Written By Andie Pinga
As a National Merit Finalist, expert SoFlo Tutor Pranav Jose earned an almost-full ride to Texas A&M and a place in their University Honors program. It was through tenacity – a quality he wrote about in his college essay – that he was able to study and qualify for the scholarship. In this tutor feature, Pranav shares his advice to students applying to college, taking the SAT, and choosing the right university for them.
How did you approach your college applications?
I applied to UT Austin, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, UT Dallas, University of Michigan, and Stanford. I really don’t enjoy writing essays, so I decided to focus on applying to a smaller group of universities so I could give each application more time. I decided on those schools due to their strong engineering programs, campus cultures, and possible scholarships/opportunities available at each.
Why did you choose Texas A&M? What factors did you consider?
The reasons why I chose Texas A&M are twofold. The first was the National Merit program, in which I was a finalist and received almost a full ride from the university. The other factor was that Texas A&M is one of the largest public schools in the nation, and I was excited to experience the feeling of such a large student body and unique campus culture. In addition, being part of the Aggie network is one of the best connections you can have, with alumni all over the world willing to help a fellow Aggie succeed.
What was your testing journey like?
I prepared for the SAT for three months through a summer prep course before my junior year of high school. I took the exam twice, and was aiming for a goal score of 1530+, however I ended up getting the same score on both attempts and decided not to take it again. The prep course was just one of many resources I utilized while preparing for the exam. My favorite resource to use was Khan Academy. It offered so many free questions along with detailed explanations, and it ended up being a great resource for self-study. I also used a site called Magoosh, which wasn’t free but offered a very nice system of tracking your questions. It also helped me analyze my test-taking and pushed me to work on topics I was weaker in.
What did you write about in your college application essays? What aspects did you think made your application stand out?
For my application essays, I wrote about my personal journey towards embracing tenacity over my own doubts. When I was younger, things naturally came easy to me, so I didn’t have much experience with perseverance. I began to quit anything that didn’t go well the first time around. In my essay, I wrote about the steps I took to be more tenacious in life, and the accomplishments I was able to achieve due to my change in mindset. I think being true to myself and my shortcomings made my application stand out. Admissions officers have read countless essays and can tell when someone is being facetious or ingenuine, so the best thing to do is be honest.
Did you apply to any scholarship programs?
I applied to a few scholarship programs, the most impactful being the National Merit Scholarship. After taking the PSAT, I qualified to be a finalist, which gave me nearly a full-ride to Texas A&M as well as admission into their University Honors program. I’m incredibly grateful I was able to receive so much support through the National Merit program. It allowed me to relax by easing my financial burdens, both during the application process and throughout my college career.
Do you have any advice for students applying to colleges and taking the SAT/ACT?
My biggest piece of advice for college applications is to start early. Writing a paragraph every day about different learning experiences in your life is a great way to make the application process easier. This allows you to have a collection of ideas to choose from when writing your Common App essays, short answer essays, or even scholarship essays. The more you prepare beforehand, the more you can enjoy your senior year of high school. My advice for the SAT is to start early and make a sustainable study-plan for yourself. Plan for days to practice new questions and days to revise old ones. This builds a deep understanding of the concepts the SAT is testing for. At the end of the day, the SAT is a standardized exam, so with enough practice, anyone can do well.
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