Candidate Profile (Common)

• Academic, Athletic and Personal Achievements (1,500 characters)
  • Please note your interests and activities in areas such as music, drama, art, community service, debate, writing, athletics, employment, or hobbies. We understand that some candidates have more opportunities for organized activities than others, but we are interested in how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Please only submit information from the past two years. Please use the “Add More” button below the first two listings if you would like to enter additional activities. If you still need more space, please use the “Additional Information” section. 
  • Academic, Athletic and Personal Achievements-List or briefly describe any academic or personal achievements of which you are especially proud. Use this area to note any academic honors you have received. (1,500 characters)
• Additional Information/Explanation (6,000 characters)
  • If you would like to provide any additional information that was not specifically requested or did not fit in the spaces provided, you may use the space below or upload a PDF (files must be under 1MB). Please only submit relevant information from the past two years. Do not upload grades, official test scores or transcripts in this section. If you have a document in a format other than PDF, you can download an official add-in for the latest versions of Microsoft Word that can convert Word documents to PDF. View the Gateway Knowledge Base article at https://www.gatewaytoprepschools.com/articles/6-creating-and-reducing-size-of-pdf-files for more information on creating PDFs. Please do not add pictures or scan printed documents. Doing so will potentially cause your file to be too large to upload.
• Multimedia Description 1&2 (1,500 characters)
  • Please check with the school to see if they have other ways of accepting multimedia.
  • Students who have a very strong interest in a particular area are invited to submit up to two links to multimedia content. Examples of multimedia content that students have provided in the past include YouTube videos, music files, and art portfolios. Be sure to provide a description of the content in the space provided. Many schools no longer accept CDs, DVDs, videotapes or portfolios. Links are the simplest and most commonly accepted way to send multimedia to schools. NOTE: If you have more than two links you may add them to the “Additional Information” section above along with a description. Please limit additional link submissions in the “Additional Information” section to no more than three multimedia links. If your multimedia will not be available until later, do not delay in submitting your Candidate Profile now. Each school participating in the Gateway system has alternative means of accepting multimedia later in the application process. Consult each school for directions.

Student Essay Questions

The following four short essay prompts should be completed by the STUDENT

• Taft’s motto is “Not to be served, but to serve.” Tell us about a time when you helped someone else or contributed to your community. What motivated you to get involved, and how did the experience shape you? How might you continue to live out this motto at Taft? (Use 200-250 words) (2,500 characters) (*)
• Tell us about a challenge you faced that had a meaningful impact on you. What made it difficult, how did you work through it, and what did you learn from the experience? (Use 200-250 words) (2,500 characters) (*)

• Choose ONE of these essay prompts and respond in 250-500 words. (4,000 characters) (*)
  • Prompt 1 : Tell us about something you’ve done—an activity, event, or experience—that changed how you think or see the world. Why did it matter to you? What did you learn from it that you might bring with you to Taft?
  • Prompt 2 : Describe a time when you made a choice you wish you could take back. What happened, and why did you make that decision? If you had the chance to do it over, what would you do differently—and what did you learn from the experience?
  • Prompt 3 : What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Who gave it to you, why did it stick with you, and how has it made a difference in your life? How might it help you as a student at Taft?
  • Prompt 4 : Taft students come from more than 50 countries and many different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. What are you most excited to learn from your new classmates, and how do you hope to share your own story and experiences with the Taft community?

Parent/Guardian Questions

The following four questions should be completed by the PARENT/GUARDIAN.

• As you think about your child’s next school experience, what are your hopes for them—both in and out of the classroom? We’d love to hear what matters most to you as they begin this next chapter. (Use 200-250 words) (2,500 characters) (*)
• Please share a time when your child faced a meaningful challenge. How did they respond, and what did you observe about their growth through that experience? (Use 200-250 words) (2,500 characters) (*)
• Is there anything specific about the sequence of your child’s schooling that you’d like to share? e.g. skipped or repeated a year. (*)  If you answered yes, please share the experience here. Were there particular things you or your child learned, gained, or changed as a result of that experience? (Use 100-200 words) (2,000 characters)
• Has your child been subject to disciplinary action by their school (including but not limited to withdrawal from school, probation, or suspension)? (*)  If so, please elaborate. (2,000 characters)

Graded Writing Sample

Your graded writing sample should be an assignment, written in English, from this academic year (preferably from English class). View the Gateway Knowledge Base article at Link for more information on creating PDFs.

• Briefly describe the assignment (500 characters) (*)

Recommendation

• Current Principal/Counselor Recommendation (*)
• Current English Teacher Recommendation (*)
• Current Mathematics Teacher Recommendation (*)
• Personal Recommendation
• Special Interest Recommendation