Top 6 Mistakes Made During the College Application Season
The college application is the primary way for a college admissions team to see whether a student is a good fit for its school. This application, with many parts and steps, is how students (and families) try to present themselves in the best light possible in hopes of gaining admissions among thousands of competing prospective applicants.
Over the years working with parents and students on one hand and communicating with various college admissions professionals on the other hand, we have seen many mistakes that are being made year after year. We hope the following tips will help our students submit an error-free application:
1. I gotta submit something by whenever…
Students don’t follow the directions. Students don’t take the time to read the directions carefully to make sure they understand what items are needed to complete their applications. For example, some students mix up “county” with “country.” Many students will often forget to request transcripts from their high schools, forget to request SAT or ACT to send their test scores, forget about a supplemental essay, or forget to ask for recommendations. On essays, students most often miss word count limits or don’t address the essay question asked. If a student asks for a 250- to 600-word limit, make sure that it does not exceed the 600-word limit – not even by a single count. On the other hand, if colleges are giving you the opportunity to tell your story, why settle for a mere 250-word essay? Fully utilize the space (and opportunity) given to answer the right question, but never exceed the limit. Make sure to create a master “to-do” list of all requirements with deadlines and contact information for each school. Never, ever miss a deadline!
2. W.H.A.T.?
Student activity list is full of acronyms and abbreviations. For example, one of our students wrote “HOCR” as one of her activities. Most people would not know that it stands for “Head of the Charles Regatta,” the world largest two-day rowing event. No matter how prestigious the event and her accomplishments may be, if the reader is not familiar with the event, it won’t support the student’s application. Make sure to spell out any ambiguous parts while being frugal with your word choices. This would require the students to carefully consider exactly what activities they would consider to be the most important to include, for example, on the Common Application list of 10 activities.
3. Mommy, where’s my…?
Students’ parents fill out the applications or “heavily edit” the essays FOR the students. Students are the ones seeking admissions into college, not the parents. Many admissions professionals would view the admissions process as a test in itself. If a student cannot handle this process without someone else doing it FOR them, what would compel anyone to believe that the student will be successful in college? Of course, students will need to get some information from the parents; however, for the parts that students should complete (i.e., essays), it would be better for parents to help students build their capabilities in managing the process. Parents should guide, support, and challenge the students (as we do as college consultants) to tell their stories in their own voices.
4. I write really good.
Students don’t apply “good writing” practices on their essays. All the good rules of writing and grammar still apply to college essays. While it’s okay to keep the tone a bit informal and personal (for example, using “I’ve” instead of “I have”), it’s not okay to make careless grammar and writing mistakes. For example, students often misspell the name of their intended major or program.
5. My teacher made my dog eat my homework!
Students use essays to blame others (especially teachers). Even if the student really did have a horrible teacher who gave a bad grade as result of personal vendetta against her, colleges will care more about how she dealt with the situation or a bad grade, not on why she received the bad grade in the first place. Did she seek help outside the class? Did she repeat the course at a community college or online course or even next school year? What did she learn throughout the process about herself? How did she learn to move past the difficulties?
6. Saving face(book)
Students don’t think about the impact of their social media content. Having questionable remarks or photos of themselves on social network sites are increasingly becoming a problem. For example, many schools will invite prospective students to show interest by joining their Facebook pages and participating in discussions or questions. Students should show good judgment in their social media presence and trails.
How Can We Help?
Let us know how we can support you and your family in this college application season. We will help take much of the stress and uncertainty out of the college process, so that you could better enjoy these last few years together before your son or daughter moves on to college and independent living.