Many years ago, when I was choosing schools, I picked 2 state universities (safety & cost) and 2 privates - one in a preferred location, one with a great overseas option that I never could have afforded. They all had the program I wanted. The preferred location was a city, any city and as I walked through a college fair, I saw a glossy catalog with fireworks exploding over the Washington Memorial and I chose GWU. Boom, done. They gave me a great financial aid scholarship and I took loans for the rest. I’m sure I could have been happy at any of the the others as well, even though they weren’t in my preferred location.<br>
I think one of the most important things high school seniors should consider when they look at schools is: where might I like to live when I graduate? Most college graduates really benefit from the contacts they make with internships, professors or part time jobs in the place where they go to school. It is much harder to go to Good School in North Carolina when you want to get good job in Boston or vice versa. You might want to plan on living in or near your college town for at least your first job after college because those are the most likely businesses that will recruit from your school. I am leaving out engineers of all types, accountants and computer majors from this discussion. They have significantly more options.
I’ve loved reading all the great advice here! The advice about the regional rep is one that will definitely resonate with me. My school has a College Night the Thursday before Thanksgiving every year. I’ll go in with a name tag and talk to all of the schools that I’ll be applying to 
Speaking of that, would it be adviseable to tell the regional rep at College Night about any personal struggles you might have had to overcome in high school?
No. I’m sure others will agree. Speaking to rep about struggles at college night isn’t a good idea. It might make him/her feel uncomfortable. I may be wrong…
@NewHavenCTmom Ah, just checking. I wouldn’t say EXACTLY what the struggles were, just that I had extreme turbulence in my sophomore year. What exactly should I say to the representative?
I’ve always wondered about the taking a test a million times part (#8). A friend of mine who is going to Stanford next year retook the ACT until she got a 35. Another friend of mine had practically the same ECs as her, but a 34 on the ACT. I’ll never know how good each essay was, the interview, but it makes me wonder if it does come down to who has a better score on a nation-wide test. Because in all honesty, with so many applicants to a selective school there must be hair-splitting of that caliber.
So my question to OP, and anyone else is: do you really think the ACT and SAT are used only to show that we’re capable of handling the workload at some college, or a 1-2 point increase (31-33, 33-35, etc) makes all the difference at top schools?
I wouldn’t discuss anything at a college fair really at all, unless you know you are talking to an admissions person (rather than an alumni or random person covering the table). If you do have an admissions person, some intelligent questions about the school that aren’t easily found in literature or on their web site seem best to me. Perhaps to do with the fine points of a major or something.
@lbad96
Not sure! Good question…but I don’t think that discussing such issues are a great idea at a college fair. There will be lots of other students and so much going on…again, I might be wrong!
@NewHavenCTmom @OHMomof2 you may be right. But wouldn’t an alumnus also be able to advocate for you during the process?
I have worked college fairs on behalf of my alma mater, with (for big regional ones) college admissions officers and alone or with other alumni for school-based fairs. There are so many students there and you’re sitting behind a table, so it’s really not likely that a stuident would be likely to make a memorable impression. If you say one memorable thing, follow up with a email and maybe someone will remember you, but maybe not. They can certainly be worth attending but don’t get your hopes up.
@lbad96 - definitely do not talk about something that personal at a college fair. It would show that you are lacking judgement as to the right time and place.
There are usually opportunities in the application itself to explain these situations, or even better to have your guidance counselor mention it in their recommendation. Then, if you have the chance to talk to an admissions person one-on-one while visiting the school or some other time, you can mention whatever it is you are talking about. But even then, keep it concise and matter-of-fact. You don’t want to come across like you are making excuses or looking for sympathy, which is always the danger when bringing these things up. I understand that you sometimes have to put these things out there to explain the record, but you just don’t want to overplay it.
Ah. I see. How would I contact a regional rep if they’re not at the college fair?
@ibad96 - Telephone or email, unless you are planning on visiting the campus sometime. Then you could make an appointment to meet. Most colleges have a way of finding out via their web site who in admissions covers your area, but if they don’t just call the admissions office and ask. There is nothing wrong with being proactive and contacting them.
The regional reps job is to get to know, and advocate for, the applicants from their area. Hopefully, your rep will be conscientious and work on your behalf.
@fallenchemist @numbersfun thanks! And it’s LBad96, btw
For the Class of 2015, stay focused! Even if it means you’ll have to miss your favorite team deliver the knockout blow in game 7 of the world series or the next Disney or Marvel film in theaters, cause let me tell you that your favorite sports team or movie franchise isn’t worth more than your future (almost 100% of people do see at least their favorite sports team win a championship sometime in their life anyways, so you aren’t missing much)! Your grades aren’t the only thing that matters, but they do matter a great deal!
Oh yeah, and do understand that there’s no such thing as a bad college (unless they swindle you out of your savings or something illegal). There might be better colleges, but so-called rankings, specifically US News rankings, are extremely subjective and biased for the most part. Don’t become a power elite follower. Do choose the college that suits your financial and personal needs best while also providing you with the education you desire.
Do understand too that college admissions officers are extremely biased. They say their admissions review is holistic, but that’s total BS, for lack of a better term. There are things like legacy, racial/minority preferences, and other factors that go into the process too but sort of float under the radar. So if you don’t get into HYPS or the like, don’t feel like you’re worth less than those who did. Oh yeah, and on a side note, don’t over congratulate the ones who did either. They want the attention. Don’t give it to them!
Seriously, if you haven’t done something outside of the classroom yet, you have some serious catching up to do. Nobody likes a student that’s only book smart. Get a summer job or something. I really can’t state this any less blunt.
Don’t read too much into the stats of a college. The 25/75 stats can can be good for determining whether a college is a reach/match/safety, but once is enough. If you dive too deep (ex. racial breakdown, scattergrams, etc.), you can set yourself up for a major heartbreak.
Unless you’re a really top notch student, don’t apply early. Early decision/action acceptance rates are higher, but the pool is also way more academically qualified as well. So save yourself some stress and utilize regular decision. And if you’re applying rolling decision (ex. UCs), don’t submit too late, but don’t submit too early either. You need the time to proofread and prevent careless errors from popping up on your application!
Remember for non-Common App schools, there may be more paperwork to fill out!
When choosing a major, do understand that there’s a difference between a hobby and a job. Go for something more specialized, such as computer science, electrical engineering, pharmacy, etc (aka hard skills). Avoid, and I mean avoid, majors such as general psychology, anthropology, and even economics, unless they will branch out into more specific fields (aka soft skills). If you are interested in a soft subject such as psychology, you can always minor, but do focus your attention on a skill that can make you good money in the future. And if you’re really, really stuck as to what major you will choose, going undecided isn’t going to make you look any worse.
Do get multiple people to proofread your essay, but don’t feel like you must please every single one of them by incorporating every single element they tell you to. After all, it’s an essay about you. There needs to be a balance. I recommend asking one person to proofread for spelling/grammar and only spelling/grammar and someone else to proofread for content. And while your english teacher would be good for spelling/grammar, they’re not be the best choice for content. Talk with someone with actual experience in college essays over content.
The issue of college interviews will come up late in the college application period. Do prepare, but don’t prepare your butt off. And while you shouldn’t wear jeans or a t-shirt, don’t wear a tuxedo either. It’s not a college interview, and your interviewer is, no matter what qualifications s/he says s/he has, just as normal as you are.
Don’t fall behind on deadlines for things such as housing during second semester senior year! You snooze, you lose! That translates into a summer break filled with more stress than you would like.
If you’re taking an AP class senior year that will not earn you any college credit for the college you choose to attend, save that extra $100 or so bucks. But if you can earn college credit, do try to get a 5. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle by passing out of some lower-division classes.
Even if your college will start in late-September or even early-October (this is especially the case in California), don’t slack off. If you know what major you’re doing, try to find books that can help you get ahead! If you don’t, try to discover yourself some over the summer.
Sorry for being so long, and I’m really sorry if I copied anything from you KeDIX1414, but college selection is a very important part of life. Of course, it’s not the only thing in life, and doing your best during the process certainly does not guarantee admission to your dream school, but why unnecessarily handicap yourself by screwing up?
All this being said, do make your senior year an enjoyable one as well. Keeping everything in perspective will help you accomplish this while there are deadlines all around you. I wish you all a wonderful college application process!
This makes no sense to me. A few well placed EA applications seems highly rational.
IMO a very narrow view of life, not to mention no one has a crystal ball. If everyone did what you are suggesting the job market would be glutted with people in only a few fields. Many studies have shown that people with “soft” majors do as well in the course of their careers, on average.
I am confused by this.
My advice is to have as rigorous a schedule as possible in your senior year. You’ll never know if that is the determining factor in a decision. I’m convinced my D was admitted to a reach school, partially based on her senior year first semester grades. She received an email from the school that her application was now complete and they could start reviewing her file . . . on February 28. I wondered where her file had been for the previous three months. I figured that 1) the school had summarily sent out the email to all the denied applicants or 2) admissions had waited until they received her first semester grades to make a decision. And I’m proud of my D that she decided to take 4 AP classes in her senior year. Was it necessary to have that rigorous of a schedule for all the schools she applied to? No, but if you’re applying to some of the reach schools definitely yes.
And this was after my D texted me during the first week of school asking “Do senior grades count for college?” Really, you’re asking your semi-obsessed mom that question? Come on!
@LibbyT - you’re absolutely correct. Go for the rigorous classes. No first rate school wants to see you just throw in the towel on rigor as a senior. If you haven’t already taken all the math, foreign language, science, English and SS classes your school has to offer, take them now. Maybe you have some free periods available for more fun classes or things you didn’t have time for earlier, but that can be made clear by your GC when he/she includes the class offerings available to you at your high school. Maybe senior year is when you step up and take a leadership position in student government or National Honor Society, or a club that interests you. Point is: you can’t slack off senior year.
@LibbyT yes totally agree. Don’t slack off senior year and only take 5 classes and no APs. Do take rigorous classes: first semester stats make it to colleges! Colleges hate it when you experience a significant drop off in performance and effort senior year.
@fallenchemist whoops I meant job interview.
I guess I should clarify the early application part. I meant in terms of Ivy League and comparable institutions. Seriously, if you’re an average student, you don’t stand a chance in the early pool. That being said, I’ll give it to you that applying to an institution like Purdue early may not be a bad idea.
About majors, there are clinical psychologists that do well, but the unemployment rate is incredibly high. The reason our job market is not flooded with only engineers is because, well, you said it yourself: there are always people that major in things like psychology and anthropology. Just take my words as recommendations and not necessarily what you must do. Understand, though, that in the end, you need to make money. And the fact that an incredibly large number of people are still majoring in things like psychology when the unemployment rate remains high really alarms me. If you firmly believe in a psychology major, to name one, do minor in something like engineering so you have something to fall back onto. No, really, I mean it, don’t risk anything. If you find a job as a clinical psychologist, great for you! But if you don’t, there are several companies that need engineers to do work for them :-D. I just want all of you to be happy because when you’re out of work with no income and nobody wants to hire you, it’s a lot worse than doing a job you don’t necessarily like, but can put up with. Of course, being an engineer as opposed to a psychologist or an anthropologist doesn’t guarantee you’ll definitely land a job, but why unnecessarily handicap yourself?
@collegeamateur - Ah, job interview. That makes much more sense now, lol. And I agree with that, a college interview doesn’t have to be very formal at all. These days they would probably think you were weird. And you are also right that there is no need to spend hours memorizing every fact about a school, such as knowing the names of the founder’s children from the early 18th century. At the same time, it is important that the interviewee knows enough about the school to be able to intelligently answer the question “So why do you want to attend Whatsamatta U?” with more than “It’s a great school” or “Because it is so famous” or “Because so-and-so was a graduate” or anything else similarly inane.
Given your clarification about early apps, I now also agree. One should be realistic about one’s chances and if the applicant is truly average, then applying to an Ivy or similar school shouldn’t even be on the table, much less early action. But it makes a lot of sense to get a decision on a match or “safety” school early so the pressure is off. I guess I would basically say to someone, “Why not?”.
But as for the big question, the major and the job market. I think one mistake you are making is that you are equating major with actually working in that field. Most don’t when their major is in the “soft” subjects. Obviously most philosophy majors don’t make a living being philosophers, or history majors being historians. But one of the general characteristics of people that major in these, as well as several other subjects, is that they get very good at strong reading comprehension and analysis, and writing skills to communicate large quantities of information clearly and concisely. These have proven to be valuable traits for many jobs. And for psychology, sure I get it that most don’t go on for a PhD and practice clinical psychology. But people oriented that way can do very well in areas such as human resources, sales and sales management, market research, etc. I don’t think the unemployment rate is really related to major chosen unless one is determined to actually find a job in art history. Then for sure you will have an issue. BTW, can you actually minor in engineering? Perhaps, I just haven’t heard of that.