As
if applying to college wasn’t stressful enough, colleges are upping the
ante by increasingly encouraging students to apply via early decision.
“More and more students are applying
earlier in the fall and therefore it’s putting greater stress on their
timeline to do a really effective job,” says Howard Greene,
educational consultant and co-author of The Hidden Ivies. “It leaves a
lot more room for mistakes or errors or a sloppy job in presenting
oneself to college admissions committees.”
Even if you aren’t looking to hit the early deadline, here are six mistakes to avoid on your applications.
Not Double Checking Every Application
It may seem obvious, but students can rush through filling out applications and forget to review their final applications and often overlook small, but significant details
“[Students]
need to read the application with the merit it deserves--that’s your
representation of yourself,” says Dr. Katherine Cohen, college
admissions expert and founder of
Applywise.com.
“All of the hard work you put in to high school the past four years and
everything you’ve done comes down to how you present it.”
After filling out several applications,
things tend to blur together, so Greene recommends asking for a second
pair of eyes to review applications.
“Have somebody you trust read over your
application, not to change your content, not to rewrite anything, but
just a second pair of eyes that are fresh to your application to look
for typos, spelling errors, even sometimes to spot some checklists that
were not completed,” he says.
Abusing the Common Application
More than 400 colleges are using the common
application, a standard application form featuring slight modifications
between schools, which can make the filling-out process a little too
routine.
“One mistake students make is adopting a once-size-fits-all application [mindset],” says Jeremy Hyman, co-author of The Secrets of College Success.
The supplemental section of the common
application is where students need to pay close attention. That section
asks questions that are specific to what a particular college wants to
know beyond the universal information.
“If kids aren’t careful, they will miss
filling out the supplements and will be automatically disqualified from
being considered,” says Greene.
Asking the Wrong Teacher for a Recommendation
Letters of recommendation can really make or break a student’s application, so choose your references wisely.
Don’t choose someone who is not going to be able to distinguish you from other students.
“You don’t want to just go to the teacher
who gives you an easy ‘A,’ advices Cohen. “[Ask] that teacher who knows
you the best; you want that teacher to really be able to vouch who are
as a person.”
And don’t wait to the last minute to ask for a recommendation, these letters take time if you want a good one.
Greene suggests asking a teacher for a reference letter at least a month before the submission deadline.
Not Waiving Your Right to See Your File
The common application includes a statute
called the Buckley Amendment, which, among other things, gives students
the right to review their education records--including teacher and
counselor letters of recommendation.
“We always tell students, unless you think
you’ve got something to hide which we hope you don’t, check that ‘yes,’
you waive your right to see the confidential information in your file,” says Greene.
The experts say that although it may be
tempting to look at what your letters divulge, it could potentially
affect your chances of admission.
“Colleges want to know that this is an
unbiased letter of recommendation, that this is the real recommendation
from the teacher that is frank and candid,” says Cohen. “I think a
teacher is going to feel more like they can be frank and candid if
they’re just sending it directly to the school and no one else is going
to see it.”
Trying Too Hard, Little on Essay
Although the experts say that you shouldn’t
come across as stuffy in essays, you also should avoid sounding
childish in an essay.
“I think colleges are trying to imagine
what it would be like to have this student at our university--what
they’re asking you to do in my opinion is to write as a college
student,” says Hyman. “If it comes through that this is an immature
high school student, it may be too trite or too ordinary.”
Use the essay to demonstrate that you are a multifaceted individual with interesting ideas. Help the admissions office see that you would be a great candidate for their university.
“You want to take a look at all of the
opportunities you have to write and see what can I show off about
myself, what different side can I show through my essay and make sure
that you’re not being redundant,” says Cohen. “Show yourself as a
complex person.”
Listing Every Single Club Just to Fill Space
The common application provides 12 spaces
for students to list extracurricular activities and involvements. It
may seem like a lot of spaces, but Greene says not to feel pressured to
have the “perfect” activity or club for each line.
“Nobody in their right mind and especially
in high school, can commit quality time, effort, and leadership to a
gazillion activities,” he says. “Colleges would far rather see several
types of deep commitments--that’s what they really are hoping for.”
The common application includes a short
writing section where you can indicate which activity is the most
meaningful to you--use it.
“We tell students you can create a little bit more of a detailed resume there and upload
it in “additional information” if you really can’t get all of the
descriptions about what you’re doing into that short line on the
activities section,” says Cohen.