College Application
Strategy for Seniors
College Application Tips
Make sure to put your name and Social
Security Number (or student ID number assigned by a particular
college, if you know it) on every page of application materials you
mail to colleges.
Don’t leave any blanks on application forms; fill out everything. If
a question does not apply to you, it is recommended writing the answer
of “Not Applicable” or “NA”.
Make sure you application materials are neat and clean. Check
spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Everything you mail to your colleges should have a cover
letter explaining the contents of the envelope.
If you academic record has some negative “hiccups” (such
as a semester of poor grades or a low SAT®/ACT® score), consider
using the designated space for comments on college applications to write
a brief explanation. If there is no space for comments, write a
letter of explanation. Be sure to provide insights on how you overcame
the situation and as a result, learned something about yourself or became
a stronger person.
For example, if you experienced a family medical situation during a
semester of poor grades (or at the time you earned low score on the SAT®),
explain how you were distracted by your family situation but worked through
the difficult times and the following semester (or next time you took
the SAT®), you regained your focus and earned top grades (or earned
an improved SAT® score). You don’t want college admission
officers to assume that your poor grades or low test scores were the
result of simple laziness.
Also, consider discussing obvious negative “hiccups” on
your academic record during face-to-face meetings with admission officers. A
face-to-face meeting will allow you to provide details and answer questions.
If you have special circumstances that involve family finances that
are not fully addressed in financial aid process, you may wish to include
a letter
of special circumstance in your college application packet to explain
the situation.
Be super careful when you mail documents to colleges. Make sure
the documents you mail are intended for that school. You don’t
want to send letters and forms to the University of Southern California
addressed to Southern Methodist University. A mix up of sending
the wrong documents to a college will probably get you rejected.
Double check the contents of all envelopes you mail. Make sure
everything that is supposed to be in the envelopes is actually in the
envelopes (signed and dated if required).
Verify mailing addresses are correct before mailing any information.
Mail all documents using U.S. Certified Mail with a Return Receipt.
PARENTS! Be careful not to create a perfect image
of your student that will come across on application materials as “fabricated
by parents.” College admission officers use critical reading,
intuition and common sense to detect students whose application, essay,
and résumé are written/constructed by adults (parents or
consultants). Admission officers only want students who submit
application materials that are genuinely created by the student.
PARENTS! If there’s a need to contact a college admission
officer (by phone, e-mail or regular mail), your student should make
the contact. It’s not acceptable for parents to make contact;
it gives admission officers the impression that you’re an overbearing
parent and/or your student is too dependent on you and is not ready to
be on their own at college. However, if there’s a question
regarding financial aid, it’s alright for parents to call financial
aid officers because officers know students lack the financial knowledge
to fully understand all aspects of scholarships, grants, and loans. |
