In - Your Guide to College Admissions from The Princeton Review

How to Nail the Common Application

It’s time for rising seniors to start thinking about college applications.

Those who plan to apply to selective colleges know that the Common Application is pretty much unavoidable these days. As such, College Admissions Partners recently posted five tips for rocking the Common App. These include the following:

• Keep the personal statement personal.
• Write the activity essay about something that is important to you.
• List your important activities in order of importance.

Click here for more on these and other tips from College Admissions Partners.

Questions You Shouldn’t Ask College Reps

The college representatives you meet during campus visits and college fairs will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about their school.

While these reps can be a great resource in your college search, you should keep in mind that they’re also gathering some information—about you. They’ll file your conversation with the admissions office and note whether it was generally negative or positive. This will be part of your application if you decide to apply.

So, before you ask a question of a college rep, take a moment to consider how it will reflect on you as a potential applicant.

Some questions are unnecessary. (If you can find the answer on the college’s website, it falls under this category.) Such questions can make you seem like a less-than-serious candidate.

Others questions are inappropriate. (If you’d be embarrassed to ask it in front of your parents, it might be better to save it for a student at the school rather than an official rep.) Such questions can create doubts about your maturity level.

Writing on The Choice, the president of Lipscomb University recently advised potential applicants to think before asking the following questions of college reps:

• Do you have my major?
• Where am I going to live?
• Who is on the faculty?
• Is this a party school?

Click here to read more about each one on The Choice.

Rising Seniors: Meet the Common App

Students reading the Common Application for the first time are often surprised by its complexity.

Why is it so complex? The 456 colleges and universities that accept it all employ a “holistic” approach to admissions—i.e., they consider many different factors beyond grades and test scores in their decisions.

Fortunately, rising seniors can get to know the Common App before they begin the application process; a preview of the 2012–2013 Common App is now available.

Prior to the summer, you should familiarize yourself with the Common App to get a sense of its breadth and length. During the summer, you should contemplate your strategy for its various sections—e.g., the essay topic you’d like to use, the extracurriculars you’d like to list.

Click here to read more on the Montgomery Educational Consulting blog.

How to Find a Topic for Your Admissions Essay

Every year, without fail, the Common Application allows brave students to choose their own topic for its essay.

While this option gives students an opportunity to be unique, it also produces pressure to find the “right” topic.

It’s been said before that any topic can work (it’s what you do with it that counts). However, some topics are better than others. The best ones will allow you to reveal your distinct character and personality.

The summer before your senior year is a great time to think about potential topics for your essay. A recent post on The Choice provides some great advice on how to find topics that work for you. Click here to check it out.

A Tale of Two Waitlists

Decision day for college applicants has come and gone, and colleges now have a better sense of which applicants will—and won’t—arrive on campus this fall.

So, are waitlisted students now getting a second look?

At some schools, yes; at others, no.

A recent post on the Campus Overload blog investigates the status of the waitlist at several colleges. While some schools have begun to admit a few waitlisted students, others have not admitted any and have no plans to do so. Click here to check out the post.

If you’ve chosen to remain on a particular school’s waitlist, it’s not a bad idea to contact them at this juncture. Ask whether they are beginning to admit waitlisted students and, if so, how many.

Comparing Application Essays and Regular Essays

Students get plenty of practice writing essays in school. Despite this, many are unnerved by the application essay.

Yes, it’s a high-stakes assignment. However, this alone doesn’t explain students’ overwhelming apprehension.

Simply put: the application essay is different from any other writing project students have had to this point. And they understand that they lack experience with essays of this type.

A recent post on the blog of the Independent Educational Consultants Association articulates the main difference between application essays and regular essays. Its main theme can be summarized by the following quote:

School essays come from your head, while application essays come from your heart. If anyone else could write that essay, you need to toss it out and start again.

Click here to check out the full post. To see a collection or real application essays by successful college applicants, check out our book, College Essays that Made a Difference.

Choosing Senior-Year Classes

If you’re a college-bound student, it can be tempting to think that your transcript is more or less complete by the end of your junior year.

It is true: you might not earn any new grades before you apply to college as a senior. However, a recent post from Montgomery Educational Consulting reminds that colleges will carefully look at the classes you choose for your final year of high school. Your senior-year schedule should be just as challenging—if not more challenging—than the one you had as a junior.

For more info on choosing senior-year classes, check out the full post from Montgomery Educational Consulting.

Seniors: Don’t Forget to Say “Thanks” (and “No, Thanks”)

“Decision day” for college applicants is here.

For those who have just chosen a school, this might feel like the long-awaited conclusion to the admissions process. However, there are a few things you’ll want to wrap-up after you mail your deposit.

A recent post on The Choice lays out a solid plan for the final leg of your journey to college. It includes the following tips:

• College admissions isn’t a solo endeavor—say “thank you” to the teachers, counselors, coaches, and relatives who have helped you get to this point.
• Don’t assume colleges know what you think—say “no, thank you” to the schools whose admission or waitlist offers you wish to decline.

Click here to read more about these and other tips for college-bound seniors.

To Impress Colleges, Be a Leader

Admissions officers love to see leadership positions on college applications. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a leader, Steve Sterling at MyCollegeCalendar.org says there are many activities you can do to show your drive and enthusiasm. These include being an officer in a club, fundraising, and starting a business. Click here to learn more.

Juniors: The Application Process Begins Now

If you’re a high school junior, it’s time to start getting your ducks in a row for the fall application process.

Montgomery Educational Consulting recently suggested 10 things juniors should do before the summer begins. These include the following:

• Visit a college or two.
• Talk to your senior friends about the admissions process.
• Approach teachers about recommendations.
• Brainstorm essay topics.
• Request info from the colleges on your list.

Click here to read more about these and other activities for juniors.