102. College Admissions 考大学

It's hard to get into college these days. It used to be a lot easier. Now it's even not enough to get good grades. You need to have good grades in advanced classes. You need to do some extracurriculars. Extracurriculars are activities you do outside of class such as playing basketball, playing the violin, singing, and more. You need to have a high score on the SAT or ACT. The SAT and ACT are used to test what you know. They both have questions on various subjects.
You need to have some leadership positions. It is not just enough to be a member in a club. You need to be the president or the vice president. You also need letters of recommendation, letters in which your teachers, coaches, or bosses write about your abilities and personality. It also helps if you won some awards. It shows that you can achieve something.
You also have to write good essays that show who you are as a person. Colleges want people who have interesting personalities and stories. Students with good grades but boring essays will not get into the college of their dreams. Students should not be sad if they don't get into the college of their dreams. They need to know that getting into college is tougher as years go by.