Getting accepted into top universities is extremely competitive. With admission rates of 5.4% at Harvard University, 4.8% at Stanford and 3% at NUS of Singapore, your natural chances of getting into them is very low. However, there are ways you can do to improve your chances of getting into one of them. Here are the 8 insider tips which you can do to enhance your chances:
- You have higher chances if you apply to top universities outside your country. For examples, the chances of a foreigner to get into Harvard are higher than American citizens with similar academic credentials. Top universities highly value diversity and they want their student body be represented by students from many different countries. INSEAD, currently ranked number one MBA program in the world, has students from 93 countries. Read this recent article from Harvard University.
- You must have a passionate story on why you want to get into the university you are applying to. Here you can express your genuine interest in the university and the subject you like to pursue. This is where you can show your unique self.
- Select the right people to write and send your recommendation letters. You should carefully select people in good standing who sincerely value you and want to help you. It will really help if that person is an alumnus of the university you are applying to.
- Learn and practice the art of making presentations or answering questions during interviews.
- Obtain high GPA from your previous school or college. It will be even better if you take courses that are of great substance such as higher level math and higher level English.
- Achieve high scores on your aptitude tests such as TOEFL, SAT, GRE or GMAT. Taking prep courses will improve your test scores. You can repeat taking the tests until you are satisfied with your scores.
- You should involve in extra-curricular activities or work as a volunteer during school years. Some students even work as volunteers for one year right after high school before applying to universities.
- You can engage a coach who specializes in university admission. There are now many admissions coaches who specialize in helping students to get into top universities.
Jamin Djuang
5 April 2017
