived by the higher-level, honors, or AP classes that you are taking.  As far as your application goes, connect your application essay responses to who you are as a person, your philosephy on addressing challenges, and what you hope to achieve with the degree you would earn from their university.  A video on how you have addressed community service or real world problems that show your interest and passion for what you want to do with your degree could also help you.  In this world, if you don't ask, you don't get, so you may want to ask for an interview with an admission counselor so you can present to that person why you are a good choice for admission.  I did these things when I applied to the universities I was really interested in and it helped.  Universities publish averages on SAT and ACT scores so just because you haven't met the average score doesn't mean you won't be considered.  Best of Luck!
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Ken’s Answer

The most important factor for you is focus. It is very important for you to determine which career area is your main focus and why. After you do that, it would be helpful to locate the person at your school who tracks alumni and arrange to meet people who have gone to that school with that major as a focus. This will give you some inside information on how to proceed from people who have been there and done that. Below are some very important steps to take along the way.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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