Decision Day- May 1st

Many of you may still be debating which school you were accepted to is right for you. You either fall in one of two categories: 1. You haven't paid your deposit to any school yet since you haven't decided; or 2. You have put down multi-deposits and you still haven't decided. Just remember that May 1st is the unofficial deadline for many (not all colleges) as to when you can get 100% of your deposit back.

Parents & Students at Odds

For many students, where they want to go and where their parents want he or she to go are two very different stories. Recently, The Princeton Review published their survey results of the Top 10 Dream Colleges of Students Applicants & of Parents.

One of the reasons families include a private admissions consultant in their admission process is that they can have an objective third party contribute to the discussion about what school really would be best for the student. In addition, a private consultant can help both side consider aspects about their choices they may not have previously considered.

I am a Legacy

Most know the college admission process only by looking from the outside in. If they hear about someone being accepted to a college but had the thought that that student should have been denied, they begin to speculate about what could have possibly been in play so that student could be admitted.

Many people believe that being a legacy, applicants who are related to alumni, have one step up in getting accepted. Most applications ask if and how the applicant is a legacy. If the question was not important, I always ask my clients: then why did they take up application space asking the question?

Although being a legacy does not guarantee that a student will be admitted, it does give the reviewer a reason to slow down and pay a little bit more attention to the application. They more than likely may then place a call over to the alumni office and find out more about the relative the applicant is claiming. If it turns out that the alumni is still active with the school in a big way, that reviewer is now really taking their time with that application.

Like most other things, it doesn't hurt to know the right people, even in the college admissions process.

The Chicago Maroon recently wrote about this topic in an article titled: Legacy Students Don't Have an Edge. Read closely, don't let the title of the article fool you.

Dr. Porter
www.CollegeStrategiesOnline.com

NPR's The College Admissions Game

NPR has included on their web site a 7-part series discussing college admissions called The College Admissions Game. The series discusses popular topics such as competitive admissions, however they also explore a variety of topics that real students are dealing with such as whether or not to attend an HBCU, go to community college first, and not to go at all. Their is also an option for audio.

College's Don't Always Get It Right

I came across this interesting take on the how chance plays into the college admission process. College Admissions and Chance summarizes the thoughts presented by the author Barry Schwartz. Although it does not help students who were denied or deferred admissions feel any better about the situation. It does prove the point that sometimes colleges can't always make 'perfect' admission decisions. That is why I continue to stress to students I work with that it is up to you to prove to admission boards that you should be there, instead of allowing them to try to decide for you.

What Should I Take?

If you ever read through the variety of college admission message boards you probably noticed that a great number of the questions have to deal with what courses they should take so they can impress college admission selection committees.

What Are Your Summer Plans?

I am often surprised by the number of high school and college students who do not make summer employment plans until summer is knocking at the door. One way to help yourself stand out as a undergraduate or graduate college applicant is to be able to boast that you have attempted to prepare yourself academically, and also professionally by using school breaks (summer, fall, winter, and spring) to gain experience. This is extremely important for students who have some blemishes on their academic record.

Gaining professional experience in your area of interest allows you to 'test-drive' your potential career. In addition, it demonstrates to college admission review boards that you aren't just about talking about what you want to do, you are beginning to do what you want to do. And finally, if your experiences are positive, it may provide you with the extra motivation you need to jump through the hoops and hurdles required of you to finish either high school and graduate school.

Everyone who knows me can testify that I am not a person who subscribes to having a lot of rhetoric. For myself, and for anyone asking my advice on preparing for school or their career, I believe one thing is true: don't say what you want to do, do what you want to do. So if you have not already done so, begin searching organizations or businesses in your area of interest and either apply for a formal internship program or offer to volunteer a few hours every week during the summer. Make your goals a reality by putting your foundation into place today.

College Advice...Be Selective

For some time I weighed the decision as to whether or not College Strategies would host a public forum for students to ask and answer questions about the college admission process. There are currently some really popular forums that already exist so I have decided to contribute some advice on those forums instead. Although asking general questions about college admissions in this manner is ok, and you will receive some good advice, I am a little concerned about the students who may be making major decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives based on the advice given by absolute strangers.

If you have a variety of specific questions about selecting a major, selecting a school, how to make your applications stronger, although it is may be an expense, you really should consider hiring an educational consultant. College Strategies offers this type of service, however you can also research others companies with the list provided by the Higher Educational Consultants Association to search other companies and independent consultants.

Free advice is nice at times, but sometimes it is worth working with a professional who has experience.

Should you tweek the essay?

On a message board I offer advice a student asked the question if it is ok to send a short story instead of an essay on the required topic? The answer unfortunately is no. Do your best to answer the question that is being asked. Don't make any assumptions when it comes to completing admission applications, just provide the information that is being required.

I have many years of admission experience, and have also helped design admission applications, every question asked has an intended purpose otherwise they wouldn't have asked. If you decide not to answer the question directly you may run the risk of sending the message that you don't know how to follow instructions, and that doesn't sit well with those who are trying to decide if they should admit you to their school.

Back on the scene!

I apologize to the readers of this blog for the long pauses in post. My accomplishment today will hopefully free up some time that I can devote to keeping this blog more current and full of information for its readers. Today I passed my dissertation defense and became Dr. Chrystal Denmark Porter!

Now back to work on getting you into college!