CNN has reported on a recent survey in which it seems a surprising sample of college students prove their “first choice” was just too expensive.

Over 270,000 students were surveyed for the annual UCLA Higher Education Research Institute poll. This perennial poll is a tool that’s been useful over the years for underscoring current collegiate tides and emerging trends. This newest current is fomented by the fact that college costs continue to rise faster than other costs in life:

“Average tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose more than 6 percent last year to $4,836, and prices are up 35 percent over the last five years…”

A few days ago, we noted the latest interest cuts accorded to big student loan providers in the realm of federal loans, all in the name of making college more affordable. A White House statement associated with the cuts called on colleges and universities to take their responsibility to heart for the unchecked tuition costs. These additional findings will, of course, continue to sharpen the criticism of college pricing.

Savvy Shoppers

Think you are the only one to be concerned about first-choice costs? Get this: nearly one third of the close to 50% who’d gotten into their first choice, ended up at a second, third or fourth choice due to cost issues.

“ The survey found 32.7 percent of freshmen were attending college somewhere besides their first choice — the highest percentage since 1988 and the second-highest ever.”

College students are among the newest savvy shoppers: many pick the top schools, and for the most part get accepted. And like smart shoppers, they opt for the deal at the store down the street, where the item is similar, but far more equitably priced. Is there simply a satisfaction in knowing you “made it” into your top pick?

Might the degree and overall experience at Number 2 or 3 be just as valuable as the one turned up at Number 1?

“Many students at second- or third-choice schools flourish, and eventually decide it was the best place all along.”

“Survey Says…”

Because the survey question about “first choice” was new this year, evidence of any trend is still to be collected. Guess we’ll wait patiently for UCLA’s future surveys before we have any conclusive trends taking shape.

Maybe we’ve become a nation very much at home negotiating and haggling for our big purchases, including cars and our flea market finds. Now, according to a recent New York Times article, “More Please,” by Eric Dash, more and more folks are of the idea that colleges are up for haggling as well. Business savvy negotiations are cleverly being pushed upon admissions counselors so applicants can position themselves to earn better scholarship and grants packages.

Negotiation Not Publicly Encouraged

While the process has been welcomed at a few universities, it remains distasteful and discouraged at most others, “at least publicly.” In fact, even consider bargaining for your college funding and you may just shut yourself out altogether. But while colleges and universities want to be perceived as subscribing to the ideal, there must be “someone out there…negotiating:”

“Most financial aid officials will reconsider your package, in what’s called a professional judgment review, if you have new financial information or expect unusual circumstances…”

Don’t be misled by this information. Even if you hear that others are able to muscle their way to a bigger purse of college aid. Still “only 2 percent” of colleges or universities actually budged when pitted against a competitor’s package.

Hearing May be the Only Way to a Negotiation

If you really think you want to give the process a try, experts suggest you try the hearing approach. Pursue the angle that you would prefer this institution to the other, but because of financial circumstances you will be forced to consider the other offer. “Then ask if the college would reconsider its offer.” Do not play The Godfather role. There is no documentation of a college that is receptive to those “who try and bully their way to more financial aid.” Right now any negotiation is played successfully only with finesse and very carefully worded appeals.

Go for Scholarships and Other Perks

In fact, according to some financial aid officers, schools are quite willing to rework the numbers for their merit scholarships, which are offered by almost every college and university. This may be your only “in” as far as negotiations. University of Virginia admissions officers regret the loss of “students last year to competing colleges that assured perks…” With that in mind you might begin to see some changes slowly, but surely creep into the college and university admissions process, making the process even more challenging and misunderstood.

Old School

During a recent Congressional hearing a number of education specialists testified to the general confusion the eight-page Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) spawns each academic year, reported the Des Moines Register in an article this morning, “College Aid a Long Form Away.” Not only this, but the entire federal approval process was designed over 30 years ago and the majority of the information the current form requires could ideally be accessed through various other online government agencies, that is if THEY were all on board with the internet age.

Almost every college-bound kid, along with their parent or guardian, needs to file a FAFSA, that’s if they want any form of government financial aid. Right now the government requires college financial aid offices to audit a certain percentage of the forms, by requesting random applicants attach copies of their tax and income forms. This, experts agree, gobbles up even more chunks of time that could be better spent.

Currently the confusion is so rampant and the document so “intimidating” that most student loan providers and college financial aid offices tutor and advise FAFSA applicants so forms are filled out correctly.

Slowly, but surely, progress is kicking in. According to the recent Summary of FAFSA Statistics posted by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, “[n]inety-four percent (over 8.5 million) of the filers submitted the FAFSA electronically.” This is a nine percent increase from 2005’s stats.

New School

One recommendation, from Laurie Wolf, Executive Dean of Student Services for Des Moines Community College, is to “simplify the process and speed it up by electronically linking FAFSA to databanks of other government agencies. For instance, income tax information could be linked to IRS information, while pertinent information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or criminal justice systems, also could be electronically sluiced into FAFSA.”

While we wait another millennium for this level of government integration, financial aid experts from colleges and student loan providers make FAFSA debunking part of their annual ritual, a costly way to pick up where governmental red tape leaves off.

Here’s the continuation of some tips to get into (and be happy in) graduate school. These tips may help you focus yourself during interviews and the admission process, or at least give you something to think about. As mentioned before, some of the tips are geared towards science-related fields (which is where I’m at) but most generalize to all types of study.

11. Good scientists (mathematicians, lit profs, etc) don’t always make good mentors.
When you read awesome papers or books, its easy to imagine this brilliant person as the perfect mentor. But its important to get a variety of opinions to find out if the person you want to work with is a good teacher, and good with people. Personalities are not always compatible, don’t let it interfere in getting your degree.

12. Don’t be afraid to get out if it isn’t working.
Trust your gut when visiting schools, as well as rotating in labs. If it doesn’t keep your interest and excite you, you will get bored with the research quickly and dread going to lab. You don’t want to waste your time and the time of others pursuing something (or some project) you don’t really love.

13. Stand up for yourself, and keep at it.
Someone, someday will challenge your scientific ideas. You’re smart, defend your theories! Very little in science is concrete, and there are many camps of respected thought on the same issues. During interviews, essays, or even casual conversations, don’t back down just because a more respected scientists doesn’t agree. You might even change their mind.

14. Share most of your ideas, but keep a few to yourself.
Its always hard to know how many of your ideas to share, and how many to keep secret in interviews. As you go on the road to interview, or describe the kind of research you wish to do in essays, be frank and creative about your theories without going specifically into methods. On the other hand, if you’ve got a HOT idea, all the labs you talk to may be future competitors if you don’t attend the school. Therefore, keep sensitive information quiet. You can always tell the admissions committee rather than the scientist about it.

15. Apply for NRSAs or other outside funding.
You can apply for these before you enter graduate school. Its a bear, but does relay your commitment to getting funded.

16. Be curious.
You can never ask too many questions or be too curious about the program and its students. Ask for as much information as possible so you can make a good informed decision.

17. Know some science lineage.
This only matters if you are interviewing with a “big name” or the scientific descendant of one. Scientists “pass the torch” to their pre- and post-docs. Therefore if you know someone along their lineage, either really or by proxy, its a good rallying point.

18. Know who won the Nobels that year, in your field.
This seems to be something that science interviews often hit on to a) see if you pay attention, b) keep the conversation rolling. Don’t run out and read all the papers, but its a good tidbit to know who, what, and why–generally.

19. Email the students in the program, and in the lab.
Trust me, this is how to get the scoop on any future mentor. Also, if the students are unhappy, it will be evident.

20. Find out where/what students from that program are doing now.
Are they all in Big Pharma? All in academia? Straight to tenure or high school teachers? It matters, as it dictates the value of your future degree.

21. No second-choices. Nothing but science will do.
If the committee gets wind that you’re also applying to med school, law school, and pharmacy school, they might not take you seriously. It might seem like science is your backup plan, and offer the position to someone else.

22. Be professional, talk shop, ask what projects their students are doing.
When in doubt (or to recover from a blunder or fill a lull), a sure winner is to ask what projects the lab is working on or talk about the most recent paper they published. You read it right? You understand the concept, well, use this opportunity to comment as to what the next step might be.

Hopefully these tips may help in the interview and admissions process. Got more tips? Leave them in the comments!

Its that time again: grad school application and interview time! A common question I am asked is what is the “trick” to getting into a good graduate program (for the sciences). The trick is that there is no trick, but there are a few preparatory steps that *do* make all the difference in the application process. And no, it isn’t all about GPA. Cause I didn’t even have one. The first ten in this post, the next ten will follow. Most of these suggestions are universal, but a few will be specially geared towards science-related fields, which is where my experience lies.

1. Spend your spare time doing research.
This one should be a no-brainer, so to speak. If you want a career in research, you need to show your commitment early on. Also, as tough as it might be, many research positions are not paid. You gotta just suck it up and frame it like you’re getting valuable experience and research tools (which you are), which will be worth far more than minimum wage in the long run. Also, participate in a few different labs in diverse fields. This will give you the breadth of experience to help you decide what field you will fit into best.

2. Cultivate awesome letters of recommendation.
Admissions committees have told me that these letters are given tremendous weight in the selection process. So you should only ask someone to write you a letter you know will be stellar. This is sometimes difficult in a large school, to have someone know you at a personal level. But take the time to stay after class, email the prof, whatever it takes to get face time. It’s essential.

3. Take the relevant classes, but have a few other interests too.
Show your interest and build the background, but be a well-rounded person. Play an instrument. Write. Volunteer. Whatever does it for you.

4. Have a reason why you want to do research.
The most common question I was asked in interviews was why I wanted to do research, and in what areas I was most interested. Have good answers to these questions that sound smart, sincere, and not trite.

5. Read the literature, know the basics, and a few tough surprising facts.
Everyone you talk to in interviews knows who Albert Einstein is, but do they know about (insert your favorite academic here)? Make them realize why YOUR favorite is cool, and why it excites you. They’ll respect you for being nerdy, I promise.

6. Know your interviewers, and their research or interests.
When you find out who you are interviewing with, read a couple of their papers. If they have a big paper in Science or Nature, read it! You will be stuck in a room for an hour with this person, so you might as well have something to talk about other than you. They will be flattered and impressed you took the time and effort.

7. Shell out the money for a GRE tutor if you are a nervous test-taker.
GRE General (and subject when required) are given a lot of weight as well, especially if you don’t have a GPA. Therefore, if you are a bad test-taker, get a tutor and take lots of practice tests. There are some good cheap ones on CD-ROMS now.

8. Apply to schools based on labs (or mentors), not the US News and World Report Rankings.
When you graduate, you graduate from the lab more than from the school. So you may be in Harvard, but if your lab sucks you’ll still have problems landing a postdoc. Also, US News and World Report is subjective and biased. Take in the whole picture. Prestige is over-rated and, I believe, unimportant. Sniff out the great labs that are doing great science, and it will serve you better.

9. Email professors you are interested in working with.
It is vital to make contact as soon as possible. If the professor likes you and wants to work with you, a way will be found to get you into the program. This is also important in finding out if there is space and money for you.

10. Follow the funding.
Many students come to a school only to find out that all the labs they want to work in are academically broke. Your mentor must support you (at least for a few years in most cases), and this is not cheap. With the current funding situation, this is more of an issue. You may be the best student to come along in years, but money talks and bullshit walks.

Working Globalization Into the Classroom

If you’re thinking of applying to Yale’s prestigious MBA program, make sure you have your passport in order, as they are the first major university requiring MBAs to spend some time studying abroad. While some may be discouraged from attending Yale if, for example, they disliked traveling, the move is further recognition that American business students need to be well-versed in global economics to remain competitive. The new requirements will send Yale MBAs to one of eight destinations around the world—including Costa Rica, Singapore, and Tanzania—and will meet with business leaders in those countries. One of the goals of the new program is to view first-hand how local challenges impact business. For example, the MBA group traveling to Africa will meet with community leaders and health professionals to understand how the AIDS epidemic has affected the work force and economy.

Other Universities To Follow Yale’s Lead

MBA programs in America haves been criticized lately for failing to teach useful, marketable skills—specifically, that the curriculum has lagged behind the changes in the market. Yale’s new requirements are an attempt to adjust for those changes in globalization, and other universities are likely to follow suit. Stanford is also announcing plans to emphasize business skills in a global marketplace.

How are new Yale MBAs responding? One said:

“You can read a lot in books,” Paul Ip said. “It’s definitely more instructive to be there in person to see what’s going on.”

Another responded:

“The approach is so much more practical,” said Hannah Grannemann, an MBA and drama student who is heading to Japan next month. “Nobody makes decisions in isolation. I’m learning a huge amount.”

My two cents is this: as a student who has traveled a fair bit in Europe and Asia, I’ve learned more about the world, cultures, language, and just human nature than I ever could have in a classroom. Not to say that I don’t value reading and classwork- I do, and it has its place. But knowledge and imagination should be there to open the doors for actual experience, which a study abroad program is.

My home state of Michigan recently voted to approve a proposal (“Proposal 2”), which would ban the use of information related to race and gender when making admissions decisions in the state’s universities. As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, this decision has hit my school particularly hard, as UM has been a very outspoken proponent of affirmative action. The approval of Proposal 2 in Michigan (and other similar proposals around the nation) shouldn’t negate the quest for diversity on campus. They’ll just have to be a bit more creative when it comes to “how.” However, it might be an quandary as to how to do it without violating the voters’ mandate.

How to Reconcile Voter’s Wishes With Diversity?

As mentioned the The Oakland Press today:

“[University of Michigan President] Coleman has been excoriated lately for her proposal to form a task force to explore how the university can “maintain and enhance” diversity there in the wake of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative’s adoption by voters Nov. 7.
Coleman has not said she would violate the language of Proposal 2, which takes effect this month. She has said she would like the university to maintain diversity where possible, but how has not yet been determined.
In fact, the Diversity Blueprints task force will brainstorm how to maintain diversity on campus, Coleman has said, within the new ramifications of Proposal 2. She has not said she would spend taxpayers’ dollars to combat the effects of the proposal, and if the task force is a group of volunteers meeting on its own time, she presumably will not. She has indicated that the university may need to seek clarification from courts about Proposal 2’s effect on the school’s operations.”

President Coleman will be one of the first to address the question of how to maintain a commitment to enrolling a representative slice of Michigan, while not explicitly taking race or gender into account. But, the question remains whether it is correct for the University of Michigan to attempt to circumvent the “spirit” of Proposal 2 by not explicitly violating “its language.” One of the issues here is that the town of Ann Arbor (where the University of Michigan is located) is fundamentally different in political views and demographics than the rest of Michigan. So while the university town’s populace may support Coleman’s decision, the University of Michigan is supported by taxpayer dollars from the whole state.

Taking the Battle to Court
The next step here is going to be a lawsuit. The University of Michigan is fighting Proposal 2 in court, which President Coleman announced right after it was approved. The immediate concern seems to delay the implementation of the proposal, which would severly impact the University’s admissions decisions in the middle of the year. The radical affirmative action group BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) beat UM to the punch in court. They filed a lawsuit to try to block Proposal 2, but the potential outcome of such a lawsuit is uncertain. At best, they may expect a delay of the implementation until the end of the academic year. Another issue at hand is that the current Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, a newly elected Republican, has fought UM’s attempts to use affirmative action policies in the past. As any legal action brought by UM would automatically name the State of Michigan (represented by Cox) as a defendant, it is unlikely he would concede to help UM.

The Collapse of Minority Enrollment
Other schools who’s admissions policies have been banned from using affirmative action have had devastating results, as noted by President Coleman.

“She [Coleman] said the University of Michigan cannot allow itself to experience the same fate as the University of California at Berkley, where minority enrollment collapsed after California voters banned affirmative action programs 10 years ago.”

Perhaps the value of affirmative action will only be recognized after minority enrollment has plummeted, however hopefully it won’t come to that.

Financial Future of High School Drop-Outs is Dismal

There’s no denying that high schools are faced with a serious dilemma when it comes to Latino students: keeping them there. This is not good news for the career success of millions of Latino American students. According to a report released by the US Census Bureau, students who drop out of high school face much lower incomes than students who have finished high school. Previously on this blog, we covered the issue of how college degree-holders earn 68% more than high school graduates who didn’t attend college. This is due to rising competition for high-earning jobs and a higher value being placed on education by most employers. But, the future is much more dismal for those who never even completed high school at all.

“In 2004, high school dropouts earned an average annual income of $19,169. College graduates earned an average of $51,554. Those with graduate degrees had an average salary of $78,093. Lower wages mean less money paid in payroll taxes, and a greater strain on safety nets such as Medicare and Social Security.”

Is Hard Work Enough?

Unfortunately, Latino students have a very high drop-out rate (50%). This is line with a national trend where drop-out rates are increasing for all students, with the average being around 30%. Its not limited to rural or urban or one particular ethnicity or social group, however Latinos seemed to be hit particularly hard according to Ruben Navarrette Jr., a columnist at the San Diego Union-Tribune. He believes that “while [Latino parents] value education for their children, they don’t always value it for themselves. Many Latinos have decided that the way to get ahead is through hard work, and that is where they focus their passion.”

While hard work certainly goes a long way in securing success, in today’s information-based society, the competition is far too steep to rely on that instead of a solid education. Yet, the behavior of one’s parents has a huge impact on what paths children choose. People naturally follow the examples of those in authority, of who they admire, which may go a long way towards explaining why a child’s future income and education level can be correlated with that of their parents.

Innovative Radio Documentary Sheds Light on the Problem

A recent documentary released this year helps illuminate some possible causes and repercussions of the high drop-out rate for Latino students. The radio documentary, called “Aprendemos juntos” which means “We learn together,” was produced by a Hispanic advocacy group called Hacer. The director of Hacer, Claudia Fuentes, noticed that several Minnesota towns she visited had a vibrant Hispanic presence, yet were plagued by high drop-out rates in the community. This was especially the case in the town of Long Prairie, where not a single Latino student had ever graduated from high school despite the overall graduation rate being at about 97%!

So, she and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota (Jason Ruiz) decided to document the story through interviews with all 30 of the Latino students at Long Prairie High School. They came to focus on 5 students’ stories that were particularly compelling, with the resulting documentary revealing a much greater understanding as to the “inhospitable school atmosphere” that kept the dropout rate high. Go check out the radio documentary here.

In a move that may affect the lives and education of millions of Americans, The Washington Times reported today that the US Supreme Court will examine whether race can be used in school admissions decisions. More specifically, they will determine whether the Constitution’s promise of equality implicitly allows for affirmative action in admissions. And the court’s decision may depend on the newest member of the court—Justice Samuel Alito, Jr.—to provide a tiebreaker vote. It has been more than 50 years since the US Supreme Court first outlawed segregation in public schools, but the cases to be argued Monday will address questions left unanswered by Brown vs. Board of Education: Now that official segregation has ended, why have racial divides in education persisted? And what should the US government’s role be?

America Has Mixed Feelings About Affirmative Action

Civil activists are pitted against an administration that is decidedly against using racial ‘quotas’ in the admissions process. Most of America is divided over this issue. One the one hand, most people agree that a diverse nation should be reflected in a diverse education. However, one of the core principles of the American dream is “the best person for the job.” It will be a difficult task for the Supreme Court to reconcile these two ideals.

“The new [affirmative action] cases “put on the table, in a very clear way, the question of how far society, how far government, should go in terms of trying to promote diversity in education in America,” said Ellis Cose, the author of a study on affirmative action.
“The core issue of whether the government should be in the business of helping to promote diversity in some way in education is at the heart of all these cases,” he said.
The Bush administration is siding with parents against the school districts, arguing the policies are an unconstitutional, albeit well-meaning, “racial balancing” without a compelling justification.
“A well-intentioned quota is still a quota,” the administration said in a brief submitted on the Kentucky case.
Civil rights advocates said a ruling that bars schools from taking race into account would deal a devastating blow to the promotion of diversity in schools.”

The Stakes Are High

A lot is riding on the results of these cases. If the highest court in America issues a decree as to the unconstitutionality of quotas, a fundamental change would occur in admissions decisions that would not longer be able to weigh the issue of race in attempting to promote diversity on campus. Traditionally, “race-neutral” admissions often end up segregating schools and lowering the percentages of minorities in higher education. Currently, about 400 of America’s 15,000 school districts “are under court orders to de-segregate.” However, the Leadership on Civil Rights points out that if race could no longer be considered in admissions, it may be impossible for schools to de-segregate as they had been formerly ordered to do.

How Segregated Are Modern Schools, Really?

The Civil Rights Project at Harvard released a report in 2003 which described the lingering presence of “racial separation” in public schools, despite segregation being knocked down long ago. They reported that while whites comprised 58% of America’s public school enrollment, the average white student attended a school that was almost 80% white. The same held true for black students: they comprise 17% of all enrollment, but the average black student attended a school that was 58% black. However, it is difficult to achieve diversity in education when even the government isn’t so sure it’s the best thing for the students. Just last week the US Commission on Civil Rights, appointed by President Bush, said that they saw “little evidence that racial and ethnic diversity in elementary and secondary schools results in significant improvements in academic performance.”

The US Supreme Court vs. Bush

There is some reason to hope that the Supreme Court will defy the Bush Administration’s wishes and support racial quotas in school admissions. Three years ago the court decided 5-4 that that an applicant’s race was one of several criteria a public university could consider in admissions, so perhaps they will apply the same logic to elementary and secondary schools. However, one of the key pro-affirmative action judges, Sandra Day O’Connor, has been replaced with a more conservative justice, Justice Alito. Alito has been quoted as saying he’s particularly proud of his work against, “racial and ethic quotas.” The ruling should be decided by June (yes, these court decisions really DO take that long!), so stay tuned.

Who could have ever guessed that getting good grades could be a bad thing? Well, actually, it isn’t—the problem is that so many students are getting excellent grades, college admission boards are having trouble using them as a “measuring stick for applicants.” The recent trend is called grade inflation, which refers to the gradually rising GPAs nationwide. The graph below shows the rise in GPA over time in a representative set of public and private universities (from www.gradeinflation.com).

What is causing it? A valid question to ask is whether teachers and schools have relaxed their standards (and awarding undeserved high marks), or if high school students are really improving academically. But, the bottom line is that students applying to college may have to revise their strategy to make sure they stand out in the applicant pool.

The End of Traditional Academics

This is just another nail in the coffin of what you might call “traditional academics,” where getting into college used to be as easy as getting good grades. Now colleges seek well-rounded applicants who, in addition to academic excellence, exhibit other qualities such as community involvement, special talents, volunteer work, and extra-curricular activities. More and more, colleges are phrasing admissions decisions as “What can this student bring to the learning environment?” rather than just “Can he or she learn and perform well on tests?” Often the admissions essays are an opportunity for applicants to shine, and to show all the facets of their personality. While a well-written essay has always been of value, as traditional measures like grades mean less to admissions committees, essays will be weighed more heavily in decisions. This also holds true for letters of recommendation. Admissions committees facing tough choices may turn to what was said by other educators to “make or break” the decision. Standardized test scores, such as the SAT and ACT, might also assume more weight, so prepping for these tests is essential.

Why Might Grade Inflation Be Occurring?

Many high schools, including the one I attended, awarded extra GPA points for Advanced Placement (AP) courses. As AP classes have become more prevalent, and more students are taking them, GPAs on average will rise.

“Extra credit for AP courses, parental lobbying and genuine hard work by the most competitive students have combined to shatter any semblance of a Bell curve, one in which ‘A’s are reserved only for the very best. For example, of the 47,317 applications the University of California, Los Angeles, received for this fall’s freshman class, nearly 21,000 had GPAs of 4.0 or above.”

Honestly, I believe that grade inflation is also the result of:

1) Parents and students realizing the immense competition for college, and investing more time in studying and more money in tutors,

and

2) Teachers and high school officials being put under pressure not only to help students be competitive for college, but to make the grade for federal incentives (e.g. No Child Left Behind).

One way to tell if students deserve the inflated grades is to compare academic grades with objective test scores. Teachers are rarely 100% objective, as they work with the students on a daily basis. Standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, on the other hand, are purely objective tests of the student’s comprehension. Although test scores have also increased over time, GPAs have risen higher and at a much faster rate than standardized test scores. This suggests that the inflation is not merely due to an increase in academic excellence.

The Bottom Line?

Having good grades should only be part of your strategy, but an all A’s record will always be an asset. It is important to cultivate interests, talents, and hobbies outside of school to provide colleges with a well-rounded applicant with a unique personality, confidence, and drive to succeed. Also, make sure the people you have write your letters of recommendation will only have the most glowing things to say about you. Finally, take many practice tests for the SAT or ACT, which have been proven to improve your final score. All these things together, and presented well in an application, will make you stand out among the tough competition.