DESCRIPTION

How to use your winter holidays

HOW TO USE YOUR WINTER HOLIDAYS

Christmas break is around the corner but with application deadlines edging closer, I’m sure the last thing on your mind are the festivities. I strongly recommend you enjoy the celebrations, but also use this holiday season to maximise the right set of experiences you can showcase in your college application.

Take your standardised test(s). Ideally, you should be done with the test(s) before you even start your application. However, if it is still pending, the holiday season is a good time for you to intensively prepare and take your stipulated standardised test(s). Ensure that your score lies within the range of accepted scores at your targeted schools.

Dig deeper into extracurricular activities/interests you pursue through the year. If you play the piano, use the holidays to take the Trinity College or Royal School of Music exams. If you play a sport, train with coaches and practice hard. If you are passionate about foreign films, take online courses on film appreciation, or volunteer with organising local film festivals. Whatever your activities and interests, find a way to delve into them further over the break.

Get a short internship. Getting a part-time/full-time internship at a related company or organisation will not only help you explore, but will also help you cement your interest in this sector. This is one of the most impactful ways that you can spend your holiday.

Scour college websites. Learn more about your target schools’ curriculum, pedagogy and academic rigor. Research department webpages, core curricula, and the university news pages to discover timely advancements in faculty and student research and achievements.

Visit your selected colleges. Winter break provides a great opportunity for you to travel abroad and visit your targeted universities. Even though it’s not necessary to visit the universities before you apply, it does help with your decision process. Visiting the campus will give you a real sense of the atmosphere, the academic programs, fellow students, faculty, student life, local area, and much more. Before you finalise your travel plans, contact the universities to find out when official campus tours are offered.

Speak to current students and alumni. Reach out to students and alumni of your target schools to get a deeper understanding of not only the various academic programs, but also life outside of the classroom. Learning more about your targeted colleges and courses not only gives you more insight for decision-making, but also provides more clarity for your essays or statement of purpose.

Streamline your social media presence. In a world that is connected 24X7, what you do online matters tremendously. Information that you share in the digital universe gets recorded and captured permanently. Clean up your current social media presence and utilise social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin to be an extension of your college applications, by appropriately posting comments and links to highlight strengths, skills and interests to give targeted schools authentic insight into your personality.

(The author is CEO and Co-founder, ReachIvy.)

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our global team of counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.