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Road to College

Road to College is a resource for Boston-area Asian American high school girls interested in pursuing higher education. This calendar year, we will launch events spanning from workshops providing tips on college and financial aid applications to an intimate college fair represented by Asian American college students and alums. Topics covered include:

• Classes to take in high school
• Timeline for taking standardized tests and visiting campuses
• Seeking recommendations
• Specific accomplishments/details admissions officers look for
• Timeline for submitting applications
• Process for selecting the list of colleges to apply to
• Grades versus SATs
• The admissions essay
• The interview
• Financial aid and scholarship resources
• For more info right now on some of these topics, check out our new list of Frequently Asked Questions below!

If you are a high school student who would like to attend our events or a college student interested in helping out with this initiative, please email us at roadtocollege@girlsaspire.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How will this program help me get into “X” school?

The goal of Road to College program is to help you with questions you might have during your college application process. Be thoughtful and thorough as you think about all the different options you have for school. We’re here to answer your questions, share our experiences, and provide additional guidance to help you make well-informed decisions.

As we start to launch our online program, our best advice to you is to keep a list of questions you might have regarding applications. Then, when our online chat and web board become available, feel free to post these questions for feedback.

2. How can I improve my GPA?

There are many different ways of doing so and each person has a different approach. Here are some steps that may help:

• Set realistic goals. For example, raising your overall GPA from 3.0 to 4.0 is a difficult goal to reach in a short amount of time. However, you can set goals such as spending more time on weaker subjects and raising the scores on your graded assignments.
• Organize and prioritize. Plan your time more effectively. If you have a busy schedule, prioritize your daily activities. Focus your time on tasks that are more important given the goals that you have set. For example, if you are having difficulty with a class, prioritize those assignments first to allow yourself the maximum amount of time to ask questions, work, and study. Then, complete your easier assignments afterward. Again, this may or may not work for you, so your method of organization and prioritization may require some degree of trial and error.
• Pick a class that you like and put your energy into trying to do your very best in that subject. For example, if you are good at math and already have an A, try to make it an A+. Sometimes this is easier than raising a B in a difficult class to a B+.

3. How do I narrow down/choose my major, interests, etc?

Make a list of your interests and another list of all the things that are important to you. Here is a sample list:

Your list should help you prioritize what you like and what you think is realistic. After you make your list, you should do as much research as possible on your interests. For example, identify which colleges/universities offer classes that pertain to your area of interest. In addition, you should also explore how your interests and values translate into a future career. For example, some occupations may not provide a secure income. So if money is important to you, consider the trade-offs and risks that you are willing to take.

4. What are crucial components of a college application?

All schools have different formulas for assessing your application, so it is difficult for us to make generalizations across schools. However, this is what we have learned from our experiences:

• GPA – Tells the school how persistent and consistent you are. It is best if your grades are consistently good or improving throughout the years. If you are a student with solid grades, your GPA demonstrates commitment to your studies and is often a good indicator of your ability to perform at a given college/university.
• Advanced classes – Advanced classes show the school that you can challenge and succeed in honors and Advanced Placement courses. AP classes are meant to be equivalent to a college level course, so they are good indicators of how you will perform at a higher level. In addition, having a well-rounded selection of advanced courses can prove to the college that you can do well in different disciplines and make the best the school's resources to enhance your learning.
• SAT scores – The SAT is a standardized test that provides another basis of comparison for the admissions committee. SATs do not dictate how smart or not smart you are. It is very common for students to have high GPAs and lower SAT scores, or vice versa. Do your best with these tests and consider taking the SAT IIs.
• SAT IIs – Many students who do not do well on the SAT I excel in the SAT II, a set of exams that many colleges/universities now require as a part of the application. SAT IIs test specific subjects such as writing, math, sciences, history and foreign languages. Some colleges/universities even offer class credits for high SAT II scores, which would enable you to be placed out of certain core classes or requirements.
• College essays – Be creative and thoughtful with your essays because this is what will truly set you apart from other students. It provides a voice to the application. Pick a position or an aspect that you find unique about yourself and elaborate on that detail. Be cohesive and coherent. Produce a piece that will be an enjoyable reading experience. Be aware of spelling and grammar mistakes. You don’t want anything to detract the reader from absorbing the content of your essay. A good personal statement often undergoes many drafts and is best if reviewed by many people (i.e., teachers, parents, friends, etc.), so start early.
• Extracurricular activities – Schools always look for students who are well-rounded and can contribute to the diversity of the campus. Further, top schools look for strong, consistent leadership positions. For example, you can demonstrate commitment, leadership, diversity, and growth if you joined the Asian American Club during your freshmen year and become an officer and organize events in subsequent years. Quality is often better than quantity, so try to stay away from being a member of everything and never showing responsibility or leadership in anything.
• Volunteering – Volunteer work also demonstrates that you are well-rounded and care about your community! If you have volunteered at a hospital, homeless shelter, or even an ASPIRE event, make sure you record and mention those hours.

5. How do I narrow down a list of colleges?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Where do I want to be geographically? Do you want to remain close to home or go far away? Consider that if you do go far away, you will probably not have time to visit on holidays like Thanksgiving when the breaks are short.
• What is the campus environment like? Do you like urban or rural areas? Consider how you might make the most of the resources of the campus and where you’d like to spend your undergraduate years. It only happens once, so if you think you will be living in a city post-graduation, maybe you should consider if you would enjoy living in a rural area. If this is of pressing interest to you, we can always start a discussion about this online. We would love to tell you more about the pros and cons.
• What is the school culture like? Student to faculty ratio, minority representation, campus groups, religious institutions, school resources, social life, etc.
• Do you have a passion or interest in anything particular? If you are, say, interested in education or international relations, then you should learn more about schools that have top programs in those areas.
• I don’t know what I am interested in. If this is the case, you should look at schools with strong liberal arts programs or a wide variety of classes and majors that you can choose from. Some schools are also more flexible in allowing you to switch majors and others don’t require you to declare a major until after your second year.
• Is cost an important factor to you? If so, then you should look into how each school handles its financial aid. Some schools provide financial aid that is need-based, not merit-based. This means that they provide aid based on your financial need, rather than awarding aid to the top students. Some schools do both. Others offer specific scholarships that require separate applications. Another option is to consider applying for general scholarships that are available for any college bound high school student.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact roadtocollege@girlsaspire.org, and we will respond to you as soon as possible. In addition, we welcome any feedback regarding the layout of the web page, so please let us know if this is working for you.

College Scholarships

APIASF – The first and only national organization devoted to providing scholarships to Asian and Pacific Islander American students
OCA – Organization of Chinese Americans administers scholarships open to all Asian Americans for UPS, Avon, Verizon, AXA, Sysco, Gates Foundation, and KFC
NAAAP – National Association of Asian American Professionals, Boston Chapter

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