Latest College Prep News & Tips

It is hard to believe that students have been back in school for a few weeks already. We are moving quickly through September, which means that some important dates are coming up for college applications. Early Decision and Early Action deadlines start around the beginning of November. If high school seniors have not started yet on their college applications, then they should begin as soon as possible. The application is not something that you want to rush, so it’s better to start earlier than you think you need to. Still confused on the difference between Early Action and Early Decision? Check my YouTube video series, the First Choice Five, for a good primer on things to consider.

Students should be lining up teachers for letters of recommendation, meeting with their guidance counselors, and starting their Common Application. The Common Application is a single application that is accepted at over 750 colleges, including UConn and most of the other Connecticut colleges. The body of the Common App is the same for every school, although schools may include supplemental questions that are specific to their college or university.

The main application consists of six sections:

• Profile
• Family
• Education
• Testing
• Activities
• Writing

Most of these sections just require the student to enter data, such as contact information, parent names, classes taken, and test scores. The activities and writing sections are the ones that students will need to spend some time on. When filling out the activities, the Common App gives you space to list 10. It is important that you list those activities in the order of importance to you, and keep in mind what the schools are looking for. Colleges want a depth of involvement rather than a breadth of involvement. This means that they would rather see you doing a few things for all four years of school than a different thing every month. You don’t need to list off 40 things on your resume that each only lasted for a month. Instead, focus on areas where you took leadership or were involved for a long period of time.

While there is no specific upload field for a resume, students should feel free to enter theirs in the “Additional Information” field in the writing section. When uploading any file, make sure to think about how formatting and presentation. Most importantly, tell the colleges what you want them to know about you, not what you think they want to hear. Be true to yourself, and share your passions.

The college admissions essay

The essay is the best place for sharing your passion and showing the colleges who you are is the essay. There are 7 essay prompts, and this year the Common Application has added back the catch all “Or a Topic of Your Choice.” Some of the questions were on the Common App last year, and some are new or revised. The questions center around your influences, obstacles you have faced, and your passions. Remember that this is an essay about you – not about the specific topic. The college wants to know what you learned and how you grew. The specifics of the mechanics of your sport of the business plan of your job are less important. The essay is only supposed to be 650 words long, which is about the length of this article. No one can wrap up all their hopes and dreams into one short essay. Instead, focus on one things as a launching pad to show what is important to you. Keep in mind that less is often more, and that the most effective writing is often the shortest.

Look for my next article for more tips on the essay, what to do when you’re applying test optional, and how to most effectively use the additional information section.