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!