Expert: Todd Johnson - 5/15/2009

Question
Hey Todd Johnson
I am in high school right now, the end of tenth grade, and I am starting to
worry If I will be able to get into a good college with my grades.
Currently I am getting one A one A- two Bs and one B- in russian. which
always seems to be holding me back, which worries me.  I am worried if I
continue getting a B- or C+ in russian that I wont be able to get into the
school I want.  Do colleges rather see me get an A in and "easy" language like
spanish or a B- in Russian.  
Also, I am worried about writing my college essays.  I am a horrible writer and
my grammar is also really bad. What are colleges looking for in a college
essay.  Also, do you have any tricks that could help me with my grammar?

Answer
Molly,

Congratulations on getting going on the college admissions process early. It will make things much easier in the long run.

There are over 3,000 colleges in this country and there is a college that is appropriate for every student. You need to decide what is important to you from college and then find colleges that meet your needs. Included in that are colleges that accept students with grades similar to yours.

Second, your grades are good. Colleges like to see you challenging your self but grades are the most important factor in admissions so keep those grades up.

Most colleges don't draw a distinction between different foreign languages as far as grades go. Ideally, they do like to see 3-4 years of the same language however. So, the best option would seem to be to keep going with Russian. If you need extra help from the teacher, make sure you ask for it. If you can maintain B's in Russian your grades shouldn't be a big problem. If you don't think you can maintain B's in Russian then you might consider shifting to another foreign language. This is one of those areas where there is no easy answer.

As far as your essays go, the best thing most people can do is to read a lot. By seeing proper grammar it should start to get into your brain. Also, because you are starting early, you have plenty of time to work on essays. Take a look at the applications for some colleges that you think might be of interest to you. See what essay questions they ask. Then start writing essays to answer those questions.

Once you have some rough drafts of essays, go back and edit them for grammar. If you don't know the grammar rules, and even if you think you do, now would be a good time to learn because college involves a lot of writing. My favorite book for grammar is "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. This is a small book of about 100 pages originally written almost 100 years ago. Yet it is still regarded as the classic book on grammar and style. Most libraries and book stores will have it.

There are several sources to see what a good college essay looks like. Here is a link from Carleton College, on what they like to see in a college essay. http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/

If you want to look at a book that discusses essays, in my opinion the best if "On Writing the College Application Essay" by Harry Bauld. Again, this book is about 20 years old but the classic book on college essays.  Many libraries and book stores will also have this.

There is a recent ebook out that I thought was very well done called "The Basics for Writing College Application Essays", by Jan Rideout. Here is a link to a review I did of this book and you can find how to get it from my review.  http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/college-application/writing-college-app...

Finally, after you think you have your essay all put together and edited, give it to your English teacher and ask him/her to review it to see what they think.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions.

Good luck and have fun in finding the best college for you.