What should I do in high school to enter my dream university abroad?

Every year, thousands of students hit the road with the dream of a university abroad and try to achieve a goal. Our young people, who used to go abroad mainly for graduate, master and doctorate degrees, want to go abroad primarily for undergraduate education, especially due to the low global rankings of Turkish universities in recent years. So, is this something that can only be achieved by wanting to do it? Doesn't every goal have a set of to-do and to-do lists behind it? Doesn't the effort to study the 4-year university undergraduate education, which will form the building block of one's career, in the desired school and in the desired department, require a preliminary preparation and focusing on the target? There is no doubt that the answer to all these questions is “yes”…

So, what should I do in high school and how should I spend these years in order to enter my target university?

12 Tips for Getting into Your Ideal University

At universities abroad, the application evaluation unit carefully evaluates your high school grades, the courses you took, your international exam test results, your personal application articles, your activities, your reference letters and, if necessary, your interviews. You can increase your chances of getting into a university abroad by following the 12 tips below:

1. Strive to get the highest grades you can get during your four-year high school life. Notes are extremely important.

2. Take the most academically challenging courses each year throughout high school. On the college preparatory side, pursue the (AP) *Advanced Placement program or (IB) *International Baccalaureate, also known as the “International Baccalaureate” programs. These programs are available in some high schools. However, if it is not available in your high school, then you may need to complete it with outside support.

3. Prepare for the SAT or ACT exams. Get the materials for these exams and learn the test procedures. Take the PSAT (trial SAT) exam in 10th grade. See what level of knowledge and ability you are and prepare for the real test by correcting your deficiencies accordingly. The results you get in the PSAT exam are not taken into account by universities. So don't be afraid if you get a low grade. Take advantage of the free online SAT or ACT documents, study guides, hands-on tests, lectures, and foundation courses available for grade 11 and earlier.

4. Try to take both the SAT and ACT exam. Universities accept both exams. You may do better on one test than the other, as these are different types of tests. It's important to try both to find the test that suits you. Determining the right exam will increase your chances of university acceptance. If you are not satisfied and satisfied with your test scores, you can take the SAT or ACT tests more than once. The highest test score will be considered.

5. Take SAT Subject Tests and AP exams. Competitive universities may require you to take some of these exams as a prerequisite and may be evaluating your exam results. Universities at the top expect and accept a full grade of 5 in the AP exams. When you reach the last year, you do not have to be deprived of that university because of the exams you did not take on time in the application sub-criteria of the universities. Take the right exams at the right time while you have time and put them in your bag. Support the wider choices with more and more various exams you take.

6. Take sufficient time to develop your personal essays that you will use in your university application. Before you write, think about how to reflect yourself correctly. Write, correct and rewrite again and again. This is your most important opportunity to sell yourself. Whether you're energetic, excited, passionate or intellectual, convey your best in your essay. How do you express yourself differently from everyone else, describe it, explain it. Get support and feedback from your school guidance or overseas counseling units, your teachers for your personal reference articles.

7. During the 4 years in high school and during the summer holidays, be related to the school and society, carry out activities. Combine this interest with extracurricular and in-class activities, sports or community service projects. Try to lead in these activities, provide growth and development. Deepen in one or more areas and develop specific relevance and talent.

8. Request a reference letter about you from school guidance counselors and teachers who know you well. You should update the memories of these teachers with personal data and documents that underline your academic achievements, sports and other activities, community service projects and leadership positions, at least 1 month before the deadline for submitting a reference letter to universities, so that you mention these characteristics in your reference letters. 

groans. In addition, if there is anything special you do during the summer, such as traveling abroad, volunteer work, projects to improve your foreign language, it will also come to the fore.

9. Be prepared for interview invitations that may be requested from universities. Although these interviews are usually conducted online for overseas students, they can sometimes be face-to-face on campus. Oxford is an example of this. Re-read your personal essay you wrote before the interview and review the details and specific information you gained about the school conducting the interview. Likewise, these schools care about how well you know and research them. Be sincere and friendly in the interview. Dress professionally, not casually. Send an e-mail to thank you after the interview and let them know that you are still very interested in the university in question.

10. Reduce your stress by researching schools early, before the senior year of high school begins. In this system of thousands of schools, it may take longer than you think to prioritize universities and identify the 30 schools you are interested in. If you are late, you can be swept away and panicked like a ship that can't find which direction to go in the middle of a great sea of ​​information. Taking action on time gives you enough time to research universities, complete applications, write essays and take required exams.

11. Get organized and stay focused. Create a file for each university you are interested in and classify any relevant information in it. E.g; application document and a copy of your article, any material you have downloaded from the internet, etc. Focus on your ultimate goal of “entering your preferred university”. Create a checklist where you plan the tasks you have to do to get into this higher education institution and use it as a checklist.

12. Continue to receive continuous support from foreign guidance counselors and school teachers and do not be shy. No matter how simple your questions may seem, do not be afraid to ask them and get information, do not neglect to be informed.

In order to enter the 50 prestigious and in some cases the first 100 schools in the world, you have to put in an intense effort from your high school years, without leaving your job to chance. Although this effort sometimes causes difficulties and time jams with the additional activities and responsibilities you carry out with the courses, ultimately this university can be seen as an investment and personal development journey that you make in yourself, beyond reaching your goal. Likewise, the leadership you carry out in a project or an artistic activity you perform is actually an achievement for your life. In fact, all roads lead to grape eating. That's a long 4 years way through your high school life. In order to be able to walk with determination without losing your motivation and not to miss any important points, you should use a control chart and proceed by checking the completed works on this list.

In my next article, I will be sharing with you the control charts that you can use on a yearly basis. Everything is to provide a good education to a sparkling youth…

Notes:

*AP (Advanced Placement): Advanced Placement or “Advanced Placement is a college preparation program created by the College Board that offers college-level curriculum and examinations to high school students in the United States. American colleges and universities may offer placement and course credits to students who score high on exams. The Advanced Placement (AP) program, also called the Advanced Placement Program, is a strong, comprehensive and hard-working program implemented in the United States (USA) and spread all over the world, aiming for excellence in education. Apart from the USA, the AP Program is implemented and recognized in more than 60 countries.

*IB (International Baccalaureate): International Baccalaureate or “International Baccalaureate” is a university preparation system implemented by the International Baccalaureate Organization in many countries of the world. It was founded in 1968 in Switzerland. For students aged 16-19. It is a diploma that provides entrance to the university at the international level. This diploma program usually covers 11th and 12th grades. In the 9th or 10th grade, education can be given at the preparatory level for the IB Diploma Programme. Although the program covers the Turkish National Education System, there may be differences.

References :

⁃        Wikipedia.Org / International Baccalaureate/ Advanced Placement

⁃         California Career Center / 12 Tips for getting into your college