How Parents Can Help–Or Not–with College Essays

Years ago, I sat in a New Jersey auditorium listening to a Vanderbilt University roadshow information session. The young admissions representative and Vandy alum was also a graduate of Delbarton, a premier local private high school, and was therefore entrusted with New Jersey prospective applicants. While offering advice on essays, he left us with these memorable words: “If an essay sounds like it was written by a forty-five-year-old attorney, it probably was.”

I cannot tell you how many times his words have reappeared in my mind while working with families as a college consultant. My colleague, Deborah Ernst, and I spend countless hours with our young clients, brainstorming essays, trying to draw out what teenagers authentically feel about their topics. We would both agree with the William Zinsser quotation, “Writing is thinking on paper.” We believe that crafting an essay is an adventure in self-discovery.

An essay’s evolution usually involves input from English teachers, school counselors, and family members, which results in an even more polished essay. It is desirable to read one’s essay to several audiences; getting multiple reactions can help the writer tweak the tonality before sending it to a college. Occasionally, however, too many cooks spoil the broth; the writer needs to be aware of the danger of trying to please too many masters. The worst possible pitfall is “pen-in-hand” editing by the parent, better known as “re-writing.”

Why is “re-writing” a pitfall? At the extreme, it is unethical. Take a look at a statement the student must check before signing the Common Application: “I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented…” Does that mean that you cannot have an English teacher review the grammar? No, in my view, checking the mechanics with a knowledgeable expert is part of being a conscientious applicant. But when parents start “re-writing,” it becomes a slippery slope.

Even a sprinkling of well-intentioned re-writing could call the student’s authorship into question.  You don’t think admissions people can tell the difference between a high school writer and a parent? Think again. Reading essays is what they do for a living! If your teenager does not have stellar verbal skills, as evidenced by lackluster English grades or SAT scores, but his or her personal statement reads like a Pulitzer prize-winning novel, don’t you think the admissions reader will raise an eyebrow? If the student’s academic record is incongruent with the essay, the admissions reader could doubt the veracity of just about anything on the application. It is not worth it to raise such a question in order to submit a better essay.

In “What’s Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors,” I explained that 26% of all colleges surveyed by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) in 2010 indicated that essays were of considerable importance in the admissions decision (31% of all private institutions, 13% of all public universities). Translation: the essay is somewhat important, certainly in private colleges, but not as pivotal to the admission decision as other factors, such as grades and test scores.

In my recent audiopodcast interview with former Princeton University financial aid director and admissions committee member Don Betterton, we discussed the importance of the college essay. Don’s seasoned opinion was that there are abysmal essays that negatively influence the admission decision and home runs that positively affect the decision; most essays, however, are somewhere in between, with negligible impact. My own feeling is that if a student’s academic record is not in line with a school’s requirements, an essay will not make a diference. If the student has the requisite academic record, or is within striking distance, it may be a tie-breaker, but the essay should not be expected to carry a disproportionate burden.

I share these thoughts with parents who are tempted to wordsmith their teen’s essays ad nauseum. Even if excessive wordsmithing does not raise questions of authenticity for the admissions reader, it may make the teenager feel inauthentic. The last thing you want to do is deflate your student’s sense of ownership. After all, it is a critical rite of passage for a young adult to think for oneself, and speak for oneself.

The essay is one of the few opportunities for a student to speak in his or her own voice in this often depersonalizing college process. So for God’s sake, let your kid speak: in genuine, natural, naive teen-ese. Believe it or not, admissions readers can interpret the native language of teenagers, without an adult’s translation into a pristine, three-point business memo. (And kidspeak is so much more interesting.)

It is difficult for a parent to control the tendency to wordsmith; believe me, I know. When my son was applying to college years ago, my own micromanaging was the cause of intense conflict. Realizing now how little any specific sentence really mattered in the scheme of things, and understanding how toxic the dynamic at times became, I wish I could go back in time and practice a more hands-off essay policy. Fortunately, I did “learn to paint,” my son pushed back, insisted on his own authenticity… and ultimately he was very forgiving. I hope, however, that you all can take some advice from a “sadder but wiser” parent.

To offer further insights, I am sharing a college essay segment from a recent interview I did last year on Hometowne TV, a local access cable network based in Summit, NJ, hosted by Myung Bondy. You can find additional segments of this interview covering a number of college application topics on my YouTube.

Related posts: How Important Is the College Essay, Really? Senior parent? Learn to Paint, What Is Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors, Public vs. Private Universities or Liberal Arts Colleges, Parents, Teens, and the Dance of…College Applications, Honorable Adulthood, Helicopter Parents: College and Beyond, and The Importance of Character in Admissions Decisions.

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My Ten Favorite College Essay Prompts

As a college consultant, I have become intimately familiar with numerous supplemental college essay questions. While many prompts seem doomed to elicit responses that are conventional clichés, others are bound to spark creativity, and hopefully evoke genuine self-discovery, for the motivated applicant.

In no special order, here are ten of my “faves”, with musings about how I might try to respond to these thought-provoking questions:

1. Imagine that you have the opportunity to travel back through time. At what point in history would you like to stop and why? (Swarthmore College) How fun is this? It’s like Peabody & Sherman’s WABAC Machine! I want to apply to Swarthmore myself, just to write this essay. Would I wish to be among the crowd on the Via Dolorosa that fateful Friday afternoon, two millennia ago? Stand as a spectator on the Tower Green as Anne Boleyn forgives her executioner, the swordsman from France? Be aboard the ill-fated Titantic that freezing night in April, deciding whether to step into a lifeboat or remain on deck with my husband? In my family, filled with history buffs, this essay prompt could be an exciting after-dinner game.

2. Select a creative work — a novel, a film, a poem, a musical piece, a painting or other work of art — that has influenced the way you view the world and the way you view yourself. Discuss the work and its effect on you. (New York University)

My choice would have to be David O. Selnick’s epic film that brought to life Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel, Gone with the Wind. I have always admired survivors of civilizations that were totally disassembled and reconstructed in a new way, such as my parents and in-laws living through the Great Depression. I occasionally wonder how I would fare if today’s way of life was suddenly forever changed. Further, Mitchell’s insightfully crafted immortal characters are archetypes that offer wisdom into the human condition; they have become lifelong tools for analyzing my own motivations and the roles others play in my life.

3. If you were to describe yourself by a quotation, what would the quote be? Explain your answer. (Dartmouth College) As a fantatical “quotaphile,” I would find this choice overwhelmingly difficult. It would be tough to select from the wise and witty sayings of Shakespeare, Churchill, Einstein, or Wilde. But since the quotation has to describe oneself, as a lover of the mysteries of the psyche, I would probably choose  Carl Jung‘s observation: “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

4. If you could go back and change one day in your life, what would you change and why? (Santa Clara University) This prompt brings to mind the intrguing award-winning movie, Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, which explores the concept of whether we make our fate by specific actions, or whether there is a destiny dynamic at work that prevails despite our actions. In my 56 years on the planet, I have come to subscribe to the latter view, so it would be difficult for me to answer this question. I would probably choose to discuss my ideas about free will, random events, serendipity and destiny.

5. If you had a day to spend as you wish, how would you use your time? (Carleton College) Wow. An applicant’s answer to this question would be truly revealing. I remember watching a Twilight Zone episode as a kid (“Time Enough at Last”), in which a bookworm is the sole survivor of a nuclear apocalpyse, finally having time enough to pursue his passion: reading (and of course, in Rod Serling‘s nightmare world, his Coke bottle thick spectacles break on the steps of the library). I would spend my “day” similarly (without the broken glasses!), either reading or writing, and I guess that reveals quite a bit about me. How your student would describe his or her perfect day would reveal much as well.

6. If you were to develop a Mt. Rushmore representing the 20th century, whose faces would you select and why? (College of William and Mary) This question reveals one’s philosophy of life, ideas on leadership and heroism, value system, and perhaps, one’s politics. Not to mention a knowledge of American history. For me, the four heroic leaders, Democrat and Republican, black and white, would be:

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose bold brilliance as the architect of D-Day turned the tide of the war against Hitler; President John F. Kennedy, whose leadership during the Cuban missile crisis may have saved the world; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose non-violent leadership of the civil rights movement ushered in a great step forward for racial equality in our nation; and President Ronald Reagan,whose assertion of his passionate beliefs in American exceptionalism, personal liberty and limited government led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and decades of U.S. economic prosperity and innovation. Whom would you choose?

7. Recall a compliment you received that you especially value. What was it? From whom did it come? (Yale University) A dear and wise old friend, whom I greatly respect, met many of my long time friends at my fiftieth birthday party a few years ago. After the soirée, she observed, “All your friends that I met told a story of how you had helped them with something, like the courage to start a new business, or the strength to get through a personal tragedy.” Thank God. This meant more to me than any compliment on raw talent or professional accomplishment, because it affirmed my own values about helping others to find their way. If I can accomplish this goal, I will feel that my life has been a success.

8. If you founded your own college or university, what topic of study would you make mandatory for all students to study and why? What would be the values and priorities of your institution and why? (Lehigh University) Several years ago, one of my clients answered this prompt by calling her institution “Altruism University,” requiring that all students learn about compassion and engage in community service. This exceptional young woman was of Indian descent and was a fervent adherent of Jainism, the non-violent, altruistic religion of Mohandas Gandhi. Her essay revealed much about her inspiring value system. What admissions officer wouldn’t want a student like this in the campus community?

9. “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” – Miles Davis. What does this quote mean to you? (University of Chicago) I believe this question is about uniqueness. A student’s contribution to the world is not about doing something no one else has ever done before; it is about doing what perhaps many people have done, but in one’s own special way.

10. Why did you do it? (Tufts University) Tufts always takes the prize for the most amazing, thought-provoking questions. How would you answer that?

My rule of thumb for “fave-ing” a college essay prompt is: would I myself be eager to roll up my sleeves and answer that question? Would it really make me think, look within myself, and respond from the heart? Or would I simply roll my eyes and start typing a perfunctory response, immediately knowing what the “right” answer is to a simplistic, stereotypic question?

Your teen may not be interested in applying to  schools that happen to write the most provocative essay questions. But it might be a thought-provoking exercise to kick around some of these questions on a long family drive, to stimulate reflection for your high school student (and everyone else in the family). Future essay writing may be easy after taking on these challenging questions!

If you have come across a provocative essay prompt you would like to share, please feel free to comment.

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The Importance of Character in Admissions Decisions

 

I clicked on the slide that listed the “Top Ten Factors” that are most important to colleges in making admission decisions, according to the National Association of College Admission Counselors’ annual survey. I had made this presentation numerous times before during my book tour, in many community venues, and I had become accustomed to the questions parents typically ask.

I described each factor in order:

1. Grades in college prep courses.
2. Strength of curriculum.
3. Admission test scores.
4. Grades in all courses.
5. Essays.
6. Demonstrated interest.
7. Teacher recommendations.
8. Counselor recommendations.
9. Class rank.
10. Extracurricular activities.

I answered what experience had told me were the usual questions. “Grades are first on the list, and extracurricular activities are last,” I explained.  “After all, college is an academic institution.” Two hands shot up in the library meeting room. A mother asked, “What about leadership?” Then a father joined in: “What about character?”

I didn’t make up these stats, I thought.  NACAC is the national governing body for college counselors, and this is their authoritative word on what is going on inside the college admissions office. And don’t the findings make intuitive sense, that academic performance would be the essential ingredient in a successful college application? So why is my audience giving me such a hard time?

Nevertheless, their questions prompted serious reflection. Surely college admissions decisions cannot be made on an entirely values-neutral basis, nor would we want them to be. These parents sincerely wanted to know how the personal qualities of a young person can shine through on a college application.

My response to these insightful inquiries was offered extemporaneously by showing how each of the ten factors can reveal the personal strengths of the applicant. With more time to reflect, here is a more thorough response:

Certainly, academic performance demonstrates personal strengths. Beyond pure talent, academic achievement is a result of goal orientation, focus, perseverance, maturity, ability to manage time, and the discipline to postpone gratification. I have worked with ESL immigrants who have graduated from high school with impressive grades and test scores in verbal subjects; clearly, their accomplishments are evidence of not only intelligence, but also determination and old-fashioned hard work.

Essays are a perfect venue for demonstrating such personal strengths as leadership and character. I tell my clients, “Tonality is the most important thing in your essay.” The “entertainment value” of the topic or story is far less critical than the message: what does the essay say about you? If a performing artist writes about the experience of being center stage, and sounds like a self-absorbed diva, that essay is not serving her well. One of the best college essays I have ever read was written by a budding creative writer and photographer, about her after school job as a grocery store cashier. This student saw each customer as a person with a story. The essay demonstrated her keen insights into human beings, her imagination, and her empathy for others.

Teacher and counselor recommendations are significant venues for providing evidence of an applicant’s leadership capabilities and character strengths. When my 85-year-old father-in-law sat in on one of my presentations, he observed that character recommendations played a far more pivotal role in his day. I am sure he is right. In a less heavily populated educational landscape, recommendations by adults who knew the applicant well would naturally carry more weight.

Today, it is not always possible for a guidance counselor to know your teen well (particularly in a large regional public high school); it is possible, however, for a teacher to be a strong advocate, if your student makes an aggressive effort to build personal credibility and rapport. And when it comes to character, it seems better to have another testify to ones character, rather than one asserting one’s own character strengths.

In the extracurricular activities category, leadership can be demonstrated through election or appointment to leadership positions, such as team captain, class president, newspaper editor, band section leader, club founder or president, and so on. Commitment can be shown through “deep” involvement (years, hours). Admissions officers know how to read the Common Application activity section and surmise whether  the student is a leader, committed member, or a casual dilettante.

Interviews did not make the top ten factors, because interviews are not a mandatory part of the admissions decision process in most colleges and universities today. In public institutions, the ratio of admissions staff people to applicants requires a significantly more quantitative approach to admissions decisions in general. Even in private colleges and universities, interviews tend to be conducted by alums, and are considered as optional opportunities for applicants to learn more about the school in a non-evaluative setting. Only the most elite institutions require evaluative interviews.

That said, I recommend that applicants do interviews if possible. Even f they are officially non-evaluative, a strong candidate with a great personal story can shine in an interview. The power of personal connection must never be underestimated.

So to parents out there everywhere, I say, “Yes, character is important in admissions decisions.” But character qualities are the subtle ingredients in these factors that influence admissions decisions. Admissions officers can read between the lines on an application, surmising the character that has translated into accomplishment, as well as the personal qualities more directly expressed in essays, recommendations and interviews. Not to worry. It’s still about character.

 

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Fall Timeline for High School Seniors: November

This post is the third in a month-by-month timeline for keeping your high school senior on target with minimal stress.

November:

Keep on top of the spreadsheet you started in September. Your student may have completed some early or rolling applications, but most likely there are additional applications left to complete with later deadlines. If these applications require supplemental essays, your senior may actually have quite a bit of work remaining. Keeping track and checking off tasks will lower the stress.

Hopefully your student has completed the main part of the Common Application. If your student has not finished this task yet and needs guidance,  access my recorded webinar that walks students through the forms. Before your student presses “submit,” insist that each application be printed out; review it with your student to make sure everything is correct. Admissions people typically print out the electronic apps and review hard copy, so if you like the way it looks, the admissions people will too. If your teen has already submitted the Common App, and would like to change any element of the main application or Personal Statement, check out my post on preparing an alternate version.

If you have not already done so, clarify with your high school’s guidance counselor how school forms are sent to colleges from your high school. Some schools manage that entire process centrally online through Naviance; others still ask families to provide stamped, self-addressed envelopes. Contact College Board.org or ACT.org to have test results sent, on a rush basis if required.

Today, colleges have electronic systems for keeping track of each application, which items have been received or are missing. Your student will have access to these lists through a username-password system. Encourage your student to keep track of all passwords! Your teen needs to check to make sure his or her application is considered complete by the deadline. If not, it is your teen’s responsibility to contact the high school guidance department and rectify the problem. Yes, I have known students who were denied admission because something was missing in their application and they did not check until it was too late.

If your student is planning on re-taking standardized tests during November or December. spring for a one-to-one tutor if affordable, because senior year fall is the last chance to swing for the bleachers. If tutoring is not in the budget, do a small group session with Chyten, Kaplan, or Princeton Review. Cost-effective online tutoring is also available through ePREP, if your teen is sufficiently self-motivated or you can stay on top of the kid to do a little bit every night. Standardized testing is really the only element of your student’s candidacy that can be measurably improved in the short time remaining. On the GPA front, just avoid grade disasters during this first marking period.

Heads-up: Your student can take either the SAT I or the ACT with Writing, and it will make no difference to the college. However, which test your student chooses may affect whether or not he or she needs to take SAT II’s. Many colleges will allow applicants to waive SAT II’s only if they have taken the ACT with Writing. For a complete list of SAT II Subject Test requirements, refer to Compass Education Group. If your student is applying to oh-so popular Boston College, Boston University or Tufts, make sure you have your ducks in a row.

Related posts: Tricks and Treats of the Common Application, Part I; Tricks and Treats of the Common Application, Part II; Why You Should Apply to College Early Decision; Senior Parent? Learn to Paint, High School Testing Strategy and Timeline, Parents, Teens…and the Dance of College Applications, The College Waiting Game.

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Fall Timeline for High School Seniors: October

This post is the second in a month-by-month timeline for keeping your high school senior on target with minimal stress.

October:

Remember that spreadsheet you created last month? Keep updating it. Keep track of what’s been done and what remains on the docket for this month! If your kid has fallen behind, play catch up.

Hopefully your student has completed the main part of the Common Application. If your student has not finished this task yet and needs guidance,  access my recorded webinar that walks students through the forms.

Urge your teenager to complete the Personal Statement and Short Answer Essay for the Common App. If your high school senior has not already done so, he or she needs to request recommendations from two teachers and the school counselor.

Clarify with the school counselor how school forms are sent to colleges from your high school. Some schools manage that entire process centrally online through Naviance, and others still ask families to provide stamped, self-addressed envelopes. Contact College Board.org or ACT.org to have test results sent.

Once the above steps are complete, your student can send an application to at least one school. Common App will indicate whether or not a Supplementary Application is required for that school. Some schools will have additional essays, at least a variation of the question: “Why University of X?” If your student is applying to elite colleges, expect multiple supp essays from each school. Do not underestimate how long this task will take!

If your student is planning on taking (or re-taking) standardized tests during October or November. spring for a tutor if affordable, because senior year fall is the last chance to swing for the bleachers. If tutoring is not in the budget, do a small group session with Chyten, Kaplan, or Princeton Review. Cost-effective online tutoring is also available through ePREP, if your teen is sufficiently self-motivated or you can stay on top of the kid to do a little bit every night.

Standardized testing can be a game-changer in senior year fall, if your student can improve significantly versus junior year test results. Avoid GPA disasters, but even a 4.0 cannot substantially change a lackluster average for the past three years. So if you have a good plan for improving the SAT or ACT score, focus on that plan with discipline and conistency. It can make a difference!

If your student is applying early decision or early action, the application to the college(s) involved must be complete by the first week in October. That’s right. The guidance department must be notified several weeks ahead of the deadline, so they can coordinate with teacher recommenders, ensure the counselor recommendation is written, pull together the transcript, and so forth. A 11/1 deadline means all materials are sent by 11/1. If your student is retaking a standardized test in October, check with the EA/ED school to verify whether they will accept October scores; then arrange with College Board or ACT  to have scores sent on a rush basis.

If your teenager is not ready to apply for binding early decision yet, I suggest that you be sensitive to his or her feelings. Yes, ED offers an admissions advantage, but there are pro’s and con’s, and it’s not right for everybody. Your student may need more time to visit, digest the visits, and evolve in the search and choice process. ED II (usually 1/1) offers a slight admissions advantage as well, because the applicant is guaranteeing yield for that school, so that may be a good alternative for your family.

Your family will probably be visiting a college or two over the holidays if you are not Jewish or Columbus Day weekend, either for the first time or to get a second look before applying. Help your teen balance all the pressures now, between visiting, taking standardized tests, completing applications with essays, and avoiding grade disasters. It’s a challenging time!

Related posts: Tricks and Treats of the Common Application, Part I; Tricks and Treats of the Common Application, Part II; Why You Should Apply to College Early Decision; Senior Parent? Learn to Paint.

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Fall Timeline for High School Seniors: September

Your high school senior is about to embark on one of the most frenzied, tense few months of his or her young life. As a college admissions consultant, I would like to offer you a month-by-month timeline for keeping your teenager on target with minimal stress.

September:

Create a spreadsheet. That’s right. The college process is complicated, and it will help you and your student keep a checklist of tasks. Here’s an example:

Encourage your student to complete the Common Application, the undergraduate application through which applicants may apply to any of 456 member colleges and universities in the US (online or paper). If your student needs help, I will be conducting a walk-through workshop on Sept. 11 locally in NJ, but you can also participate in a “live” webcast that same afternoon.

Urge your teenager to complete the Personal Statement and Short Answer Essay for the Common App. If your high school senior has not already done so, he or she needs to request recommendations from two teachers and the school counselor.

Clarify with the school counselor how school forms are sent to colleges from your high school. Some schools manage that entire process centrally online through Naviance, and others still ask families to provide stamped, self-addressed envelopes. Contact College Board.org or ACT.org to have test results sent.

Once the above steps are complete, your high school student can send an application to at least one school (Common App will indicate whether or not a Supplementary Application is required for that school).

Do not send the first application to the dream school; pick one of the “likely” schools on the college list. I suggest one that offers early action or rolling admissions. Early notification (non-binding) will give your teen at best security and confidence, and at worst early feedback, in this tightly wound process.

Many public institutions with early action, priority action or rolling admissions programs use their own apps rather than the Common App. But having done the Common App, your student is well prepared to apply to these universities. Data are essentially the same; the Personal Statement is similar as well. Additional essays, such as “Why University of X?” are similar to supplemental essays asked by Common App colleges.

One last thing you need to do before you finish this busy month: Register for any standardized testing your student plans to do in October or November.

If you and your teen can accomplish these goals during September, you will dial down the stress that most families experience throughout the fall semester. To receive an email when I post key tasks for October, respond to the prompt on the righthand panel.

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Position U 4 College Calendar for High School Juniors, Part II

I was one of those children of the fifties young enough to clap gullibly when Mary Martin’s Peter Pan was trying to resuscitate ailing Tinker Bell on the 1960 NBC telecast of the Broadway hit. (Is my age showing?) I also recall solemnly accepting Peter’s famous vow: “I won’t grow up, I don’t wanna wear a tie, or a serious expression in the middle of July…” (- C. Leigh).

JULY. Don’t worry, as a junior in high school you don’t have to grow up quite yet either, at least not in July. My calendar, continuing from Position U 4 College for High School Juniors Part I, cuts you a break now. Enjoy your summer program, travel with your family, or your lifeguarding job. If you want to prepare for college, keep a journal to get in the mindset for writing essays. But otherwise, just refresh and renew.

AUGUST. Party’s over. When the Common Application goes online, you can fill out the clerical part. You can start brainstorming essay ideas. The last week of August, when colleges are in full swing, visit before you start school yourself. Read my blog posts: Tricks and Treats of the Common Application Part I, Tricks and Treats of the Common Application Part II. This year, I will be offering a Common Application walk-through workshop in August and September in person at our NJ office, and will present a webinar for premium subscribers around the country. Please check my website for specific dates and details, or sign up for my e-newsletter to keep informed about this workshop and other helpful events coming up.

SEPTEMBER. Time to recalibrate your college list based on what you’ve learned over the summer. Some schools can be added, others dropped. It is also time to think about application strategy: Are there any schools to which you would consider applying Early Decision or Early Action? It is also time to adjust your testing plan based on how you did junior year.

Read: The College Waiting Game,  December 15 College News: Early Action Acceptance , December 15 College News: Early Decision Acceptance, December 15 College News: Deferral or Denial, High School Testing Strategy and Timeline.

OCTOBER.Focus on essays, first the Common Application Personal Statement and then supplemental essays, such as “Why University of X?” Attend presentations by college reps at your high school, and visit a school during Fall Break. Read: Does the College Essay Topic Matter? , Why University of X?, “Confessional” College Essays, Columbus Day College Visits.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER. Continue the process, unless you applied Early Decision. Keep up your senior year grades, because colleges will see them. Read my blog posts on early notification plans (see September). For parents trying to process the difficult, tense parent-teen relationship during this time of peak stress, read: Senior Parent? Learn to Paint, “Senioritis” and What To Do About It.

P.S. I still haven’t grown up.

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Position U 4 College Calendar for High School Juniors, Part I

Ellen DeGeneres recently shared  “Ellen’s Funniest Calendars” on her TV talk show, inspiring me to publish my own Position U 4 College calendar for families with high school juniors starting the college process.

Of course, my calendar isn’t as fun as some Ellen found, such as “Nuns Having Fun.” Then again, as a college consultant, I am not quite as funny as Ellen. I do, however, try to take stress out of the college process, emphasizing self-discovery and choice, finding the university environment where a student can thrive vs. “getting in” to a school of  high “ranking.” So here’s my 2011 Calendar for High School Juniors!

JANUARY.Meet with your guidance counselor, an SAT/ACT tutor, and a college consultant. Begin to formulate ideas of what you are looking for in a college (size, location, setting, programs, academic atmosphere, extra-curricular activities, social climate, weather). Decide how to go with testing based on PSAT results.

Read my blog posts: Your 11th Grader’s 11 Steps to Success, Parents of 11th Graders: Get Set for Junior College Night!, College Reading List for 11th Grade Parents, Should I Take the SAT, the ACT, or Both?, College Consultants? Who Needs’em?.

FEBRUARY. Work on your college list, researching  colleges online and visiting on Winter Break. Plan your summer program. Read: Your Target Colleges: And It’s A Moving Target, Kris Hintz’s Top Ten College Websites, Finding the Best College for Your Major, Why Juniors Should Visit Colleges on Winter and Spring Break , Ten Ways for Teens to Spend the Summer.

MARCH. Begin standardized testing, following either SAT (March) or ACT (April) timeline. Keep grades up! Visit a college at Spring Break. Read: What Is Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors, First Aid for a Disappointing Grade, I’ll Only Visit Colleges I Get Into, Tips for College Trips, Choosing Colleges in Cool Metro Areas.

APRIL. Study for AP (Advanced Placement) tests with prep books. Not all teachers prepare their students adequately to earn 4 or 5 on AP tests (required level for college credit at most institutions). If your AP subject dovetails with an SAT II subject (i.e., AP US or Euro History), schedule it in May during AP’s. Only learn the content once! Read: High School Testing Strategy and Timeline, Preparing for the SAT: “E” for Effort.

MAY. Ask teachers for recommendations. Offer ammunition: questionnaires that some high schools request, a resume to show a full picture of your achievements, and a paper you wrote for that teacher. End of 11th Grade is early, but beating the fall rush is considerate of a teacher’s time.  Read: Teachers’ Recommendations.

JUNE. Swing for the bleachers with 11th Grade cumulative testing and standardized tests. Visit a college that offers summer courses so there will be kids on campus to observe. Start journaling as a way of preparing to write college essays.

Read: Parents of High School Juniors: Navigating the Road to College, High School Juniors Apathetic About College Applications?, The Next Six Months of College Visits, Prepare for College Essays by Journaling, College Applications and the Lost Arts of Reading & Writing, Do You Need a Passion to Get into College?

Stay tuned for Part II!

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“Confessional” College Essays

Recently, a family returned from a university information session, confused about essay advice offered by the admissions representative. “Avoid the three D’s,” she recommended. “Death, Divorce and Disease.” The advice gave this family the impression that admissions readers are not empathetic. I explained that admissions officers are extremely people-oriented, otherwise they would not be in this occupation. Why, then, should applicants avoid describing difficult life circumstances in their essays?

As I stated in Does the College Essay Topic Matter?, the key objective of the personal statement is to communicate the applicant’s strengths. If a student chooses to write about a personal hardship, he must use it to show how he responded to the situation, and how it built character, courage, determination, or empathy.

The reader must come away from the essay understanding how the applicant will constructively contribute to the college community because of learning gained from that difficult personal struggle.

Adolescents, like all human beings, have a legitimate need for self-expression. It is part of processing our experiences, a key ingredient of self-discovery and development. I am an enthusiastic proponent of all forms of self-expression, such as the arts,  journaling, honest sharing in relationships, and psychotherapy. But all private self-expression doesn’t need to become public.

The college application is certainly one vehicle of self-expression. If you don’t reveal yourself in your application, essays or resume, you risk being inauthentic. Lack of authenticity not only does a disservice to the institution to which you are applying; it does you the greatest disservice of all.

However, self-expression does not mean confession, or as we used to say back in the 1970’s, “letting it all hang out.” Writing a college essay is indeed a therapeutic process; however, it is not psychotherapy. Nor should it be.

When you write the essay, first consider: who is my target audience? What is my reader most interested in? Your reader is not a shrink, she is an admissions officer. Her job is to be a gatekeeper, to decide whom to accept and whom to deny acceptance.

Admisssons officers are likely to accept an applicant who has overcome obstacles through inner drive. But if a candidate only writes about dysfunctional family dynamics, without evidence that he has risen above problems, how does that convince the admissions officer to admit him?

My husband once worked for a senior executive of a bank in Chicago, who routinely rejected job candidates who indicated any hint of unresolved psychological weaknesses. This tough, cigar-chewing CFO used to say, “We’re not running a rehabilitation center.” A job interview is not a pity party, and employers do not hire people out of sympathy.

The same might be said for colleges. Admissions people aren’t looking for suffering teens to “cure” and set on a path to fulfillment. Rather, they seek young people who have learned from tough situations and are now ready to hit the ground running and make valuable contributions in college.

On the darker side of this discussion, no admissions person wants to be the gatekeeper who accepts a deeply troubled individual who ultimately becomes a threat to the college community. With incidents such as the Virginia Tech massacre in our collective recent memory, there is always an underlying fear of another Seung-Hui Cho, and the need to be vigilant to prevent a similar tragedy.

Thus, before submitting a dark, confessional essay, an applicant needs to put herself in the position of the reader, who does not know the applicant personally. She needs to consider whether the essay might create the impression that she is a troubled adolescent. I am not suggesting dishonesty, I am simply saying that there is no need to reveal your innermost personal issues to strangers in a college essay.

One exception is when personal circumstances legitimately explain an academic “blip.” For example, if an A student suddenly got a C  junior year, because his Dad died of cancer, that situation should be explained. The communication is intended to overcome an obstacle to college acceptance. When the low grade is placed in perspective, the admissions officer will weigh it differently than if it just appeared out of the blue with no explanation.

I sum up this post with an apt quote from Don Dunbar’s What You Don’t Know Can Keep You Out of College: “Imagine this: You are asked to pick one of two strangers from the grade below you to spend the night at your house. The kid you pick will eat dinner with your family, use all your things, share your bathroom, and sleep right downt the hall. In the morning you’ll go to class together.

“One of these kids is talented and smart and seems responsible. The other one is talented and smart but seems like a selfish, impulsive third grader. Which one do you choose?…Oh, and one other thing: Making this choice is your new job, and your family will kick you out if the kids you pick trash your house. …Welcome to the perspective of an admissions person.” (From Dunbar’s Chapter 5: “You Seem Like a Threat,” p. 59).

Related posts: Does the College Topic Matter?, Prepare for College Essays by Journaling, College Applications and the Lost Art of Reading and Writing, and  What Is Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors.

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Tricks and Treats of the Common Application, Part II

Halloween gives us permission to try on different identities. As it turns out, so does the Common Application. We simply plug in a whole bunch of colleges, and this one application efficiently facilitates the opportunity for any number of possible acceptances and the accompanying life trajectories.

Not so fast! The “Common App” isn’t quite that easy: there’s a trick! Member colleges can require their own supplements, which often include additional essays. The most common essay prompt for a supplemental application is,  “Why University of X?” Before typing your response, go to the college’s website and thoroughly research its mission, academic programs, and extra-curricular offerings. The purpose of this question is to identify the applicants who are seriously interested in the school, certainly enough to explore the website.

The Admission Trends Surveys 1993-2008 from The NACAC State of College Admission 2009 Report indicates that demonstrated interest is an important factor in admissions decisions for 21% of colleges. Demonstrated interest has become a hot button because of colleges’ need to maximize their yield. For related articles, see: Examiner.com: “What does ‘demonstrated interest’ mean to college applicants?”and The Boston Globe: “A new factor in making that college–loving it.” So when you answer this prompt, show you know something about the school to which you are applying, and you can see the match between the school’s offerings and your credentials and goals. Take the time to do this; you would be surprised at how many applicants don’t even bother.

Speaking of trying on different identities, I interviewed veteran high school teacher from NY’s Hudson Valley, Mr. Alfred “Doc” Snider, with whom I conduct my annual Common App Jumpstart Workshop, about creating an alternate version of the Common Application when needed.

Doc explained: “This procedure can be very useful for correcting mistakes or for using different versions of essay or short answer entries. Alternate versions become available ONLY after submission of the first completed application  (referred to as the original – or “Version 0”) to at least one institution. “To prepare an alternate version of the original app, the applicant must log off the site and then re-enter using the link: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Default.aspx?allowcopy=true.

“Once logged in (using the original login procedure), click ‘Replicate’ button to create new versions. New versions will carry all information contained in the original version EXCEPT for downloaded documents. These must be added. The new version can be edited until used for an application submission.

“When an alternate version is created it will not be associated with any colleges on ‘My Colleges’ list. To assign a college to the application version, select the college,  then click ‘Move College’ button. A college can only be assigned to one version of the application.

Once submitted to a college, the application version is locked and cannot be edited further. It can, however, be assigned to additional schools or be replicated again. The system will allow ten versions including the original. Each version created will have its own ‘My Colleges’ list of any colleges that the user has assigned to it.”

Not too complicated. Just follow directions!

Every year, I hold “Common Application Jumpstart” workshops locally at Position U 4 College in Basking Ridge, NJ. In 2011, we broadcast a live webinar of the walk-through workshop. If you missed it, and would like your high school student to be guided through the Common App by experts, we offer access to a video version of that webinar, as well as other powerful information to help ace the college process, through a lifetime online membership for ten bucks. An easy way to relieve stress and get it done right.

Related Posts:  Why University of X?, What’s Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors, Tricks and Treats of the Common Application Part I.

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