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College Counseling - 5 Mistakes You Want to Avoid on College Applications
The college application process can be overwhelming for a busy junior or senior. However, in the highly competitive college admission landscape of today, it is still important that students take the college planning process seriously, getting their application package into the best possible shape. “Much of the groundwork for the college admission process begins the moment students start high school - taking challenging courses, getting involved, and looking for good college counseling. However, when the time comes to research colleges and apply, there are many things students can do to strengthen their applications. Just as it is important to present themselves well, students can also increase their chances for admission by avoiding common application pitfalls.
Here are 5 application mistakes - and tips to avoid them:
1. Incorrect details. Your student wouldn’t be the first to fill out multiple college applications at the same time, even using similar essays, but be sure he or she carefully reviews each and every application before sending it off. Naming the University of Arizona in an application essay for Northwestern University is a sloppy mistake that could be avoided by thoroughly reviewing the application.
2. Failing to address a dip in academic performance. Perhaps your student’s normally strong GPA dropped one semester due to a family tragedy, illness or other situation. Maybe he or she was forced to drop a class due to unforeseen circumstances. Major red flags on your student’s transcript should be addressed in the appropriate place on the application (or in a teacher’s recommendation letter). Admissions officers will appreciate important supplemental information about your student’s academic history.
3. An unoriginal application essay. The application is your student’s opportunity to share with an admissions officer who he or she is, what is important to him or her, or perhaps a meaningful turning point in his or her life. Encourage your student to take time with this important component of the overall application. A unique essay written in your student’s own voice could be the part of the application that convinces a college to extend your student admission. Conversely, a generic essay may give an admissions officer the impression that your student did not care enough to write something personal and thoughtful.
4. Failure to follow directions. Good college counseling warns your student to never assume all college applications are the same. Encourage him or her to read the application carefully, pay attention to deadlines and make certain before sending that no sections are overlooked or incomplete. Your student should review each and every completed application with care and have you, a teacher or a counselor review as well.
5. Sending incomplete applications. Your student should pay close attention to each college’s application checklist and stay in touch with his or her high school guidance counselor to ensure the completed application is not missing any important pieces. Also, if your student applies online or through the Common Application, be sure he or she informs his or her guidance counselor so that transcripts, letters of recommendation or other materials are sent on time.
The college application process is an intense experience - one that your student may simply wish to get over with. Parents should encourage their students to get started early, take their time, and most importantly, avoid these common application blunders. That effort will put students in the best position possible, and will hopefully gain them those coveted acceptance letters to the schools of their choice.”
keywords- college counseling, college applications, college recommendations, college essays
College Counseling Articles Worth Reading
College Admissions - Will You Make the Cut?
When students start their college planning they often wonder how colleges select students for college admission? "Will I get accepted to college?" has also crossed your mind. Today's world of applying to college is more competitive than it's ever been. If you aren't properly prepared, then you will put yourself at a serious disadvantage. In this article, we'll discuss "The Big 3" admission factors that go into a colleges decision to admit you, or not! And here's a hint: One of them is not the number of friends you have on Facebook! Let's take a look at some factors that go into college admission and clear up some of the confusion! The Big 3!
1. GPA - Your GPA is something that starts before your begin your formal college planning. If you had to pick the number one most important aspect of college admission, it would be your Grade Point Average, or GPA. This is the very first thing that they consider on how colleges select students. You're GPA is a great indicator of what type of student you are academically, so that the college admission officers know if you've done well, or not so well. Also, If you've challenged yourself and taken higher level courses like Advanced Placement or Honors, then the colleges will look favorably upon that and often times it will give you a little "boost" in your GPA. Which brings us to our next aspect of The Big 3 and how colleges select students...
2. Class Rank - Your class rank goes hand-in-hand with your GPA. Working on your GPA before you begin your college planning is a good idea. Freshman year is not too soon. The higher the GPA, the better class rank you'll have. For instance, if you've earned a 3.5 out of a possible 4.0, you're class rank will probably be in the top 25% depending on how well your classmates do. Colleges are looking for that class rank that is top 25% or better. If you can break into the top 10% of your graduating class, that will open up many doors to college admission! Class Rank is competitive in most schools, but remember this: the only thing you can control is YOU! Do as well as you possibly can in all of your classes, and let the cards fall. Chances are you will get into that top 25% if you've done the best of your ability, and it will make a huge difference in getting accepted to college!
3. SAT and ACT Score - Last but certainly not least, your ACT and SAT scores are tied into The Big 3 as well. Almost every college in the country (over 2000) accepts the SAT and ACT for college admissions. It is factored in with your GPA and also helps the schools determine how much you've learned in your high school years. Also, doing really well on the SAT and ACT can make up for having a lower GPA in some cases. Certain schools weigh the SAT and ACT scores heavier than GPA/Class Rank, so keep that in mind when you are going through the college planning process.
So after discussing these 3 brief points, you now have a better idea of how colleges select students for admission. If you're reading this early enough in your high school career, (8th grade/freshman/sophomore) then you have a great shot at improving any or all of these with a little effort! This is when you start your college counseling and planning.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=E._Thomas
keywords, college admissions, college counseling, college planning, ACT, SAT, class rank, GPA
College Direction works with students in the metro Denver area including Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, Parker, Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton and mountain communities including Vail, Breckenridge, Grand Lake, and Aspen.
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College Direction's College Counseling Services
Wherever you are in the college admissions process, College Direction can help. Susie Watts can provide your son or daughter with a complete college planning package or blocks of time for specific areas where you may need help.
Comprehensive College Counseling - Flat Fee
Student interest questionaires and college criteria assessments
- Transcript review & high school course suggestions
- Standardized test planning for the SAT and ACT
- ExtracurricularActivities and community service
- College visits and mock interview practice
- Research and provide a personalized college list
- Assistance with brainstorming college essays and critique
- Help with college applications and meeting deadlines
- Researching financial aid and scholarsips
- Getting the best teacher recommendations
Specific College Counseling Services - Hourly or Blocks of Time
- College essays only
- High school student athlete recruiting
- Financial aid and scholarships
- Preparing and assembling applications
- Making the final college choice
- Researching and providing college list only
- Assistance with learning disabilities
- Help for Theater majors.
Common Application - A Simple Guide to College Admissions
The Common Application is geared towards helping a student find and apply to universities online. Currently they have over 300 colleges and universities to apply to including Ivy League schools such as Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton and others. In order for a college or university to become a member of the Common Application, they have to meet certain criteria. Some of those criteria include offering undergraduate degrees, maintaining non-profit status, and being in good standing with NACAC (National Association for College Admissions). The college or university must be accredited. A major requirement is that they must include all of the following in their admission process and evaluation:
An untimed graded paper or essay of at least 250 words.
A college recommendation from a school teacher or counselor. This can be a letter or on a form that allows for a lot of personal comments and remarks.
Have a process that allows for student diversity.
Before you start, however, be sure that your computer meets their specifications or you will run into trouble. You must be using IE 5.0 or greater or one of the following browsers - Safari, Firefox or Netscape 8. In addition, your browser must be java enabled.
Now that you know the technical requirements, let's look at how to fill out the application. First, register with the Common Application organization by supplying basic information such as name, address, birth date, and gender. Select a user name and password and decide if you want to receive emails from colleges prior to submitting an application. Once you submit the registration form, you should get confirmation emails so that they know you really wanted to register. You will then be brought to their instruction page. I would recommend reading this thoroughly as it will make submitting your application error-free easier later on.
Start your application in the BIO section. This is the easiest part of the application process. All you are doing is answering questions about yourself. If a field is required, it will be followed by a yellow dot. These answers are very simple and it's best to get them out of the way. The first two pages are a breeze.
The third page is where you start having to make choices. They ask you what your possible majors and career paths might be. You can choose up to three majors and one career plan (from drop down menus). Give this some thought before you answer. Think about what you really want to do or study. Where does your passion lie? Is it music, art, science, math, language? You may want to consult a professional college admissions counselor to help you decide this. Then you go on to answer questions about financial need, and your current high school. There is a place to enter all awards and for advanced courses. You have only 500 characters to enter awards, certificates, etc. List them separated by commas, not on individual lines. When you have filled out the form, you can print it out for a preview before you send it off to colleges.
A great way to be sure that you have filled this form out correctly is to have a college admissions counselor look over the printed rough draft with you, or you can hire a professional admissions counselor who will absolutely make sure the application is perfect.
There will be an area that deals with the essay on the common application. The questions and prompts are listed. Print them out and study them. Take a lot of time developing your essay. Get a good grammar book and be sure to use it. Relying solely on your spell checker and grammar checker included with MS Word will get you into trouble unless you have it well customized. This is another area where good admissions advice will help you get admitted to the college of your choice instead of going to the local community college.
Now that you know about Common Application and how to use it, you can streamline your college application process, get admissions counseling and write the perfect essay. Developing a great common application will help when you are getting college counseling and should help you get into top colleges.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Blankenship
Narrowing the College Search - The Basics
Where Do I Apply?
Let us start with a reality check: 3,350 of the 3,500 plus colleges in the nation DO NOT turn down more applicants than they accept. So does it make sense to limit yourself to the stressful, hardball game of highly selective college admissions? Only you can answer that. Ideally, you will have a range of colleges on your list, based not only upon selectivity, but also upon the important things: environment, programs, great teaching, or the opportunity to meet interesting people and perhaps lifelong friends, and the chance to be challenged both personally and academically. In the field of college counseling, we call this the right match. There is no perfect college for you; the perfection lies in the opportunities for growth and experience. There are a number of colleges that may be right for you. While it is true that there is undoubtedly a type of college which is more suited to your needs than another type, it is not wise to narrow your sights to only one or two colleges. A better plan is to investigate several possible options so that you can discover what we know: that each one has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Step 1: Factors to Consider in Researching and Selecting a College
What Not To Do:
Do not put any faith in US News and World Report or similar rankings
Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that you will like it or that it will suit your needs. The rankings are based on factors that include things like faculty salaries, average spending per student, alumni giving rate, and the number of students who transfer. While these factors are important to the college, they have little or nothing to do with whether or not you will be happy there.
Do not attend because your best friend's boyfriend didn't like the school
Just because he didn't like the college doesn't mean that you won't. There might be a very specific reason that he was turned off by the school - a weird freshman year roommate or a professor with whom he didn't click. Those things can happen at any school. Be your own person in researching colleges.
Do not incorporate "I heard that..." into your search
Much of the information that floats around about particular colleges is at least 10 years old, sometimes older. Many colleges that had fairly lightweight academic reputations in the 70's or 80's have refocused their priorities and are now top institutions. Similarly, some schools were considered party schools, and others were considered easy to get into. Schools have changed, and the way they might have been 10, 20, or 30 years ago is the way they might seem to your parents. Do your research. What are the social and academic realities right now?
Do not incorporate "I've never heard of it" into your search.
Many of the small, liberal arts colleges are actually some of the best colleges in the country, and they might be some of the best-kept secrets too. If you have never heard of Oberlin, Pomona, Middlebury, or Centre College, Connecticut or Wheaton College, St. John's or Harvey Mudd, then expand your search and keep digging. The average well educated person can probably name only a small number of the almost 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States. These tend to be older schools in the northeast, the large state universities, those with outstanding athletic teams, or those that happen to be local.
It is important to remember that a college which may be right for you may be one that is unknown to you now, while some of the universities you are most familiar with may not be appropriate choices.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Fuller
More On Writing College Essays
Many students seem to hit a wall and claim writer's block when it comes to writing their college essays. For many, this is a new style of writing and something that is not learned in high school. Most students are told not to write in the first person and written assignments are generally three to five pages long. College essays are first person, self- reflective and have limited word or character count. So, naturally students feel doubt and need support and guidance.
Colleges do not want students to feel the stress, but merely want them to reveal more information about themselves. In that way, the college admission officers can gain more insight. The most difficult thing admission officers face is measuring the student's character. The essay is a way to let them know who you are.
The essay is an opportunity for the student to stand out and tell their unique story. Simple slice of life stories are often the most compelling. It's important for students to discuss their passions, how they have applied what they have learned and what they hope to accomplish.
It's essential to start early. Perhaps making some journal entries, doing some free writing or brainstorming topic ideas may help begin the writing process. Students should use their voice and not try to impress by using multi-syllabic words they would not use in conversation. If students do choose to write about something from their activity resume, they need to go into depth and present a new angle. Don't repeat what admission officers have already seen. Share your essay with someone whether parent, counselor or friend. Additional input can be valuable. Do read some sample essays but do not use any topic from previous years, originality is key. Try to enjoy writing and include your sense of humor. Admission officers like to see a social and academic balance. They need to know you can adapt well, live with people and be a team player on campus. Make editing the last stop before your final draft. Do not repeat what is elsewhere on the application. Continually present different sides of yourself and demonstrate depth and continuity.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeannie_Borin
