Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

Overview
The pressure of college admissions is at an all time high. Statistics for admissions this year were lower than any other in history. And, worst of all, the process itself is not transparent.

First of all, I dont know if I can ever thank you and Michele enough for how you helped me write winning college essays!!!! I was accepted to all three of my top college choices. I know you are very busy and are probably on your way to blow the whistle for another boot camp, but I truly cannot express how much you and Michele have done to make my college acceptance process such smooth sailing. You gave me the tools and support to transform my last year in high school into the most successful one yet!!!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

The Ivy League Colleges accepted just 12.56% of applicants for the Class of 2012; other selective universities accept between 14.02% and 25.79% of students that apply. Michele Hernandez, Hernandez College Consulting
But never fear. There are things you can do to increase your chances of getting into the school of your choice.

E.K. (SMU, 2012)

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

Top Fifteen Tips

By: Mimi Doe and Dr. Michele Hernandez

1. 2.

Application Boot Camp helped to eliminate so much stress and worry that comes along with the college process. Mimi and Michele helped me polish my achievements and prepare a stellar application to accentuate my high school achievements. My friends at school didnt even begin the process until late fall. This advantage allowed me to concentrate on my studies for important first term grades. By mid-December I was accepted to my first choice school, something I never thought would happen!

Know that there is a college for everyone. The Ivy Leagues are extremely tough to get into, but the truth is that once you get past the top 20 most competitive colleges most schools admit the majority of applicants.

Create a written list of all the schools to which you are applying. Give it to your guidance counselor so that he/she is sure to send the official school report to every college on your list. Your application is incomplete without the schools documents, even if your send in your part.

Not sure where you want to apply? Get the inside story on more than 200 top colleges, for free, from student-driven ratings provided by College Prowler. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/ratings

L. Bowman (Dartmouth)

3. 4.

Keep it to yourself. Dont enter into the frenzy of talk about colleges. This is your personal journey to finding the right college and getting crazy about everyone elses opinions will only bring you down.

Studies have shown that applying early decision increases your odds for acceptance dramatically. So get going! Spend time the summer before your senior year discerning your clear first choice college, than prepare your application.

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

The Ivy League Colleges accepted 25.71% of early round applicants for the Class of 2012. Michele Hernandez, Hernandez College Consulting

5.

Identify the teacher who is your strongest supporter.

Michele and Mimi bring expertise and guidance to the application process which is truly invaluable. No book or website (we have seen them all) can match the discipline and results of the Boot Camp. It delivers what it promises-a very tough and demanding several days, resulting in your childs completion of his application in his own unique and very compelling voice. The end result for us was an early admissions decision at the Ivy League school of our sons dreams. My two younger children will be first in-line to sign-up when it is their turn to attend the camp.

Then do everything you can to stand out in his or her class. This is who youll go to first for that ever important recommendation.

Colleges care how students spend their summers. This exclusive compilation gives detailed information on the programs, activities, and research opportunities that top colleges love. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/summer

6. 7.

Make the most of your summers. What you do during your summer vacations gives admissions counselors an idea of what kind of person you are. Planning a summer that deepens your interests shows how you go above and beyond.

Mike M., (son Yale)

Learn the fine art of saying no to activities that take you off course. Focus on a few things that you love and become really good at them rather than frantically trying to do everything.

With over 60 pages of awards, contests, and other opportunities to distinguish yourself, this guide helps you stand out and achieve at the level top colleges expect. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/contests

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

8. 9.

Set up a specific schedule during the year to study for any upcoming standardized test. For instance, set aside Wednesday evenings from 9:00 to 10:00.

Make time to relax! High school shouldnt be all SAT prep, hours of community service, and no sleep all in the name of getting in. Get focused and use your time effectively and youll get a life and be much happier. Know WHAT to study, for instance on SAT tests.

Thank you so much for taking me step by step through my stressful college application process. You have taken away a ton of my stress and provided me with valuable advices. Under your guidance, I was able to create an application package that perfectly reflects who I am. I cannot express how relieved, overjoyed, and honored I am to be accepted to Amherst College.

Meet our Rogue SAT Tutors Mike and Patrick Barrett will show you step-bystep ways to tackle SAT questions by leveraging your existing knowledge without memorizing thousands of vocabulary words or doing hours of math problems. Crack the SAT code with their strategies. Work with them via phone from anywhere! www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/tutor

Elva Fan (Amherst)

10. 11.

Let your academic passions guide your class choices. No college likes a cookie cutter applicant who follows the prescribed path and nothing else. The most interesting candidates follow their own interests and it shows.

Dont believe all you read. The best way to find out about a particular school is to visit in person, speak to students, observe a class and meet professors. Otherwise, youre just responding to slick marketing rather than actual traits of a college.

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

Create Winning Applications

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

Listen to Mimi & Micheles 90 minute instantly downloadable audio to guide you through your applications with insider information and tips that will help you rise to the top and create winning applications. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/apps

12.

Application Boot Camp may have been a tough four days, but it was a great way to force me to really look at my applications and start to come up with the answers. The essays, of course, all had to come from me, but Mimi and Michelles guidance and tips were of great value. I could never have stood out and gotten in at UPenn without their guidance!

Set aside time to focus on your college applications. Applying to college is the most important homework you have in high school. Set aside time to do it right.

This detailed multi-media kit helps students evaluate themselves, come up with a list of appropriate colleges and complete all parts of their application, with detailed day-by-day guidance from Doe & Hernandez. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/self

Peter S. (U Penn)

13.

Know your Academic Index. The Academic Index has been in use since the 1950s. It ranks students on a scale of 1 to 240, with 240 being the highest score. While it doesnt take into account all admission factors, there is a very high correlation between high AIs and high acceptance rates.

Academic Index Calculator Learn more and calculate your Academic Index for free. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com/ai

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

14.

Dont be shy about looking for help. Competition to get into college is fierce. Its important to put your best foot forward in your application. The people youre competing against are likely getting help, so dont hesitate to take advantage of all the resources available to you.

Application Boot Camp Application Boot Camp offers a wide variety of free and for-fee resources to help qualified students get into the schools of their choice. www.ApplicationBootCamp.com

IM IN!!! I was accepted early decision to Johns Hopkins. Thank you so much for all of your help and guidance. I would recommend Application Boot Camp and your personal guidance to everyone. Thanks a million!

15.

Dont Worry Youll Get In. Applying to college is a stressful experience for students and their parents. Its important to funnel your time and energy in activities that are constructive and worrying doesnt qualify.

Sincerely, P. D. (Class of 2013)

Looking for Inspiration? Learn how to handle the college application process with ease and grace, thanks to free online tips and resources. www.HernandezCollegeConsulting.com

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

About Application Boot Camp

Dr. Michele Hernandez and Mimi Doe founded Application Boot Camp after writing their highly acclaimed book, Dont Worry: Youll Get In (Avalon, 2005). Application Boot Camp is a company devoted to empowering students and their parents in the college admissions process. Their products and services are designed to help students optimize their college choices. Learn more about Mimi and Michele and their dynamic programs and services at: www.ApplicationBootCamp.com

I know that my mother has shared the college news with you two already (shes told everyone she knows and a few she doesnt), but I wanted to send an email to thank you myself for everything. I couldnt have accomplished so much without your help and the direction youve given me. The statistics this year were absurd, but I am 1 of the 7% who made it into Harvard because of you! Again, thanksfrom the bottom of my heart!

A.W. (Harvard)

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

Mimi Doe, Co-founder of Application Boot Camp, is the award-winning author of:
Nurturing Your Teenagers Soul: A Practical Approach to Raising a Kind, Honorable, Compassionate Teen

Busy but Balanced: Practical and Inspirational Ways to Create a Calmer, Closer Family Dear Michelle and Mimi, 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Childs Soul, a Parents Choice Award-winner and finalist for the Books For a Better Life Award. Doe holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University. Dubbed a parenting guru by Ladies Home Journal, Mimi is the preeminent expert in the area of instilling balance and awareness in the family as well as empowering students to create a less stressed college journey by empowering them with knowledge. Doe is featured in weekly segments on The Hallmark Channels New Morning TV, and has appeared on Oprah and the CBS Early Show. Her work has been covered in such publications as Child, Real Simple, Parenting, McCalls, Family Circle, Redbook, Readers Digest, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and The Washington Post.

Thank you so much for helping me through the college admission process. Thanks for helping me present myself in the best light possible. I just wanted to let you know which colleges accepted me: Northwestern, Washington U in St Louis, Johns Hopkins, Cornell U, U of Chicago (early), U of CA: Santa Barbara, U of CA: Irvine, U of CA: San Diego, U of CA: Berkeley, U of CA: Los Angeles

A.S.

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204

Top 15 Tips for Getting into College Without Losing Your Mind

What People Are Saying About Application Boot Camp

Dr. Michele Hernandez, Co-founder of Application Boot Camp, is Americas premiere college consultant. Her best selling books include:
A is for Admission The Middle School Years Acing the College Application

I was accepted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! Can you believe it? I am really excited to go and I would like to thank you both so much for all your help. Im sure my killer essays were a key component of me being accepted and I could not have written them without your help.

Hernandez has been featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio and television programs including Business Week, Newsweek, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Atlantic Monthly, NPR, The Today Show, CNN, and MSNBC. As an assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College for four years, she has crafted a unique angle for assisting students gain admission to the most selective colleges, incorporating her inside perspective on the admissions adventure. Dr. Hernandez graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1989 and went on to earn a Masters degree in English and comparative literature from Columbia University and a doctorate in education. Together Doe and Hernandez wrote: Dont Worry: Youll Get In.

GB (UNC-Chapel Hill)

Application Boot Camp LLC | www.ApplicationBootCamp.com | 1-877-659-4204