College Admissions Consulting Articles - One major can complement another

BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW

gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu

Bradshaw College Consulting

(219) 663-3041


Dear Mr. Bradshaw:--


I read your last column about the stress students are under when they apply to college. I have another other issue: the stress of choosing a major.

I have a general idea that I want to study business or history, but no firm convictions either way. I may even decide on law school, but I want to wait until I am in college before I choose a career.

How important is it to decide on a major early on? My parents are worried that I might make the mistake of choosing a major that is unmarketable.

— Undecided

Dear Undecided:

— What is a marketable degree? The answer is in the eye of the beholder.

To choose history does not mean you are locked out of a business career. To choose business does not mean you must be a business person.

Either major will open doors to a whole range of career options. Law and medicine are attainable with either degree, as are other careers such as financial planner, teacher or the military.

Consider Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court as an example. He was a history major at Harvard College and went on to Harvard Law School. Roberts was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review, so, clearly, the writing skills he learned as a history major helped prepare him for law school.

Roberts graduated from La Lumiere School near LaPorte, a small Catholic boarding college-preparatory high school.

Conor S. Tochilin, the newly selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and a second-year law student, has a similar background. He graduated from Westminster School, a small Christian high school in Atlanta.

Tochilin started as a math and philosophy major, switched to history after reading Adam Smith and Karl Marx, and finally decided to major in economics and philosophy.

These two examples show that students can end up at the same place, but take different approaches to choosing a major. Roberts remained focused on history as an undergraduate; Tochilin needed to experiment with several fields before making a decision.

My professional suggestion is to deviate slightly from Roberts and pick a major that requires some math.

If that approach is not for you, I suggest taking at least a core of applied math classes, including statistics.

Math will sharpen your critical-thinking skills while giving you an edge on the competition if you decide to go to graduate or professional school.

Students excel on the GRE, LSAT and GMAT if they have a strong background in math.


College Admissions Consulting Articles - One major can complement another

SAT or ACT? Try Both

Dear Mr. Bradshaw:—

I am confused about whether to take the SAT or the ACT. I have friends who have taken both tests and some say the ACT is easier.

I’m thinking about taking the Oct. 1 SAT, then taking it again Nov. 5. Under Score Choice, I believe I have the option to take it as many times as I wish and only report the highest scores.

I have read that most top colleges, like MIT or Princeton, favor the SAT, but most of my friends are planning to take only the ACT and do not seem to think it makes any difference. I’m only a sophomore, so I have plenty of time to decide. Can you help?

—High school sophomore


Dear Sophomore —

Planning ahead for college is one of the most important things you can do, and I applaud your early efforts.

Students who anticipate taking either the SAT or the ACT generally score better when they have prepared for the tests. Which test is best for you to take is another issue.

Both tests are accepted by most colleges and universities in the United States. The SAT is the most popular test if measured strictly by the numbers, but the ACT is not far behind, so it shouldn’t be ignored.

I always recommend that students take both tests and use the best scores on their college applications.

I contacted a former high school student who took both tests and had a perfect score on each: a 2,400 on the SAT and 36 on the ACT. I was eager to know how he would answer your question, since he was one of the top high school students in the country. He told me that most of his friends favored the ACT, because the test was based more on “innate ability” than “memorized tricks.”

This young man prepared 21/2 years for the SAT and only a week for the ACT. He said the SAT seemed more difficult, especially the critical reading section.

Regardless of the differences, the SAT definitely carries more of a prestige factor. Whether that is because it differentiates more (a total score of 2,400 vs. 36) or is more nationally recognized is an open question.

You are right that Score Choice lets you take the SAT as many times as you wish. You can be sure that students are preparing for the test like never before, given the fact they are allowed to report their best results from any given test date. Be careful not to confuse that to mean any combination of scores from different dates. The ACT has the same policy.

Also make sure that your high school does not report all your test scores on your transcripts, which will defeat the purpose of Score Choice.

Most highly ranked colleges recognize both tests, as do top state schools. On the other hand, some very good schools are dropping mandatory testing and going test optional. More than 800 colleges are test-optional institutions.

This is an avenue that students may want to explore if they do not test well, but have top grades and want to attend a top-tier college.


College Admissions Consulting Articles - SAT or ACT? Try Both

Immigrant to Harvard-bound in 8 years

Excited for a new life, anxious about the unknown, overwhelmed by how much busier and bigger everything seemed — Svilena Bochukova felt it all as a fourth-grader whose family was settling into their new American life after immigrating from Bulgaria.

She also remembers how badly her hand ached.

Three months later, she began fifth grade proficient in the formerly foreign language.

Svilena, an only child who lived with her parents on Chicago’s Northwest side for a few years before they moved to Des Plaines, didn’t speak a lick of English. So she spent that first summer copying 100 words a day at least 20 times apiece until they stuck.

And eight years later, the 18-year-old is preparing to move to Cambridge, Mass., to begin her freshman year at Harvard University.

“I honestly believe that if you’re willing to work hard, you can achieve anything,” Svilena said. “I saw how persevering and immersing myself in learning English resulted in progress, and that compels me to continually try to grow.”

Svilena recently graduated from Maine West High School, where her she assembled a resume that made her a shoo-in for the Ivy League.

In addition to scoring a perfect 36 on her ACT college entrance exam, Svilena was class salutatorian and won Maine Township High School District 207’s Best in Academic Excellence and Community Service award.

Then there’s the second- and third-place regional Math Team finishes, her DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) project that resulted in a donation of 3,000 cans of food to the local food pantry, as well as her involvement in track, cross country, yearbook, Amnesty International, Student Council, tutoring, election judging ... well, the list goes on and on.

“Svilena is an amazing young lady, both in and out of the classroom,” Maine West Principal Audrey Haugan said. “She is among the best I have ever met in my 26 years in education.

Even more extraordinary than her achievements, however, is her investment in each undertaking.

Svilena truly loves to learn. She welcomes new challenges that expose her limits so she can push past them. She wants to inspire and be inspired.

During a junior year physics lab, Svilena submitted corrections to improve her work despite already holding a 98 percent in the class. Classmates laughed, but Svilena doesn’t get why everyone wouldn’t take the same opportunity.

“It’s not about being obsessed with a grade,” she said. “It’s about seeking a deeper understanding in the concept.”

In some ways, Svilena feels she has no other choice than to wholly commit herself.

Though parents Stetoslav and Stela have never pressured her, Svilena knows they left a comfortable life in Bulgaria so she’d have more opportunities. Previously both educators, they now work as a construction worker and kindergarten teacher, respectively.

“That selflessness is inspiring to me, and I always have their sacrifice in the back of my head,” Svilena said. “I’ve met a lot of kids who don’t know how good they have it here, but I can’t afford to be that way.”

To spend more time with her parents before heading off to Harvard, she decided to stay in Des Plaines this summer waiting tables at a local country club instead of going back to Bulgaria as she always has.

Once Svilena gets to the 375-year-old university, she’ll consider majoring in government and statistics to prepare for a possible career with the World Bank. She wants to promote micro-financing in impoverished areas, provide financial assistance to refugees and empower immigrants to succeed.

She’s seen firsthand how international resources can lead to opportunities, and vividly remembers the expression on her parents’ faces after finally getting their green card following years of not getting picked in the visa lottery.

“My friends joke that I have a career of the week because I’ve changed my mind so much, but I know I don’t want to chase a profit, be famous or have a lot of power,” Svilena said. “I do want to see everything and do something to touch as many people as possible.”

• Elena Ferrarin and Kimberly Pohl are always looking for Suburban Standouts to profile. If you know of someone whose story just wows you, please send a note including name, town, email and phone contacts for you and the nominee to standouts@dailyherald.com.


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