Hello Everyone,

My name is Alexandra Cook and I graduated from Santa Margarita with a full I.B. (International Baccalaureate) diploma in 2012. I recently graduated from the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, this past June with a joint honors degree (the equivalent of a double major in the US) in Ancient History and Latin.

While I’m still working on my dream of a future job in the museum sector, I want to look back on how I got to where I am. Here are four ways in which Santa Margarita prepared me for college.

College Fair Night and College Visits– The College Fair and Visits from college representatives were very helpful. The visits and fair allowed me to ask questions I had on applying to schools and about certain programs, and the representatives gave me an idea of what I needed to do to be accepted to schools in which I was interested.

National Honor Society– NHS, as the title indicates, is a national institution that requires academic excellence and helping other students through tutoring or other types of service. I was in NHS both my junior and senior years, and a college representative told me that being part of the society is a big plus when it comes to admissions. It shows leadership potential, as well as a level of involvement in the community that colleges are looking for.

Sports, Societies, and other Clubs– I was on the varsity swim team all four years, and also was a member of several other clubs. Santa Margarita has a wide variety of clubs and societies, along with plenty of sports programs. Even though not every student is going to get a scholarship for sports or theater, after-school activities are an opportunity to show individuality and an ability to contribute in some way to potential colleges. Extracurricular activities are arguably the most important thing beyond grades for college admissions.

IB & AP Exams– AP and I.B. classes weren’t the only helpful thing at SM when it came to my college preparation; their end of year exams were, too. AP/I.B. exams were closer to college exams than any of my other high school tests. They include a large writing portion, and a small multiple choice section if there even is one. My tests and exams in university were all of the essay variety, so all those AP/I.B. exams I prepared for in my days at Santa Margarita helped quite a bit towards knowing how to prep for university exams.

I hope my advice can help all students at Santa Margarita.  Whether you are a freshman or a senior,  Santa Margarita is constantly preparing you for an amazing college experience.

– Alexandra Cook ’12