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  3. For U. S. College Applicants, Extra Activities Are Encouraged If there is such a thing as the perfect storm in the college a

For U. S. College Applicants, Extra Activities Are Encouraged If there is such a thing as the perfect storm in the college a

admin2013-09-26  31
问题             For U. S. College Applicants, Extra Activities Are Encouraged
    If there is such a thing as the perfect storm in the college admissions process, it hit this year. " Schools where good, solid kids were a sure admit a few years ago, now are places where they find themselves wait-listed or denied," says Amy Belstra, post-graduate counselor at Cherry Creek High School in suburban Denver. She cites such institutions as Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. , and Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. Both had modest increases in applications this year. Many counselors worry that high school juniors, seeing what has happened, will enter their senior year feeling the need to apply to more schools than this year’s graduating class. James Montague, Jr. , director of guidance at Boston Latin School, says the first question he was asked at parents’ night this spring was " whether students should apply to 20 to 30 colleges. "
    Students applied to more and more colleges, and many schools received a record number of applications. At the same time, many high-achieving students zeroed in on the same selective institutions. The result: admissions deans and their staffs made hair-splitting(吹毛求疵的)decisions and left many students and high school counselors stunned.
    To admissions officials, the process was rational, if excruciating(折磨人的). But to those on the outside, it had all the characteristics of a lottery.
    Students interested in attending an American university should know that admissions officers will base their decisions on more than just good grades and high test scores. They want to know how a student might enhance the university just by being there. A good indicator is an examination of personal interests, often illustrated by extracurricular activities.
    That phrase—extracurricular activities—may seem unfamiliar to Indian students. It is a well-known fact that Indians do not have the level of extracurricular activities as that of US students. Generally, it applies to things that students participate in outside of school that show interests, hobbies and future career plans. They should be proactive(心理前摄的). Going to the movies doesn’t count, but making a documentary about a relevant issue does. Having extracurricular activities will help the students in many aspects. Simply scoring in tests will not serve any purpose.
    This week on The Choice on India Ink, we talked to Micah Sieber, an admissions officer at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , about the types of extracurricular activities that American students often include dn their college applications.
Service-Learning Initiatives or Charity Work
    Colleges appreciate it when students are aware of the problems their own communities are experiencing. Students need to be encouraged to do social work and to care about things.
    " We admire students who are involved in service-learning initiatives," Mr. Sieber said. " In the same way that clubs and internships say something about who the student is, outreach work shows that students are interested in giving back to their communities and we value that. "
    Many high schools in India encourage students to take part in service learning, which may be linked to nongovernmental organizations that benefit from student work. Some of these groups include the Salaam Baalak Trust, which aims to provide homeless children with shelters in Delhi and Mumbai, Swechha, which focuses on environmental issues and social development, and Pratham, a group that works to educate slum children in India.
    A leader in community service activities and the student representative on the local school board, she applied to 10 colleges; she was admitted to one Ivy League school, Yale University in New Haven, Conn. " I was surprised I got into Yale, and rejected by schools not quite as difficult to get into," she says. Yale admitted only 8. 6% of applicants.
    "Students should engage in projects that they’re passionate about," Mr. Sieber said. "It’s more about their personal level of interest that matters, not really the issues they focus on. If we see that students really care about what they’re doing and are actively involved, then that’s all that matters. "
Student Organizations and Clubs
    A student’s involvement in clubs and organizations gives an admissions officer a better sense of that student’s interests and how the applicant interacts with peers in a nonacademic setting.
    " We acknowledge all club involvement, everything counts in that sense," Mr. Sieber said. " We typically tend to prefer students who spent a significant amount of time involved in a few clubs over students who spread their time too thinly over many projects because it shows that they’re really committed to the things they say they care about. "
    Having a special role in the organization—like a club president or treasurer—can make a difference, but it doesn’t define the validity of your membership, Mr. Sieber said.
    "We do recognize positions," he said, "but it doesn’t take away from the value of your club experience if you’re a general member. "
Internships
    Colleges appreciate an applicant who uses his or her free time proactively. Whether it’s working on an advertising campaign at a formal internship, or sorting mail as an assistant for a family friend, internships can help admissions officers see how students apply skills and knowledge to a real world environment.
    " It really doesn’t matter specifically what students do," Mr. Sieber said. " When we consider internships, what we really want to see is that students have done something extra, that they’re involved and are doing something related to what they’re passionate about. There are no set requirements, so it’s not as though we would favor one student over another based only on their job descriptions. We consider the student as an individual and look at everything. "
    Internship experience can also help when looking for a job during or after college. Students might even get paid.
Individual Projects
    Whether it’s starting a blog, forming a company, making a movie, recording a song, or hosting a science fair, colleges value individual efforts because they show signs of leadership.
    Consider Shiv Sakhuja, a computer-savvy(本领)student at the Modern School in New Delhi. When he was 14 years old, Shiv purchased his first Apple computer, a 2007 iMac, and soon became enamored(着迷的)of it. Before long, his friends and family started referring to him as "the Mac expert. " As the Apple craze grew in India, he found himself answering questions and giving advice to other Mac users.
    In 2008, Shiv created controlyourmac. com, a Web site where he could post his answers in one place. The site has grown from simply providing information about Macs to reviewing all Apple products and software. It now receives around 1,200 visitors a day. Earlier this year, Shiv also created his own e-mail software, which is now a Mac application.
    He hopes his Apple obsession will add something to his college applications.
    "I’m applying to schools in both the United States and India," he said. "But I think that talking about my site in my United States university essays will help me to express my personality better. "
Colleges admire individual efforts since they demonstrate students’______.
选项
答案signs of leadership
解析 本题考查大学认为学生个人的努力是有价值的，因为个人的努力证实了什么。根据定位段可知，无论是开微博、组建公司、制作短片、录制歌曲或是主办科学论坛，大学认为这些学生个人的努力是有价值的，因为这是学生领导能力的标志。此处要求填入名词性短语作宾语，故signs of leadership为本题答案。
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