• Visit campus and ask a lot of questions. Planning to visit UM? Go to www.miami.edu/planyourvisit for help.

• Prioritize the factors most important to you in a college or university. Are you interested in a suburban, urban or rural campus? What size university are you interested in attending? What about campus diversity? Area of study?

• Take a good look at yourself. Admission counselors look closely at your letters of recommendation and personal essay to get a better feel for who you are. Here are some hints for securing better recommendations:

• Be prompt. Give your teachers and counselors plenty of time – don’t ask them the week before application deadlines.
• Make it easy for them. Give them your application deadlines and stamped, addressed envelopes for the schools to which you are applying.
• Choose wisely. Select teachers who know you, have had positive experiences in working with you, and who will write about those positive things in a letter of recommendation. Ask teachers who teach or work in fields where your principal interests lie.

• Explore majors that match your skills and interests. While you’re looking at universities and the undergraduate programs they offer, think about your own personal interests and how they relate to choosing a major.

• Think quality, not quantity. When it comes to extracurricular activities, more isn’t necessarily better. Colleges are more interested in the quality of the activities you choose and the commitment you have to them than they are with the number of activities in which you participate.

• Don’t rule out schools because of cost. Although cost is an important factor, it should not dictate where you apply. Apply first and leave financial considerations until the end.

• Select your courses wisely. Select a challenging curriculum including Honors classes, Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes.

• Be aware of dates and deadlines. Submitting the admission and scholarship application early can optimize scholarship and financial assistance considerations.

• One is good, both are better. Since the SATs and ACTs are structured differently, taking both will allow you to find which one caters to your abilities.

• Learn how to build a better essay. Keep it simple; use friends and family for ideas and as readers; tell us something new that’s not in the application; be sure to edit edit and edit.