Amherst College updated information on CommonApp

Early Decision - 11/15/2014
Regular Decision - 01/01/2015

In addition to the essay you are writing as part of the Common Application, Amherst requires a supplementary writing sample from all applicants. To satisfy Amherst’s supplementary writing requirement, you may choose either Option A or Option B. 

Option A:
Please respond to one of the following quotations in an essay of not more than 300 words. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.
Prompt 2: “Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He’s the happiest man on earth when he’s performing, but when the show is over, he’s sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future. Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name.” 
Ilán Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College. From “The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilán Stavans” by Saideh Pakravan for the Fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review.
Prompt 3: “It seems to me incumbent upon this and other schools’ graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest...unless the graduates of this college…are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion... then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible.” 
John F. Kennedy, at the ground breaking for the Amherst College Frost Library, October 26, 1963

Prompt 4: “Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior.” 
Elizabeth Aries, Professor of Psychology, Amherst College. From her book Men and Women in Interaction, Reconsidering the Difference.

Prompt 5: “Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted.” 
Attributed to William Hastie, Amherst Class of 1925, the first African-American to serve as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals.

Option B:
Please submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. 

After reading the above descriptions of Option A and Option B, please indicate which writing option you are selecting. 

Optional Research Questions

If you have engaged in significant research in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences or humanities that was undertaken independently of your high school curriculum, please provide a brief description of the research project:
(50-75 words)

Where, when and under whose mentor ship did you conduct this research? (Provide mentor’s name, title and institutional affiliation.)
If your research has been submitted to any national competition (e.g., Siemens, Intel) and/or accepted for professional publication, please provide additional details:

University of California application essay prompts and filing period details

University of California application opened on 1 August for applicants for fall 2015

Application submission period for applicants for fall 2015 is November 1-30

The two essay prompts remain unchanged this year.

1. Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

2. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Directions: Responses to your two prompts must be a maximum of 1,000 words total.
Allocate the word count as you wish. If you choose to respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest your shorter answer be no less than 250 words.

Boston College supplementary essay topics have changed this year

Boston College updated information on the CommonApp. It's  Early Action Deadline is 11/01/2014

We would like to get a better sense of you. Please select one of the questions below and write an essay of 400 words or less providing your response.

1. What contemporary issue or trend relating to politics, culture, and society, or foreign policy particularly concerns you and why?

2. Many human beings throughout history have found inspiration and joy in literature and works of art. Is there a book, play, poem, movie, painting, music selection, or photograph that has been especially meaningful to you?

3. Contemporary higher education reflects a tension between preparing for a meaningful life and preparing for a career. What are you looking for in your undergraduate education? Which emphasis is more important to you at this time and why?

4. “Magis,” a Latin word meaning \"more,\" is often cited in reference to goals of Jesuit education, which seeks to help students become better, do more, and have as much impact on society as possible. How do you hope to achieve the Magis in your life?

University of Michigan EA deadline and supplement essay prompts

University of Michigan updated information on the CommonApp. It's  Early Action Deadline is 11/01/2014

The writing supplement has the following prompts:

If you could only do one of the activities you have listed in the Activities section of your Common Application, which one would you keep doing? Why? (Required for all applicants. Approximately 100 words)

Essay #1  (Required for all applicants. Approximately 250 words)
Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

Essay #2 (Required for all applicants. 500 words maximum)
Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests?

Georgia Institute of Technology EA deadline and essay questions

Georgia Tech updated information on the CommonApp. It's  Early Action Deadline is 10/21/2014

The writing supplement has the following prompts (maximum length 150 words each):

1. Beyond rankings, location, and athletics, why are you interested in attending Georgia Tech?

2. Georgia Tech's motto is: "Progress and Service." What does that mean to you? 

In a video interview Pranav Vishnu (University of Pennsylvania ´17) talks about his college application experience

Video Interview with Anant Agarwal (Masters in Management, Warwick University ´14)

Video Interview with Neeti Banerji (RISD ´17)

Visit to US Colleges: Part 5 - Santa Clara University

Visit to Santa Clara University, El Camino, Santa Clara

SCU is very similar in size, Jesuit ideology etc to LMU. It is located over an hour from SFO City and is in the suburbs of SF but very much in the heart of Silicon Valley. The look and feel of the campus was a little dull compared to LMU – probably mainly because of the orange county type architecture, identical buildings. It is also likely that it was a Friday afternoon and fewer students were around. It’s a pretty campus but a bit boring and did not seem as much fun for some reason. The areas surrounding the campus also did not seem to have much other than California style mall areas.

The main advantage over LMU is the proximity to Silicon Valley, many reputed tech companies like Google, Facebook, Intel, HP etc and several start ups. This would be a huge advantage if you plan to seek internships either in tech field or linking tech/ IT with law or cyber law. Also, overall SFO as a city is extremely classy, with a lot happening and very multicultural and diverse. The distance from campus is a factor and you won´t end up going there too often.

In terms of class size and relationship with professors it is almost identical to LMU and has the same advantages.

Soccer seemed to be an important sport.

Between LMU and SCU both would be similar – choice between the two is difficult and would have to be based on location and proximity to different types of cities and cultures.

Pros: proximity to silicon valley and if interest in tech sector jobs, then many options for internships; Jesuit ideology focuses on all round development of individual; mid size campus/ perfect numbers; SFO is really a beautiful city and anyone would love it.

Cons: may not be a name that is known in Indian job market as it is a regional university; campus not as fancy as LMU, bit dull and older; over an hour from city.

Visit to US Colleges: Part 4 - Loyola Marymount University

Visit to Loyola Marymount University, LA,

LMU is located in downtown LA very close to the Marina del Ray and 5-7 minutes from LAX airport. It is a gated campus of a decent size with approx. 8,500 students. I went for a 1.5 hour campus visit and tour of residence halls followed by a one hour info session.  Overall, I was struck by the ‘happiness quotient’ on campus and the bright sunshine, relaxed California culture and fun spirit on campus. Kids seemed truly happy! Some kids were on skateboards going for classes, cycles, etc. The infrastructure was also incredibly modern with very highly state of the art building designs, especially the college of liberal arts, library, cafeteria etc. The university is around 10 minutes from downtown and students felt that there was a lot to do and places to go to around LMU.

The class size seems to be 13:1 and only in few instances introductory courses that are very popular are upto 50 students. Students seemed to have a close rapport with professors and the college size seemed perfect. School of liberal arts had a lot of options including possibility of doing pre-law courses from LMUs Law School (separate campus). Several alumni are lawyers and possibility of internships maybe there. LMU is also well known for communications and media due to its proximity to Hollywood. It seems reasonably strong academically with a good balance of seriousness and fun. The Jesuit ideology was not overpowering and yet it ensures a value-based education with emphasis on developing a holistic individual who can play a larger role in society. It is high quality education but my sense is that it may not be as competitive as some of the other colleges.

LMU is a division I athletic level and options to play soccer would range from serious varsity team to club soccer to the informal inter mural games.

Residence halls looked cheerful and in senior years some buildings are overlooking the ocean.

I got an overall sense of cheer on campus and felt that this could be a great fit culturally and academically. The midsize in terms of number of students, small class size and teacher-student ratio, strong law and liberal arts curriculum, Jesuit focus on community and values, the weather, proximity to a large city  – seemed to be a good combination.

Pros: very cheerful campus, modern infrastructure, surrounded by marina and beach and downtown LA; Jesuit ideology focuses on all round development of individual; good law school and strong alumni to support with internships; midsize campus/ perfect numbers.

Cons: may not be a name that is known in Indian job market as it is a regional university