What should I include in a college application?
I'm starting to apply to colleges and I'm overwhelmed by everything they want — essays, recommendations, transcripts, test scores, activities. What do colleges actually care about most? How important are extracurriculars versus grades? How do I make my application stand out? When should I start working on all this?
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3 Answers
Teach it to someone else, even an imaginary student. If you can explain a concept simply and out loud, you understand it. If you stumble, you've found the gap you need to study. They call it the Feynman technique and it really works.
Flashcards still work. Old-fashioned index cards. Make them yourself — the act of writing the card is half the learning. Quiz yourself, shuffle them, put the hard ones in a separate pile. Low-tech but it gets results.
Form a study group, but a small one — three or four people max. Explaining something to a classmate is the best way to find out whether you actually understand it. Just make sure it stays a study group and doesn't turn into a hangout.
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