Summer is the right time to get ahead of the college application process
June 8th, 2021Summer is here for Kentucky students! Although our advisees in some other regions remain in school a little while longer, I think we’ll all welcome a cleansing exhale following the unusual school year. We hope everyone finds time to enjoy the break from structure that the start of summer brings.
Rising seniors: after a little break, I highly recommend getting ahead of your college application work, little by little. It can really ease the pressure when fall semester of senior year begins. While specific college questions may not be available until August 1st, you can begin chipping away at the Common App throughout the summer.
Because essay writing is one of the most important aspects of your college application, we encourage students to begin brainstorming and drafting prose in the summer months. Use this time to set the central spirit of your message, which will become the foundation for the rest of your application prompt responses. Most importantly, the stress-free summer months are an ideal time for self-reflection and creativity as you begin this process.
To get started, take a few minutes to read the article below from “The College Essay Guy,” one of the best resources we have found on this topic. You’ll learn what colleges are looking for in an essay, and how this differs from academic essays, i.e. what you would write in English class. I highly encourage you to take time to explore the entire site, as there is plenty of useful information throughout (and much of it free!) .
Article referenced below from The College Essay Guy
What do colleges look for (in a college essay)?
In the long, long ago, when I first started my college applications, I felt a little lost as to what exactly I was supposed to be doing.
What were colleges looking for from me?
Luckily, I’ve spent many, many years since then figuring those things out. And I’d love to share them with you.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- The differences between a college essay an English class essay
- How to show who you are through what you value
- Qualities of a strong college essay
- Options for structuring a personal statement/college essay
- Differences between a personal statement and supplemental essays
Read more at The College Essay Guy>>
Tagged: Common application, Essays, Summer
You hit submit, now what?
February 4th, 2020Regular decision applications have been sent off for review and early action deferrals will soon be reviewed again: the waiting game is in full force. For some high school seniors who sent their applications in the fall, a lot can happen between their submission and the final decision in March. Is there anything applicants can do to increase their chances of admission during this downtime? Sure!
When significant progress has been made since the application was sent off, updating your profile can make a difference in the outcome. Many times students are able to use the update link through their portal on the college’s website and I believe this is always the best path if offered. If not, emailing one’s admission contact or the regional admission officer is wise, with clarity in the subject line, such as “Update information for (full name), Fall 2020 applicant.”
If you have been questioning whether or not you should provide an update to your application, the article linked below from Medium will help you make that call.
Article referenced below from Medium.com published February 15, 2019 written by Theo Wolf
Guide to Sending an Update to Colleges After Applying
So you’ve sent in your applications and now you’re nervously waiting to hear back. You might be wondering if there’s anything more you can do to help sway the decision. The answer is yes! While we don’t recommend inundating the admissions office with updates (there’s a classic story known in college admissions circles about a kid who sent postcards to the admissions office every week), in some cases it can be helpful to send an update to the schools you’ve applied to.
Should I submit an update?
You should submit an update to colleges if you have made significant progress in some aspect of your candidacy story, whether you’ve greatly developed your Spike, won a major award, received serious recognition from a well-known website, etc. If you haven’t done anything noteworthy, an update email is unnecessary, as it will be unlikely to move the needle on your application and may actually annoy admissions officers (they have a massive amount of reading to do this time of year). You don’t need to send an update on grades (unless it’s requested of you), since that will be in your counselor’s midyear report. We particularly recommend an update if the college cares about demonstrated interest.
Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College, Common application, Early action
Important college application information you don’t want to miss
September 17th, 2019We’re a little over one month into the school year here in Kentucky, and our seniors both near and far have been working diligently on college applications throughout the summer. As their work continues, students are narrowing down college lists and organizing timelines for the application season. Those who are applying Early Action or Early Decision are in an especially productive mode!
Through all of this, many applicants often wonder what college admissions officers are really looking for. With the article linked below, we hope you will find the answers you are looking for.
Article linked below from Forbes, published on July 30, 2019, written by Brennan Barnard
Admission Deans Share Tips For College Applications
The end of summer feels imminent—not just because the airwaves are inundated with back-to-school advertisements, but also due to the growing frequency of calls to my high school counseling office. With the school year approaching, college applications are weighing heavily on rising seniors’ minds. While colleges and universities have a variety of application plans and deadlines, many students can expect to have at least one application due by early November. Yes, this is over three months away, but the fall can be hectic with classes, sports and activities.
Some students will undoubtedly procrastinate until just days or hours before their first application deadline. However, twenty years of guiding students through this experience has proven that this approach rarely ends well. It usually leads to poorly written essays, hastily drafted supplements and sloppily completed applications. Instead of waiting until the pressure is on, students are well advised to be proactive; the following wisdom from admission leaders offers guidance about how best to do this.
Tagged: Applications, Common application, Early action, Early decision
Summer is the right time to tackle the Common Application and main essay
July 9th, 2019
We have officially entered into the “dog days of summer,” typically the most sweltering stretch of this season. For high school seniors, this is the perfect opportunity to spend a few hours in air conditioning and get a head start on college applications.
Don’t wait until school starts, when you’ll be overwhelmed with new classes and activities. Follow the steps below to get a jump start on college applications now.
- If you haven’t yet done so, set up your account(s) at www.commonapp.org and/or http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
- Be generous with details as you list and describe activities, work experiences and academic honors.
- If space in Activities and Honors sections seems insufficient to explain fully, the “Additional Information” portion of the writing section is a great place for supporting details.
- Everything you’ve put time and energy into during your high school years, summers included, is worth describing.
- Your main essay should provide insight into who you are and complement the balance of your application
- Think of yourself as a Hollywood screenwriter telling a story packed with vivid details! The story should help readers understand how you think, and what makes you tick.
- Brainstorm topics and make notes about how best to develop ideas before beginning to draft prose.
- Caution: supplements currently showing up in Common App are for the admission cycle just completed, so should not be tackled; after the Common App refreshes August 1, new supplements for your application cycle will begin to appear
- In the meantime, some college admission websites will feature their essay and short answer questions for the upcoming cycle’s supplement, so you may have a chance to begin work on these.
- When responding to supplement questions asking, “Why this college?” respond with concrete details demonstrating your depth of knowledge and understanding about the institution. Discuss areas of study, down to course names and faculty research interests. Mention extracurricular organizations by name. Show colleges where you’ll plug in, where you’ll make a difference. One more tip: avoid references to reputation, beauty of campus, special shops nearby since these are widely understood as mere space-fillers.
Rising seniors will start the academic year right if their Common Application (and/or others they’re submitting) are largely complete by the start of fall term. Use the summer to move application and essay work forward, and we promise you’ll be glad you did.
Tagged: Applications, College, Common application, Essays, Summer
