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The U.S. College Application: A Strategic Endeavor
Guiding Students and Families to Achieve Optimal College Admission Outcomes

Successful college admission is a strategic journey, not a last-minute sprint. We view the application process as a four-year strategic plan, designed to position students for maximum success at their target institutions. This guide provides a detailed, year-by-year roadmap for students aiming for the nation's top 30 universities, clarifying key tasks to build a compelling and competitive profile.

1. Academic Focus: Establish a strong GPA (target 3.8+) and begin exploring potential career interests.

2. Extracurriculars: Engage with student clubs and begin planning for a purposeful summer.

3. Standardized Test Prep: Familiarization with key assessments like the

  • • TOEFL/IELTS
  • • SAT/ACT

1. Academic Progress: Maintain a high GPA (target 3.9+) and enroll in more challenging courses where appropriate.

2. Extracurricular Commitment: Deepen involvement in chosen activities, seeking leadership roles.

3. Summer Planning: Secure a meaningful summer experience between sophomore and junior year.

1. Academic Excellence: Achieve peak academic performance (target 4.0+ GPA).

2. Standardized Test Prep: Complete all required standardized testing (SAT/ACT, TOEFL/IELTS).

3. Elevate Your Profile: Synthesize extracurricular experiences into a coherent narrative of impact.

4. Application Launch: Begin the application process in earnest, including

  • • Developing a balanced college list,
  • • Brainstorming essay topics,
  • • Communicating with potential recommenders.

1. Early Applications (Aug-Nov): Submit all Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) applications.

2. Regular Applications (Dec-Jan): Complete and submit all Regular Decision (RD) applications.

3. Post-Admission (Mar-May): Review admission offers, make final decisions, and prepare for the transition to college.

The Role of Our College Counseling Office

Gaining admission to top U.S. universities is a multi-dimensional competition. While strong grades and test scores are essential, the true differentiator is a strategic presentation of the student's unique character and fit with the institution. The core mission of our College Counseling Office is to guide students from being "qualified" to becoming "unforgettable". Our services include:

1. Uncovering Your "Spike": Identifying and developing each student's unique passion and talent.

2. Finding Your Best Fit: Providing expert guidance on selecting countries, universities, and majors that align with the student's goals and personality.

3. Crafting a Compelling Narrative: Weaving a student's experiences, strengths, and aspirations into a cohesive and powerful application story.

4. Designing Impactful Experiences: Advising on extracurricular activities that move beyond simple participation to demonstrate leadership and tangible impact.

5. Mastering Application Timelines: Providing comprehensive management of all deadlines and milestones throughout the application process.

School Profile

Our Alumni

Our alumni network in GHA is a vibrant and growing community.
Graduates from across our school's history are now studying at leading universities around the globe, carrying forward the legacy of excellence they established here.

  • Johns Hopkins University（1）
  • Columbia University（1）
  • University of California, Berkeley（1）
  • University of Michigan-Ann Arbor（1）
  • University of Virginia（1）
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill（2）
  • University of California, San Diego（6）
  • New York University（8）
  • University of Florida（7）
  • Georgia Institute of Technology（1）
  • University of California, Davis（38）
  • University of California, Irvine（9）
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign（23）
  • Tufts University（1）
  • University of California, Santa Barbara（12）
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison（5）
  • Boston University（6）
  • Ohio State University（40）
  • Rutgers University - New Brunswick（54）
  • University of Maryland, College Park（5）
  • University of Rochester（1）
  • Purdue University（13）
  • University of Washington（6）
  • Case Western Reserve University（2）
  • Virginia Tech（5）
  • Northeastern University（19）
  • University of Minnesota -Twin Cities（17）
  • College of William & Mary（1）
  • Stony Brook University-SUNY（19）
  • University of California, Merced（3）
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst（20）
  • Brandeis University（1）
  • George Washington University（2）
  • Michigan State University（18）
  • The Pennsylvania State University-University Park（59）
  • Tulane University（1）
  • University of Miami（1）
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute（2）
  • University of Connecticut（26）
  • University of Pittsburgh （8）
  • SUNY Binghamton University（10）
  • Indiana University Bloomington（2）
  • Syracuse University（14）
  • SUNY University at Buffalo（13）
  • University of California, Riverside （8）
  • University of Illinois at Chicago（3）
  • University of California, Santa Cruz（6）
  • Marquette University（1）
  • Baylor University（1）
  • American University（1）
  • Fordham University（4）
  • Loyola Marymount University（1）
  • Southern Methodist University（1）
  • Gonzaga University（2）
  • University of Iowa（4）
  • Auburn University（3）
  • Saint Louis University（1）
  • University of Arizona（3）
  • George Mason University（1）
  • Arizona State University（1）
  • University of Utah（3）
  • University of South Carolina Columbia（2）
  • Miami University, Oxford（2）
  • University of Dayton（1）
  • University of Kansas（1）
  • Adelphi University（1）
  • Washington State University（1）
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston（1）
  • San José State University（1）
  • University of Wisconsin–Stout（1）
  • Wesleyan University（1）
  • University of Richmond （3）
  • College of the Holy Cross（1）
  • Franklin & Marshall College（5）
  • Mount Holyoke College（1）
  • Occidental College（1）
  • Pitzer College （1）
  • Skidmore College（2）
  • Union College（1）
  • DePauw University（1）
  • Centre College（1）
  • Reed College（2）
  • College of Wooster（1）
  • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology（1）
  • Bentley University（2）
  • Babson College（1）
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago（1）
  • Parsons School of Design, The New School（2）
  • California College of the Arts（3）
  • Pratt Institute（3）
  • School of Visual Arts（4）
  • Ringling College of Art and Design（2）
  • Maryland Institute College of Art （1）
  • Emerson College（1）
  • Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)（2）
  • Alberta University of the Arts（1）
  • Full Sail University（1）
  • University of Hartford（1）
  • Boston Conservatory at Berklee（1）
  • University of Cincinnati （1）
  • Temple University, Boyer College of Music（1）
  • MI College of Contemporary Music（1）
  • Los Angeles College of Music（1）
  • Imperial College London（1）
  • University College London（7）
  • University of Edinburgh（3）
  • University of Manchester（7）
  • King's College London（2）
  • University of Bristol（3）
  • University of Warwick（1）
  • University of Glasgow（1）
  • University of Birmingham（3）
  • University of Southampton（4）
  • University of Leeds（4）
  • Durham University（2）
  • University of St. Andrews（2）
  • University of Sheffield（4）
  • University of Nottingham（2）
  • Queen Mary University of London（1）
  • Lancaster University（1）
  • Brunel University London（1）
  • City, University of London （1）
  • University Of Stirling（1）
  • Bournemouth University（1）
  • University of Amsterdam （3）
  • Utrecht University（2）
  • Leiden University（1）
  • University of Melbourne（4）
  • University of Sydney（11）
  • University of New South Wales（7）
  • Australian National University（1）
  • Monash University（6）
  • University of Queensland（4）
  • University of Western Australia（1）
  • University of Toronto（7）
  • University of British Columbia（3）
  • Queen University（1）
  • Simon Fraser University（1）
  • McMaster University（1）
  • York University（2）
  • Carleton University（1）
  • Alberta University of the Arts（1）
  • Emily Carr University of Art + Design（1）
  • Orienteering Computer-Aided Design University（1）
  • National University of Singapore（1）
  • University of Hong Kong（2）
  • Lingning University（1）
  • Waseda University（1）
  • Shanghai University（1）
  • University of Nottingham Ningbo China（4）
  • Shanghai International Studies University （1）
  • Xi'an Jiaotong-liverpool University（1）
  • Shanghai University of Finance and Economics（1）

Transcript Request Form for College Transfer

  • 1

    Please complete this form to request that your academic records be sent to your target institution(s) for transfer admission consideration.

  • 2

    Important Note: Please allow 5-7 business days for processing. All requests must be submitted well in advance of your intended institution's application deadline.

  • 3

    For any questions, please contact the College Counseling Office at: emmaxu@ghedu.com