@rejnel Well said.
I know that many are against the idea of applying to a list of schools, especially in regards to potential rejections and applying to schools and taking up another student’s spot just because they were easy to add on to the Common App, but at the end of the day it’s a survival technique, pure and simple. Speaking from experience (I’m a high school senior), I applied to 15 schools and probably would have applied to more if I had had more time in my schedule. Yes, apply to a couple safeties and definitely apply to a handful of middle-grounds or “fits,” but as everyone knows, all bets are off when it comes to more selective institutions (& when financial aid is also a factor, the more colleges/options the better). I was accepted to eight, rejected from three, and waitlisted at four. Ivy Day saw some surprises (but ultimately a slaughter), and I thought that I would be ending up at a college that, while known world-wide for great academics and who was offering a large FA package, just wasn’t where I wanted to be. Sure, the rejections were awful, but the <em>feeling that I would be attending a school where I was neither happy nor comfortable</em> was by far the worse feeling. My second-to-last college decision saw an acceptance to one of my top three schools.
My ultimate ADVICE: apply apply apply, but be absolutely genuine and make the institute realize just how much you love them.
Visiting schools, especially ones that are far away, are important because visits are tracked (again, at selective colleges). Write your heart out in all of your essays because this is the only part of your application that’s <em>you</em> and not just cold numbers. Think of the essay as your plea for life, because in some instances it quite literally is.
My daughter applied mostly to match schools.
She had three Early Action applications and one rolling admissions.
She had 3 acceptances early on, is attending one of these schools.
The fourth school waitlisted her, even though this school has never waitlisted anyone from my daughter’s HS.
My advice is to apply to a few schools that you would be happy to attend, can afford , and hear back from before RD dates.
I also learned that Naviance history can be misleading.
Some schools have become much more selective in a few years.
“Think of the essay as your plea for life, because in some instances it quite literally is.”
No, FuXiaoBai, a college essay is never a literal plea for one’s life.
I’m a junior and I’ve begun looking at colleges. I have a friend that has already contacted their school of interest and is as good as in. Should I start getting in touch with the schools I’m interested in and their programs? And if so, how do I go about writing or calling them? What should I say?
@Momo13
Honestly, I think it’s a bit early to start contacting them if you don’t know what you intend to say. Figure out some questions based on your interests and your needs first, and I think you’ll make a better impression when you do write in.
Who you address the letter to depends somewhat on the nature of the question. If it’s financial aid related, some schools will want you to email the financial aid office directly. As a prospective student, the majority of your contact will be with the admissions office email. This info is typically available on the school website.
My most important piece of advice for applying students:
Think carefully about what schools you want to go to. Think about WHY you want to go to college. Is it purely for a quality education? Do you really need to go to the “best” possible school? Will your future quality of life really be hurt if you go to your match school?
Also, don’t lose perspective. Your time in college has the potential to be the most expensive four years of your life. If you’re taking out loans or paying your own way, you owe it to yourself to make wise financial decisions that don’t hamstring you in the future. Don’t choose schools solely based on reputation, because you wanna have fun, or because you have something to prove. Think carefully about what kind of value you’ll derive from your chosen field of study.
@Momo13 You contact them by going on their website to the Admissions area and then look for a “Send me more info” kind of link. You will start getting emails. Open those emails and click on the links when you get them. Also, have you visited the colleges? Arrange a visit and an interview if they have them. If there is a school visit or college fair or info session, attend those and talk to the admissions person. Once you get an idea of the school and what you like, you will come up with questions. At that point you can email your admissions rep about them.
- Deadlines can be a problem. Getting things done when the process starts can be a huge advantage, don’t wait until the deadline to get something done.
- College loans should be outlawed or at least not be able to be mentioned ever as ‘aid’. Better that they would only be available directly from the bank so the schools could not tout a loan as some sort of benefit.
- If you really want to go to a particular school or ‘class’ of schools, start in Jr. High and make sure you know how the whole political mess goes. The process has become a parody of itself with people doing ‘ECs’ specifically to get admitted to college rather than doing what they love.
WHEN YOU GET ADMITTED AND COMMIT TO YOUR SCHOOL, IT FEELS LIKE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS ARE OVER!!! ONCE THE FALL SEMESTER STARTS, YOUR PROBLEMS ARE GOING TO START. IT MIGHT START SPRING SEMESTER IF YOUR LUCKY. </p>
College apps can turn the best kid surly. As a parent, the only way to survive is by mutual commitment and civil verbal exchange.
Make sure your high school transcript is received by the college! Call the college or go to their web site to check. Do not wait until the deadline (July 15th?), it will be too late and they will rescind you. They don’t care whose fault it is, yours, your high school’s, or the post office’s. They say it is a student responsibility to check on the status. My son made a mistake with the college admission office address and now his application is rescinded and we already paid a bunch of fees for the dorm.
Finish your safety apps first so you can focus on your more “important” apps. I spent so long on my apps for reach schools that I sent in very rushed essays to my safety/match schools and was worried I wasn’t going to be accepted anywhere for a while.
-> KNOW THE SCHOOLS YOUR GOING TO APPLY INSIDE AND OUT AS IF YOUR A STUDENT ATTENDING THERE. IF YOU SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, NOT KNOWING YOUR SCHOOL WILL DRAW A LARGE RED FLAG.
-> IMPROVE ON YOUR ACADEMIC GRADES THOUGHOUT YOUR FOUR YEARS IN HIGH SCHOOL. AN UPWARD TREND IS BETTER THAN A DOWNWARD TREND. STRIVE BEYOND YOUR POTIENTIAL AND EXCEED YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS. IF YOU ARE NOT TAKING AN AP CLASS, ATTEMPT TO TAKE AN EXAM WITHOUT TAKING THE CLASS.
-> JOIN EC’S THAT YOUR PASSIONATE ABOUT. PRIVATE COLLEGES WILL ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR EC’S BECAUSE THEY WANT TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE A PASSION OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. THIS MIGHT DETERMINE IF YOUR ACCEPTED OR NOT.
-> START BRAINSTORMING ON POTIENTIAL PERSONAL STATEMENT TOPICS LATE JUNIOR YEAR. COLLEGES USUALLY KEEP THE SAME ESSAY TOPICS EVERY YEAR ON THEIR APPLICATIONS. TAKE A SNEAK PEAK ON THEIR APPLICATIONS IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE. I ALSO RECOMMEND LOOKING AT THE COMMON APP. THEY ALMOST NEVER CHANGE ANNUNALLY.
-> GET THOSE APPLICATIONS DONE EARLY. CREATE A SCHEDULE ON WHEN TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION AND SUBMITTING THEM. START WORKING ON THE COMMON APPLICATION PERSONAL STATEMENT DURING THE SUMMER. I ALSO SUGGEST KEEPING CONTACT WITH YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER. THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH GRAMMAR AND OTHER ESSAY STUFF VIA EMAIL DURING SUMMER VACATION.
What does applying “ED” mean?
@cctotop20 It means that you agree to enroll if accepted, and you must apply earlier (around Nov 1).
I covered this more in depth here: <a href=“http://www.imperfectidealist.com/2014/08/college-admissions-advice-from-college.html”>http://www.imperfectidealist.com/2014/08/college-admissions-advice-from-college.html</a>
If you love playing sport, make sure you play competitively at state or even national level. Sport recruitment will be a factor in your admissions and it will definitely help
I just wished I knew to relax more and not fret over my GPA and SAT scores. Many universities take into account each one and take a look over what you did in high school (ECs). I used to get scared that a certain GPA wasn’t high enough or that my SAT wasn’t good enough to get into any college - but truth is there is a place for everyone.
Take risks. Don’t underestimate yourself.
While you should definitely be realistic, don’t be afraid to do something crazy like apply to a reach school you weren’t considering due to its prestige. (You just might be accepted!)
At the end of your junior year, start listing some colleges you are potentially interested in. Over the summer of your senior year, make as many visits as you possibly can.
Take the ACT/SAT as early as you can so you can see what you got and where you need to be if you want to go to a specific school.
Take financial aid/cost of attendance into consideration where you’re applying.
Make a list of about 10-15 schools. I applied to 6 schools and regret not applying to more.
Show interest in the school as best you can via e-mailing the admissions’ rep.
Don’t slack off Senior year. The hard work you do before that can be brought down by your SR year.
Lastly, look into schools that interest YOU. Not schools that your parents(unless they are setting standards to how far away you can go etc) want you to apply to aside from maybe an in-state school. While your parents’ should definitely be involved in the process, YOU will be the ultimate one receiving an education, so choose the school that makes you the happiest and fits you the best.