The College Admissions Scoop: Making the Most of Written Portion of the College Application

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

The college essay and the short paragraphs are important parts of the college application. Further, by the time students apply, they are usually the only parts of the application over which the student still has control. If these statements are written with care, they can help the student to stand out from other applicants and to present a dynamic, personal and memorable picture to the admission staff. Students should plan on writing many drafts.

Essays that talk about too much end up sounding watered-down. Students should remember that it is not about telling the admissions committee what they have done - admission representatives can pick that up from the student's list of activities - rather, it is about showing the admissions committee the applicant’s unique qualities and characteristics.

Here are some important essay tips for students:

• Don’t tell the reader what you think the reader wants to hear. You’ll be wrong! Just be yourself.
• Don’t use one hundred words when ten words will do well, if not better.
• Don’t submit your first draft; it’s probably not your best work.
• Don’t keep at it just to get it done. Allowing at least a day between drafts will help you decide if your writing says what you want to it to say in the best way possible.
• Don’t give it to 10 people to read.  Limit the feedback you receive, otherwise it will sound like it was written by a committee instead of an individual – you.
• Do remember to proofread.

Proofread again! It’s your critical responsibility to proofread your entire application, including the essay, before hitting the submit button. The easiest way to proofread an application is to read it out loud, not to yourself, but actually out loud. When possible you should print a preview of your application to proofread out loud, and then keep for your files. 

The College Admission Scoop: Begin College Applications Now to Make the Fall Less Stressful

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Don’t wait - begin now!  If you wait to begin the college application process until school resumes in the fall, you’ll find the added workload to be about the same as having added another full course!  Also, many unexpected things can occur during the fall of senior year that could prevent you from giving the application process your all.  So, don’t delay.

Starting early will give you time to think carefully about how you are going to present yourself to the admissions committee.  The college essay, the personal statement and the various short paragraphs are all important parts of the college application.  Importantly, by the time you apply, they are the only parts of your application over which you will still have control over.  To put “your best foot forward”, you will need to devote considerable thought, time and effort to your writing.  If they are written with care, your statements can help you to stand out from other applicants, and present a dynamic, personal and memorable view of yourself to the admission staff.  You should plan on doing many drafts.

The Common Application goes live for 2011-2012 on August 1^st.  Other applications will follow suit during the month of August.  Here are some reminders to make the process less stressful:

During the Summer:

• Schedule interviews as early as possible, since slots will book up.
• Create a timeline for each school you are applying to. Be sure to make note of important deadlines.
• Register for fall standardized tests.
• Visit schools.
• Register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse if you are interested in DI or DII sports and if you want to be recruited. Develop a list of your extracurricular activities.  

Once School Begins:

•  Request letters of recommendation.  Give your teachers information about you to spark their memory.  Give them plenty of time to meet deadlines.
• Request a copy of your high school transcript and check it for accuracy.
• Decide if you are applying using early decision or early action plans, or to any schools using rolling admissions.  Complete those applications first.

The College Admissions Scoop: Tough Breaks and Silver Linings

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

For some high school students and their parents the perceived risk of failing to get into the schools of their choice can be very stressful.  For new or soon to be college graduates, the risk of rejection by a graduate school or a potential employer can be similarly stressful.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Take a deep breath, and then tell yourself that failing to get into the school you want to attend or landing the job you thought perfect, can become a good thing -  especially when you use “failing” as the spark to ignite your strength and resilience.  "Failure is not the opposite of success, it is the stone to success," Arianna Huffington told the Sarah Lawrence class of ’11 in her graduation speech. And, Conan O’Brien told the Dartmouth Class of “11 that “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.”

Watch Conan O'Brien's speech here :

Watch Arianna Huffington's speech here:

Rising Seniors: Letters of Recommendation - Choose Teachers Wisely

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Rising seniors, it’s time to think about who you will ask to write your letters of recommendation for college.  Choose your teachers wisely.

The Common Application requires two letters of recommendation from teachers.  Other applications ask for one teacher recommendation and some require none.  Sometimes, colleges prefer that you choose teachers from core academic subjects. It is important that you read the application instructions for each college you are applying to and follow the directions carefully.

Here are four things to think about when choosing teachers to write letters of recommendation: 

1. Will each teacher add something new about you – a new dimension? If both teachers say the same thing, you are giving up an opportunity to add more depth to your application
2. Can each teacher you chose speak about your intellectual curiosity? How you learn?  What you do when things become difficult? Can they talk about you as an individual? You want the person or the committee reading your application to know about you, separately from the other students who are applying from your high school.
3.  It is not always best to choose the teacher for the class where you received a good grade or even your best grade. Sometimes the teacher who can talk about your perseverance, your ability to work hard and your individuality will be able to write a more effective letter.
4. After the teacher agrees to write your recommendation, you may want to consider giving the teacher a one page resume that not only details your activities (in school and outside of school), your leadership abilities and your hobbies, but includes what you liked best about the class.  Doing so may provide the teacher with information that can be used to write a stronger letter; it may also indicate to the teacher that you take this seriously, and appreciate the time and effort that he will devote to writing a letter on your behalf.

Go With Your Gut and Other Thoughts on Choosing a College

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, MSW, CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

Congratulations!  Now you get to choose, but time is running out!  If you are having trouble deciding which college to attend, here are some helpful ways of approaching this choice.

First, if possible, visit your top choices. Even if you visited the campus before, it’s great to visit again now that you’re in the driver’s seat.  Colleges will be doing their best to woo you, which means you’ll have the chance to meet professors and administrators, speak with current students and visit classes

Second, consider the academic offerings, location and student life when you are making your decision.  Ask questions - don’t be satisfied with merely number of courses offered.  And, remember that your interests might change.  It is good to find out how easily you can take courses outside of your major and about any difficulties encountered by students in scheduling courses.        

Third, think about the location of the school.  Do students have a vibrant campus life or do they flee to the nearest urban area on weekends?  Do students like the town or city in which the school is located, or is the surrounding area tough to access and enjoy?  Is the school isolated from or well-integrated with the local community?       

Fourth, try to envision yourself among the student body.  This is usually pretty intuitive. Is there a particularly dominant social scene at the school, and if so, is it something you would like to be part of?  Do different types of students all get along well, or do ethnic and social groups segregate?  Notice how people relate in public areas like the cafeteria or library.           

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, go with your gut.  And, remember that it is up to you make your own college experience when you arrive on campus.  The school you feel is best is probably the best school for you.

The College Admissions Scoop: Selective Schools Grasp at Reasons to Deny

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Every morning, I post to College Planning Services, Inc.’s Facebook page links to articles that I feel offer something interesting about higher education and the college and graduate school admission process.  One of today’s links was to the podcast of The Brian Lehrer Show: College Letters.  Today, the day students across the country, and the world, will hear from a small group of highly sort after colleges and universities, Lehrer airs a highly relevant interview with Jacques Steinberg, education writer for the New York Times.   

To my surprise I agree with most everything that Steinberg says.  I agree especially that the admissions process “is not fair.”  Steinberg tells listeners not to put stock into what rejection means because the process can be highly subjective.  As an example, Lehrer plays an excerpt from the recent Tova Smith NPR broadcast Behind the Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst. Listeners hear that a student is rejected because the reviewer does not like the first sentence in the student’s essay, which she interpreted as not showing intellectual passion, but rather showing a passion for just music.  This example showcases, according to Steinberg, how admissions officers at the highly selective schools are sometimes “grasping for reasons to say no.”

To all the parents who will be hurting tonight because their children were denied, take a deep breath, swallow your disappointment and move forward. Your child was just one of the unlucky ones. Your child is still the same intelligent, curious and wonderful person he or she was before the denial.  Where a person attends college does not determine success in life.  It is up to your child to determine his or her own success. 

The College Admissions Scoop: Seniors Focus on Your Acceptances

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

A college admission decision is not a vote on who you are as a person, what you have or have not accomplished, or what you would or would not bring to that school. It is the nature of admissions that when there are more qualified applicants than there are spaces, some very talented individuals will not be accepted. As such, a denial shouldn’t be taken personally or too seriously. It doesn’t change your talent and promise one bit.

If you have made a thoughtful and dynamic list of schools, you will have some excellent choices. April is a month when schools work hard to woo their admitted students, and you should take advantage of opportunities to visit these campuses, meet other admitted students, and speak to current students at these schools. Now the tables are turned, and the decision is up to you. Use this opportunity wisely. You might have to recalibrate some of your initial priorities, but you will have plenty of chances to get to know the schools well and make the right decision for yourself. You have the ability to make your choice the “perfect fit.”

The College Admissions Scoop: Acceptance is Unpredictable

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

As March gets under way, colleges will come out of hibernation and begin to send out decisions.

If you are admitted, congratulations! You have proved that you have worked incredibly hard, you have shown that you can clearly do the work and that you would be an amazing addition to the school.

If you are not admitted, you have proved that you have worked incredibly hard, you have shown that you can clearly do the work and that you would be an amazing addition to the school.

So wait, why didn’t you get in?

The college admissions process is not random, but it is highly unpredictable. Admissions committees are thoughtful, thorough, and deeply invested in appreciating who you are as an applicant. But from the position of the applicant, it is indeed unpredictable because you can only see what you present to the school. You cannot see the vast pool of applications from which they are choosing, and you cannot know how your unique set of strengths and contributions will fit with their priorities for shaping a class. In 2007, Richard H. Shaw, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Stanford University wrote, “ I wish there were a formula to explain who is accepted and who isn't, but the decision-making is as much art as it is science. Each class is a symphony with its own distinct composition and sound; the final roster is an effort to create harmony, and that means that some extraordinary bass players don't get a chair. What's more, even among my staff there are legitimate differences about applicants.”

So, don’t spend time and energy on why you weren’t accepted. Focus instead on all the wonderful choices you have.

The College Admissions Scoop: Deferred Dos and Don'ts

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

Note to parents: If your child has been deferred, there are steps he or she should take to remain a viable applicant.

Seniors, if you have been deferred from an early school, being proactive may help when your application is considered within the larger regular pool of applicants. Here are some important dos and don’ts.

Do:

• KEEP UP YOUR GRADES. Committees will look carefully at this when making their final decisions.
• Restate your interest in the school in a brief letter that you send in January or February. The purpose of this letter is not to re-frame your entire application or to build your resume; the Committee already has the information they believe that they need to make a final decision in April. However, this letter can be helpful to confirm that this school would be your first choice if you were admitted. The letter tells them that you remain interested despite having been deferred.
• Update the Committee on any additional accomplishments or developments in your application. It is helpful to do this, but only if you have something that will add substantively to your application. Tell them about a significant award you have received or if particular circumstance has changed.
• Ask your guidance counselor to call the school to see if there is a specific reason for the deferral, but note that for the majority of applicants it isn't any one thing. If you are not comfortable having your guidance counselor call on your behalf, then call the school yourself.

Do Not:

• HAVE A DIP IN GRADES. An admissions committee will look unfavorably on students who have let their grades fall in their senior year. This applies to all the schools you have applied to.

• Have Mom or Dad call the school - admissions representatives want to hear from students!
• Re-craft yourself by sending new letters of recommendation, new resumes, or new essays.
• Send the Committee a copy of every article you have published for the school newspaper since your deferral.
• Tell the Committee about every extracurricular activity in which you have ever participated.

While a deferral is disappointing, be sure to keep things in perspective. After the first semester at college, most students report that they are very happy and doing well at the school that they chose and that chose them. Remember, all the schools on your list are there because you know that they are places where you can be successful academically and happy socially. It is more about what you will do with the four years at college than the particular school.

In our experience, things tend to work out for the best and they will for you too!