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S L Y T H E R I N // those of great ambition

• THEY ARE: ambitious, driven, focused on goals, determined, prepared, subtle, perfectionistic, adaptable, realistic, big on cost/benefit analysis, self-reliant, charming, bold and assertive, ruthless and able to separate their idea of themselves from what they do, able to use their intelligence as a tool to achieve their goals
• THEY ARE NOT (NECESSARILY): disloyal (however, their loyalty is highly selective) or disregarding of the opinions of others (in fact, slytherins love positive attention and thrive on praise).
• REMEMBER: slytherins are not gratuitously mean, in fact, they treat people with respect because they care about the impression they give.

R A V E N C L A W // those of wit and learning

• THEY ARE: analytical, intelligent, logical yet impractical (absent-minded professor types), curious, inquisitive, creative, witty, wise, observers more often than participants, interested in understanding things, resigned cynics, fond of intellectual discussion, introspective, independent, self-entertaining, fond of learning for the sake of learning.
• THEY ARE NOT (NECESSARILY): unemotional (consider cho chang), wordy (consider rambling vs. concise language), good at school (ravenclaws are good at what they are interested in, byt need to have that interest).
• REMEMBER: just because an applicant is smart does not mean they are a ravenclaw - consider snape, hermione, lily and percy.

H U F F L E P U F F // where they are just and loyal

• THEY ARE: hard-working, determined, tenacious, loyal, honest, genuine, well-rounded, fair and just, open-minded, giving, good-hearted, accepting, compassionate, passionate, practical, patient, dependable.
• THEY ARE NOT (NECESSARILY): unemotional, although they have a tendency to not flaunt their emotions.
• REMEMBER: a hufflepuff's loyalty is not free, it is selective and based on fairness, but will likely be proeminent throughout the application.

G R Y F F I N D O R // the brave at heart

• THEY ARE: experience-oriented, honest, practical, blunt, passionate, playful, funny, prone to living in the moment and not taking themselves seriously, trusting, idealistic, stubborn and loath to back down, prone to procrastination, wary of manipulators and liars.
• THEY ARE NOT (NECESSARILY): irresponsible - gryffindors display a strong tendency to "own" their mistakes
• REMEMBER: gryffindors tend to have a strong moral center and are unafraid to act on their morals or to seize opportunities to make changes.