September 9th, 2023, Panelists: Srihari, Aditi, Pranuthi, and Yashi
Conducted by: VTSEVA Seattle
Picking a college and/or a Major has been one of the biggest challenges most youth face in high school. It is also one of the most stressful times with so many things on their minds such as college applications, college essays, lining up recommendations, following up with college counselors, college visits, and much more.
To demystify some of this and help our youth, VTSEVA Seattle recently conducted a seminar on the college application process. True to the spirit of our organization which is led by youth, the seminar was also led by four VTSEVA alumni who are now studying at the University of Washington. To represent a variety of experiences, we picked alumni who are at different stages of their Bachelors program to lead the seminar.
Our speakers at the seminar were: Pranuthi - a junior at UW pursuing dual majors in Business and Pre-med, Aditi and Srihari - both Sophomore in Computer Science, and Yashi - a freshman preparing for an Informatics program. All of them brought different perspectives to the seminar presentation on different topics such as personal essays as part of the application process, campus life at UW, what to look for when deciding on a specific college, how to deeply understand what your strengths are, and how to harness that to decide on your bachelor's program. Finally, our youth alumni also had a strong message to parents on how to guide but not impose on their kids' college journey.
The seminar was attended by around 30 kids and parents in person and a similar audience on a Zoom call. Here are some of the top questions that were addressed by our UW youth.
How to pick a college to attend if you have multiple options?
Factors to consider when choosing college: Tuition (in-state vs. out-of-state), Class size, Support for multidisciplinary studies (if doing double majors), Weather (this can take a toll if you are in the wrong city - consider the weather for fall/winter/spring), Urban or college town feel, match for your program, ease of joining clubs at the college, ease of re-applying to your majors if you don’t get it at time of admissions, Capped majors.
What to focus on in a personal essay?
Your essay should answer the question: What is my personal brand? You should focus on telling a story connecting what you have done to why that is important to you and how that contributed to who you are. You need to be authentic and it is always a good idea to connect the essay with the majors you plan to take - a subtle way is much better.
Limited focused activities vs. many activities
Spend time with one or two extra-curriculars that you are passionate about rather than spreading yourself thin with many activities. Colleges are looking for activities where you have gone beyond just the periphery and have either made a meaningful contribution or had significant learning.
Are internships required for admissions?
Depends. If you have an idea on your own, it is even more fulfilling and colleges love to see you execute on your own projects. For some, tying their projects with internships at startups is a great way to get exposure and refine their ideas. In some cases, college summer activities (like doing a summer camp at one of the UC schools) are as good as an internship as long as they align with your interests.
Has doing the Running Start program helped your application?
The Running Start program allows high school kids to take college-level courses at local community colleges in 11th and 12th grade. Community colleges offer a similar environment as universities (Canvas for example), a similar curriculum structure, many electives for kids to choose from and explore, and savings in college tuition as the state pays for the two years at community college through this program. Most universities view Running Start on similar lines as AP and IB.
How can parents support kids in the application process?
Give enough space for kids in the personal essay authoring process, try not to jam their schedules with too many activities, find one or two activities which they are passionate about and encourage kids to go deep on those, find colleges which offer the best match for the program your kids are interested in, and research talking to other parents, alumni, and college counselors (first choice might not be the right choice).
Resources
​Section | Links | Notes |
College Admissions (top 3 public universities) | UW has 3 campuses - Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. All have different applications. UW and WSU are the only ones offering Med School. | |
Running Start Resources | Take college courses in 11th and 12th grade from community colleges - Tuition is paid by state. Public colleges takes most of these credits towards College Bachelor Program. | |
Scholarships | External scholarships are a great way to save money in college. There are plenty of websites available which has the lists compiled based on your criteria / demographic. | |
Others | Although 100% is not accurate, this tool is great way to enter your students stats and see what colleges are target, reach, safety etc. Great way to build your college list. |