This article has been reviewed and approved by the MFS College Counselors. They encourage students to examine the “College Counseling” resource page on myMFS or talk to them if you have any questions.
The Valley Library, Oregon State University. Photo by Porter Raab onUnsplash. This photo is free to use under the Unsplash license.
According to the Moorestown Friends School Profile, 98-100% of MFS seniors graduate and enroll in a 4-year college or university. Students go through the complicated college application process, which considers many determining factors, including standardized testing scores, academic rigor, extracurriculars, and essays. Navigating this complicated process with various pathways to success can be difficult, but MFS WordsWorth gathered tips and tricks from the members of the Class of ’23 for deciphering the college admission process.
Seniors We Interviewed
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Emma Vernick ’23 -
Julianna Banfe ’23 -
Sulayman Hussain ’23 -
Aidan Short ’23 -
Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon ’23 -
Shay O’Connor ’23 -
Jayden Lewis ’23 -
Daniel Sorokin ’23 -
Sreehita Hajeebu ’23 -
Bella Dawson ’23
Standardized Testing
Over 1,830 colleges are test-optional for 2023 admission (Higher Ed Dive), meaning that applicants are not required to submit their standardized testing scores to certain schools. According to Best Colleges, all 8 Ivy League universities are maintaining their test-optional policies for entry for the fall of 2023. Although standardized testing is not a requirement to put on the college application, it’s worth taking the SAT or ACT tests as they can significantly benefit your application to show your strengths in testing skills, study habits, and readiness for college. These scores compare you to the rest of the country rather than a GPA that compares you to the rest of your school, putting your academic record into more perspective. Your GPA is also subjective to your school’s curriculum, ability to offer advanced courses, and quality of teachers, while the SAT or ACT tests every student with the same difficulty and format.
Out of the 26 seniors who responded to a survey, 61% of seniors submitted their standardized testing scores to colleges. Graphic by Livia Kam ’26.
Out of the 26 seniors who responded to a survey, 61% of seniors submitted their standardized testing scores to colleges. Graphic by Livia Kam ’26.
While comparing this statistic to the U.S., 46% of respondents in a Forbes survey have submitted their standardized scores to all colleges, regardless if it was required or not. 22% of respondents did not submit scores to any colleges.
SAT or ACT?
Colleges do not have a preference for whether you take the SAT or ACT, according to OnToCollege. But there are some benefits to taking both the SAT and ACT, such as opportunities for merit scholarships and more test date options. Many applicants applying to top universities decide to submit both of their scores to offer more information, but either way, colleges don’t discriminate against applicants based on which test they take, based on The Princeton Review.
According to ShoreLight, one major difference between the SAT and ACT is that the ACT has a Science section, as well as the standard English, Math, and Reading sections (with an optional essay), while the SAT has a Reading, Writing, and Language section (also with an optional essay). It is important to note that the optional essay on both tests may be required to submit for certain universities.
As for grading, the ACT is scored out of 36 while the highest SAT score you can receive is 1600. The costs are also around the same for domestic students without the optional essay fee: ($63 for ACT, and $60 for SAT).
The timing was the main reason why senior Sreehita Hajeebu ’23 chose to take the SAT over the ACT: “The SAT gave me more time to recheck my answers compared to the ACT, which is faster paced.” While both tests have around the same test duration (2 hours and 55 minutes for the ACT and 3 hours for the SAT), the ACT has longer passages and more questions with less time compared to the SAT with less time, specifically in the Math, Writing, and Science sections.
Studying for the SAT or ACT
To study for the SAT or ACT, Daniel Sorokin ’23 and Hajeebu recommended studying the summer of rising junior year because “it’s before you’re bombarded with school homework and right before you take [the test] in August or in the fall,” said Sorokin. Many students choose to enter an SAT or ACT prep school or sign up for a tutor, but Hajeebu and Sorokin attested that it is possible to self-study for the test as long as you can keep yourself committed and consistent.
They used resources such as Khan Academy, r/SAT (via Reddit), “The Official SAT Study Guide” by CollegeBoard, and various past SAT tests. Repetition, consistency, and discipline are the biggest tips committed seniors have for self-studying the SAT or ACT.
But that is just one method to study for the big test; enrolling in a prep course or tutoring program is another way students learn. It all depends on the person and their studying habits.
Choosing between the SAT and ACT has its own benefits and drawbacks, but it is situational to which university you are applying to and the major you’re interested in. The ACT can show your strengths in STEM while the SAT can show your skill in liberal studies.
Summers
Summer is a time for exploration and relaxation! Whether it be through traveling, performing acts of service, or going to a summer camp, there are many opportunities to pursue your passions.
Some of the activities seniors chose to participate in during the summer include:
Pre-college Programs
Many students choose to go to a pre-college program or a summer camp offered by a university to enhance their curiosity about a particular subject by taking a college-level course, but it’s important to understand the type of program you’re applying to. “Look at the school that you’re [where] doing the pre-college program because … some are just for the school to make money over the summer and others are really going to benefit you and your application,” mentioned Rodwell-Simon.
Programs with a low acceptance rate are usually cheaper than programs with a high acceptance rate. Some expensive programs such as the Harvard, Brown, and UPenn pre-college programs seem prestigious, but in reality, they’re relatively easy to get accepted into and the quality of the curriculums, arguably, is worse than a pre-college program with a low acceptance rate (Admission Sight). Bear in mind, you may want to take a course at an expensive program to experience the lifestyle and campus of that particular school, study with a certain instructor, or utilize opportunities that a particular school offers. Either or, your value in a particular summer program will be measured by what you experience and learn, not by the admissions process itself.
Jobs
Working during the summer is valuable as it teaches life skills such as managing money, communication, and commitment, all while earning a wage. You also gain the experience of employment, generating a sense of responsibility as well as easing the transition from school to work.
Short recognizes the benefits of having a job as a high schooler: “Colleges love to see when you have a job as it is a good way to show commitment and ability to be in the workforce.” Short does contract photography over the summer for senior portraits, in addition to a year-long job working at Cap’n Cat, a seafood restaurant.
By carrying out his interests in photography through working, Short is also able to sell photos of wildlife animals and portraits of seniors. This directly relates to interning for businesses or companies by doing what you’re passionate about.
Any job, from when you’re a high schooler to an adult, should allow you to “stay true to your path as you envision what you want to do in the future and where you would be happiest,” according to Natalie Vana ’23.
Creating a “LinkedIn” account to keep track of accomplishments and work experiences is a useful tip for networking and finding job opportunities. This will assist you when you’re looking for internships and jobs in college or out of college. To find jobs, Short recommends asking friends if they know any businesses that are looking to hire, then “cold calling,” or calling without an appointment, to set up an interview in order to “[put] yourself out there in the workforce.”
College applications have a spot to list your jobs and are valued the same as extracurriculars, meaning it will be in your best interest to list all your job experiences.
Essays
There are two main writing portions of a college application: the “Common Application” essay and supplemental questions. The Common Application essay, or Common App, asks every applicant to write a 250-650 word essay based on one of seven given prompts. Most colleges require the Common App essay, but it is important to tailor each supplemental essay to fit the individual needs of every school. Contrasting to the Common App, supplemental questions or essays aren’t always required for colleges. Supplemental essays vary in prompt and in word count requirements. These less formal, short-answer questions show snapshots of an applicant’s personality, values, and life experiences.
Essays show who a person truly is, much beyond a standardized testing score or GPA: “Colleges want to know who you are, not just who your grades are,” said Short. “Write about you. Don’t write about someone else, what you’ve gone through, but about who you are and why you’re going to change the world and what you’re going to do for the world.”
Vana acknowledged that sentiment and wrote her essays to “stand out as a unique human being showing how I view the world.” She wrote about her religious beliefs and how they align with her family and their views.
Some colleges prioritize recognizing the benefits a student brings to the campus and proof of them demonstrating those qualities, according to Big Future (CollegeBoard). Sorokin noted, “Colleges need to serve the needs of students, but students also need to serve the needs of colleges.”
“They are looking for fit more than anything. They have thousands of applicants who are academically strong with 1500+ SAT scores, but there aren’t a ton of spots. So they’re going to look beyond that, and look at fit. What makes you good for this college?” –Daniel Sorokin ’23
Time management is a prominent factor in the application process that can determine the quality of an essay. Sulayman Hussain ’23 recommended “starting your essays earlier than you think you should.” Hussain said, “If you can get them done over the summer, you’ll have a better year.”
Shay O’Connor ’23 added: “You don’t have to write a perfect essay in one night; you can spread out the work.” O’Connor worked on his essays once a week for two months before choosing the draft that he submitted.
It is also essential to understand that adults in the community are willing to help review and proofread your essays. Many seniors asked for their teachers or college counselors to review drafts of their writing. Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon ’23 asked his English teacher, Dan Sussman, to help with drafts and figure out “the voice [he] wanted to have in [his] essays.”
Interviews
Universities cannot guarantee an interview for every applicant due to a limited number of available alumni. If you’re not offered an interview, you will not be at a disadvantage in the college admissions process, according to Socratic Summer Academy. For those that are selected for an interview, here are tips from seniors to make this stage in the process less nerve-wracking:
Resources:
Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy. “Over 1,830 Colleges Are Test-Optional For Fall 2023 Admissions”. Higher Ed Dive, 2023. Accessed 26 Feb 2023.
Grodman, Stefanie. “What Is A Good SAT Score For The Ivy League? | Bestcolleges”. Bestcolleges.Com, 2023. Accessed 26 Feb 2023.
“Harvard Summer Programs | Admissionsight”. Admissionsight.Com, 2023. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
Killorin, Matt. “ACT Vs SAT Tests: What’s The Difference?”. Shorelight.Com, 2023. Accessed 26 Feb 2023.
Reeves, Jacob. “Do Colleges Prefer The ACT Or SAT: Taking The Right Test”. Ontocollege, 2022. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
Ross, Kelly and Moody, Josh. “How to Write a Supplemental Essay for College Applications.” US News. Feb. 25 2020 Accessed 26 Feb 2023
