McLean School
College Counseling Office
Student �Brag� Sheet
Here is your opportunity to brag about yourself. The questions below will
help me write your college recommendation. Give this some time and
thought. The more that you put into it, the more I will have to say about
you and why you are a compelling candidate for the colleges of your choice.
You may modify any question if it is asked in a way that doesn�t work for
you. The key is to be as specific as you can and to include any anecdotes
to bring your answers to life. I prefer to read type written words, but you
may write if you have highly legible handwriting.
YOUR BRAG SHEET IS DUE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!
You can update this form through November (or 3 weeks prior to an earlier
application deadline) with any new information.
Part I Background Information
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________
First Middle Last Preferred nickname
Date of Birth: __________ Age: ______
Father�s Name: ___________________________
Colleges/Universities attended and degrees earned:___________________________
Mother�s Name: ___________________________
Colleges/Universities attended and degrees earned:___________________________
Brothers and Sisters: College/University attended and year graduated
_______________________ ___________________________________________
_______________________ ___________________________________________
_______________________ ____________________________________________
_______________________ ____________________________________________
1. Where were you born?
2. Is English your first language? If not, what language is and what do
you speak at home? Do you know any languages (other than English) and how
well do you speak or understand them?
3. Do you have close relatives in other parts of the country? Where?
4. In what grade did you enter McLean? ______________
If you transferred from another high school, name it:________________________
Why did you change schools?
5. Do you have an intended college major? What is it?
6. Do you have any general or specific career goals? Elaborate.
Part II Academics
1. Is your high school record an accurate measure of your ability and
potential? If not, what do you consider the best measure of your potential
for success in college?
2. What subjects do you enjoy the most and why:
3. Your favorite class in high school so far and why:
4. My favorite teacher at McLean and why:
5. What subjects do you least enjoy? Why?
7. My areas of academic interest. How have you pursued these interests
(i.e. summer programs, outside reading, travel, internships). Include any
awards or recognition.
7. What have you learned about your individual learning style? Are you
an auditor, visual, kinesthetic learner? Some combination? Give an
example.
8. Do you have a learning disability and/or diagnosed ADD or ADHD? If
so, what accommodations do you use in school? Do you use any learning
aids?
Part III Extracurricular
1. My extracurricular activities, interests and hobbies (other than
competitive athletics). Include dates of participation, extent of
involvement, and any awards, honors and offices held:
2. From the above, my most meaningful activity, interest or hobby and why:
3. In what competitive sports have you participated? For how long?
What position did you play? Which sports are the most important to you?
Include any awards, recognition, team offices, league honors, etc�
4. What have you done in the past TWO summers and during long school
breaks that significantly reflect your character, interests, and
activities? What have you learned from these experiences?
5. If you hope to play sports in college, indicate which one(s) and at
what level (i.e. Div. I, II, or III, intramural, club, etc�)
6. Have you ever held a paying or volunteer job? Where did you work, dates
of your employment, number of hours each week, and description of the
duties. What did you enjoy and not enjoy about the experience? What did you
learn from the experience?
Part IV More About Me
1. Do you plan on going directly to college, or do you feel that you might
want to take some time off? If you�d like a break from school, what kinds
of things might you consider doing?
2. Have you lived or traveled extensively in other countries or other
parts of the US? Where and why were you there? What did you learn from
the experience?
3. Five adjectives or phrases that describe me are:
4. My strongest personal characteristic and how I�ve demonstrated it (be
specific!):
5. My most significant accomplishment and why I am proud of this:
6. The personal experience that has given me the greatest satisfaction:
7. Something that most people don�t know about me, but that I want to make
sure colleges know:
8. What have you gained most from your years at McLean?
9. Do you have any �dream schools� in your college thinking? What are
they?
Part V
The following questions often appear on college applications and must be
answered honestly by the student and the school. I will not share this
information prior to discussing it with you.
1. Are there any outside circumstances that have interfered with your
academic performance? Is there anything on your transcript that warrants
clarification?
2. Have you ever been suspended, dismissed, or placed on probation from
school for academic or disciplinary reasons? If so, please explain. Have
you ever had to leave school for an extended period of time? If so please
explain?
Is there anything else that you want included in your recommendation?
Finally� now�s your chance to pull it all together and advocate for
yourself. Assume that your first choice college is considering your
application for admission. Why should they admit you? Please write a short
(2-4 paragraphs) letter of recommendation for yourself. If you are not
comfortable writing about yourself directly take a step back and pretend
that
you are the counselor advocating for the applicant (who is you!). How do
you
convince the college that you are a worthy candidate for admission?
Consider
you academic, extracurricular, and unique personal qualities.
You�re Done!
