Reading and College Admission

Reading and College Admission June 1, 2013 Spend time reading this summer. Its important for your development. And its important as you seek to get into a highly selective college (photo credit: Geographer). Whats a terrific thing to do over the summer if you want to get into a highly selective college? Read, read, read. No, not street signs. Sure, you should read those too while driving. But we mean reading books. Reading and college admission are correlated. Students who read tend to get into highly selective universities. Students who dont tend not to. Its that simple. If you dont like to read books, in the world of college admissions (and in life), it says that you dont have a deep intellectual curiosity. It says that you arent always looking to expand your mind, to possibly change your worldview based on what youve newly learned. And thats terrible! Walk around a Barnes Noble. Smell the books. The feeling you should have is a thirst for knowledge. You should want to buy so many books in the store just because you want to soak in all of this information. You obviously cant buy all of the books but maybe you can buy several (or go to the library if you dont want to pay). That thirst for knowledge, that love of reading is vital as you look to differentiate yourself in college admissions. Do you have a goal of reading all of the books on the bookshelf in your room? If so, thats great. But it shouldnt just be a goal. You should actually achieve this goal. Read lots this summer. Read all types of books. Read biographies. Read suspense novels. Read mysteries and historical fiction. Read anything that just might expand your thinking and change how you view the world. Thats what college admissions counselors are looking for. But dont just do this because you think its what they want you to do. Do it because itll make you a smarter, better individual. Now go out to the library (or Barnes Noble) and start reading!