By the time a student starts to apply (申请) for a US university, much of his or her record, including grades and after-school activities, has been
set in stone. For this reason, the student must in his or her first year of high school start getting ready for college. He or she also has to decide on the non-academic (非学业的) tasks, which are important to improve the student’s chances of getting in.
1. After-school activities
When it comes to high school activities, quality is better than quantity (数量). Admissions (录取) officers do not want to see a student who has joined dozens of organizations (组织) for a short period of time.
Many students try to do this towards the end of their high school. But schools want to see a student who has been with one organization for all or most of high school. A student who can do this shows maturity (成熟). It is the quality that admissions officers look for as it is one of the markers of future success.
2. Leadership
Schools want to see a student who has taken on a leadership role in an organization. A student can show leadership by taking on any role that needs extra commitment (奉献) and responsibility.
If you do not have a great title (头衔) such as president, be sure to explain any leadership roles you have taken. This kind of involvement (参与) in school activities shows you a
re the responsible person that admissions officers look for.
3. Consistency (一致性)
Admissions officers like an application (申请) to be consistent. For example if there is a high school activity you particularly (特别地) love, it would help if that activity matches your future academic and career interest.
Of course not everything needs to be consistent. Otherwise (否则) the student would be narrow and this is not what schools are looking for. However, you cannot have different parts of your application saying conflicting (矛盾的) things.
小题1:Who was the article written for?
| A．US college students hoping to study in China. |
| B．Chinese college students hoping to study in the US. |
| C．Third year high school students hoping to study in the US. |
| D．Teenagers hoping to study in the US. |
小题2:The underlined phrase "set in stone" in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.
| A．made clear | B．something unchangeable |
| C．become obvious | D．at the right level(水平) |
小题3:The author’s suggestion is to ______.
| A．try as many different organizations as possible |
| B．start planning for college at the beginning of high school |
| C．make everything in an application consistent |
| D．put non-academic tasks before academic tasks |
小题4:According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students should choose after-school activities they have great interest in. |
| B．It’s already too late for first year students to apply for a US university. |
| C．It is necessary for a student to be a president if he/she is to apply for a US university. |
| D．Students should concentrate on just one activity in high school. |