Sit in a way that feels comfortable but still shows that you’re taking the situation seriously. Don’t cross your arms or adopt a posture that appears closed. Talking with your hands can seem friendly and enthusiastic, but don’t let it distract from whatever you’re saying.

Give your interviewer a strong handshake, and sustain eye contact during introductions. Remember your interviewer’s name, and don’t be afraid to use it over the course of the interview.

2) Dress professionally.

When it comes to dressing for an interview, it’s better to be too formal than too informal. You might want to choose your clothes ahead of time so it’s one less thing to think about on the day of your interview.

3) Practice ahead of time with a friend.

Think of the questions you may be asked, and ask a friend to put you on the spot. Your friend may come up with some good follow-up questions, depending on your answers.

4) Get feedback.

Ask your friend to tell you honestly how you come across. Your friend may notice things that are simple and easy to adjust, but important in creating a good impression.

5) Lock down your safety schools.

Come prepared to every interview with relevant information about the school to which you’re applying. The interview is a great opportunity to demonstrate sincere interest in a school that may consider you overqualified.

6) Leave a good last impression.

Shake hands with your interviewer and thank him or her when you leave. Be sure to address him or her by name when you say goodbye.

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

1) What’s the format of the test?

Find out what the questions will be like and how long you’ll have to complete the test. This will guide your studying, as you’ll know how detailed your answers should be.

2) How many days will I need to study?

Estimate how many hours you’ll need to study the material. Then decide how many hours you’d realistically be able to devote to studying each day. You may have to try studying some of it first, and see how it goes for you. Make a study plan, and stick to it.

3) How helpful are study groups to me? What about group study guides?

Your answer may depend on which subject you’re studying for. If you took detailed notes for your History class and did all the readings, it may not be worth your time to contribute to a group study guide that won’t give you much in return. Your time might be better spent reviewing your notes, which you can probably trust to be as comprehensive as the guide your classmates will churn out.

Ask yourself whether you study well in a group setting, or whether it ends up devolving into a social gathering with the odd study question being thrown out there now and then. If studying with others is helpful to you, maybe you need to find the right people – those who can focus, stay on subject, and make the most of the time you have.

4) Have I skipped any homework assignments or readings?

Best to cover these first, instead of remembering that you missed them at the last minute.

5) How will this test affect my grade in the class?

Knowing that a good test score could give your grade a significant boost will help motivate you to study. On the other hand, if you’re doing well in the class, you can reduce stress by seeing which range of grades will help you maintain your overall performance. It’s good to know how the test is weighted, and whether there will be other chances to prove yourself.

Top Test Prep can help you prepare for the next big test.

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

No matter what you’re reading, take the time to look up words you don’t know. Not only will this improve your vocabulary (it’s the best way to do so), but it will improve your reading experience. You’ll understand the text better without relying purely on context (or skipping over the phrase with the unfamiliar word).

2) Use a thesaurus.

How many ways can you say “aggressive”? “Belligerent,” “pugnacious,” “combative,” “bellicose” … you get the idea. Memorizing synonyms as a group will help you remember what each word means. For every standard vocabulary word, there are several synonyms that stand a chance of showing up on the test.

3) Read something challenging on a regular basis.

Consider getting a subscription to a respected magazine, something that will catch your interest and stimulate your vocabulary at the same time.

4) Buy SAT flash cards.

Standardized tests tend to recycle vocabulary. Having mastered 100 or more of the most common words on the exam will give you confidence when one or two of those words shows up on your test.

5) Complete practice exams under timed conditions.

Get accustomed to the amount of time you’ll have to complete the test. You’ll get faster, which will give you more time to focus on the tough questions. Study all the words you missed on the practice exams (see number four).

Get aggressive about studying! (But not too pugnacious.)

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

The Washington Post features an online group discussion on the topic. Apparently, I’m not the only student who’s proved susceptible to the touring experience.

But who’s to say that deciding this way is wrong? If a college clearly has a lot to offer any student who manages to meet its admissions criteria and be accepted, then what’s wrong with picking a place that just “feels” right? Most of us don’t choose a city in which to live according to the amenities or institutes based there. If the city wants us – if we’ve been offered a job there – and if it offers the advantages and excitement of any metropolis, then we’ll probably choose it based on “feel,” which may include the weather, the pace of life, and the people we bump into during a visit. If a studly urbanite happens to step into our subway car, well, we can’t help but be charmed and mark it down as a plus for the experience. Maybe intuition is something to be trusted when choosing a college. God knows we don’t get to practice it on the SAT.

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

When I was faced with describing my “greatest accomplishment” in a college admissions essay, I was at a total loss. In inviting such a description, the committee had managed to pinpoint my greatest shortcoming. I was exposed as the bland, provincial, un-special person that any college would thumb its nose at: I hadn’t accomplished anything. I lived in the suburbs, in Connecticut. I hadn’t overcome discrimination based on my gender, sexual orientation, or race. The most exotic locale I’d traveled to had been Nova Scotia, a cold, mosquito-ridden province on the coast of Canada.

The problem was that when I pictured a “great accomplishment,” I literally pictured a mountain – the mountain from the logo for Paramount Pictures, snow-capped and triangular – and imagined that a person with real accomplishments would have already climbed it. This accomplished individual would see the mountain as something conquered, a standing tribute to his or her talent and determination, not to mention the unique and fascinating circumstances into which he or she had been born. I couldn’t come up with a single thing I’d done that could possibly compare to that. We didn’t have snow-capped peaks in Connecticut. And if we did, I certainly hadn’t gotten around to scaling any. I did well enough in school – was that an accomplishment anyone wanted to hear about? Sometimes, when a friend came to me with a problem, I was able to offer comfort and advice. Over time, those moments had grown in number – but could I count them together as one big triumph? Whatever they had accomplished, it wasn’t something you could measure.

After reading the question, I immediately felt jealous of people who’d suffered terrible hardships. What had I done to deserve so much happiness, so much stability right up through age 17? Troubled by this response, I reverted to feeling annoyed with the admissions committee. What did they expect from me, really? I was 17 years old. Of course I hadn’t accomplished anything! And they wanted to hear about my “greatest” accomplishment, as if I had more than one!

The funny thing is, I can’t even remember what I wrote. Maybe that means my answer was as bland as I’d feared. Or maybe it goes to show that no one’s mind is swimming with remembered accomplishments. Most of us don’t have the image of a looming mountain to refer to when pressed, to pull out and present as evidence of our worth, our  unique status. The admissions committee wasn’t expecting a story about a mountain. I needed to dig. Accomplishments are subjective: what they really wanted to know was what I valued, and how I applied my time and energy to it. Whether I’d achieved my goal wasn’t as important as how I’d gone about it. A good essay wouldn’t depend on the accomplishment I chose to write about; it would depend on how well I communicated what it meant to me. My task was to make a genuine mountain out of a molehill, and to help the committee see it that way.

Top Test Prep offers admissions consulting and private tutoring to help students get into top private schools, colleges and graduate schools.

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

No matter who ends up grading your admissions essay, there are certain qualities of good writing that every reader can appreciate, and it never hurts to include these in every essay you write. The reality is that all people, including editors who evaluate writing for a living, will find boring writing to be just that – boring. Writing that engages the reader, either because it’s humorous, insightful, dramatic, or lyrical, is far more likely to produce a favorable response, which may lead to a higher score.

Here are some guidelines for writing admissions essays that even “people off the street” will appreciate:

1)     Give your admissions essay a title. A good one.

Imagine, as Mr. Farley points out, that your reader has a whole stack of essays to  pore over, and it’s getting to be that time of day when his or her energy plummets. Choose a title that will rescue your reader from his or her afternoon slump. Don’t choose a title until you’ve finished writing the essay – how else will you know what it’s really about? Here’s a hint for coming up with your title: pick a word or phrase in the essay that expresses something essential about your topic. Or just pick a good word or phrase. Make that the title. Fiction writers do this all the time, and it can end up sounding mysterious and professional. It’s pleasurable for the reader to come across that phrase in the text. Suddenly, your title makes sense!

2)     Grab the reader with an interesting first line.

This is your “hook”: your chance to capture the reader’s interest and compel him or her to continue. If your essay begins with an anecdote, deliver us right into the action: “I was poised at the starting line, waiting for the gun to go off,” or “Andy handed me the news article that would change my eating habits forever.” Aside from starting a story with a bang, a good first line can include a confident statement. Consider using strong language, and avoid watering it down with a phrase such as “I believe.

3)     Section your admissions essay into multiple paragraphs, and begin each paragraph with a strong transitional sentence.

This sentence marks a slight change of focus – hence the new paragraph – while linking what is about to be said to what has been said already. Transitions give your essay a sense of continuity and wholeness.

4)     Know your strengths, and play to them.

If you’re funny, be funny. Obviously, the topic itself is something you should take seriously, but the occasional humorous line can lighten your tone and greatly improve the experience for your reader. If you aren’t funny, then be insightful or observant. Bring out the drama in a situation that is inherently dramatic. Most importantly, be you – at your best – so that your writing shines through any reader’s fatigue. Maybe you’ll get lucky and land someone alert. In that case, he or she will appreciate what you’ve done even more.

5)     Practice, practice, practice. The best way to improve as a writer is to write, and other people’s input can take your admissions essay to the next level. Top Test Prep offers admissions essay critiques and editing.

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Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep.  She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

]]> http://toptestprep.com/blog/for-any-audience-writing-an-essay-with-mass-appeal/feed/ 0 http://toptestprep.com/blog/new-blogger/ http://toptestprep.com/blog/new-blogger/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:13:42 +0000 admin http://www.toptestprep.com/blog/?p=169

Hi, my name is Amary Wiggin, and I’m a new contributor to Top Test Prep’s blog. I graduated from Harvard College in June with a degree in English. A veteran of many standardized tests, I attended New Canaan Country School from 6-9 grade, and The Lawrenceville School from 10-12, graduating in 2005. Applying to boarding schools was my mini-introduction to the college admissions process.

In addition to writing for the blog, I am a tutor for Top Test Prep. This blog, along with the services Top Test Prep can offer you, is intended to help you prepare for the next big test – and let’s admit it, they never end – in your journey through school and beyond.

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