2010.05.28 18:14:39

Patrick OConnor

College Applications and College Essays: Work Hard, and Remember, “This Isn’t Facebook”

Another group of admission representatives from highly selective colleges were in my hometown last week to talk with students and parents about their schools.  They also had a breakfast meeting with counselors, and their responses to questions about the application process have a little something for every member of a college-bound family:

Supplemental essays are the game-changers.  We’ve talked before about the Common Application, where students fill out their name and class schedule just once, saving time and avoiding repetition.  Hundreds of colleges welcome Common App, but almost every college asks you to submit an extra essay or two (or three) you’re supposed to write just for them…

…and it seems this is where things begin to go badly in a hurry.  Many students are putting very little thought into these essays, which can include questions like “What makes our college different from the other colleges you’re applying to?” Since the essays are much more important than your address (they assume you’ve got that answer down), you really want to make these answers count.  So don’t spend 30 seconds on the college Web site and answer “Your mascot is a marsupial, and the other colleges have mammals.”  You have to take the time to think about why this college is special to you; when essay time comes, come back and find out how this is done.

Talking to your BFFs?  I think not.  The reps were also dismayed at the very revealing content of many of the essays.  As a group, these admissions officers were young, so they know all about Tweeting, IMing, and News Feeding—but they also know a college essay isn’t the place to talk about what you did in the high school parking lot after homecoming, har har har.  Yes, you are indeed supposed to use your own voice and be yourself in a college essay,-- but use that voice to share your vision of solving a world problem, or a life lesson you learned that isn’t R rated. Be you, but be your best you—and that’s “you”, not “u”.  LOL.

Write with a brainy heart, not a hearty brain.  The reps also had a word for students who think they can smooth talk their way into a college by getting “help’ with their essays, or buying them online:  “Sorry.”  It’s one thing to have someone proofread your essays, or to ask an English teacher to tell you if the essay sounds like you.  Downloading a “winning essay” and retro-fitting it, or getting someone else to give your essay a boost creates an admissions file that’s inconsistent, immoral, and just too slick for a high school student.  So write your own stuff, and share your thoughts and feelings with a reasonable amount of restraint. How will they know the difference?  As one rep said, “We’re savvy, too.”

“Let the kids drive.”  This is the advice one rep gave to parents about the admissions process, and it’s perfect.  A student admitted to a highly selective college will have to have a strong set of skills to make it through the next four years.  The college application process test drives these skills—time management, written and oral communication, research, stress management—and just like driver’s ed, Mom and Dad can’t take the wheel, or the student could crash once they’re really on their own.  Applying to college may be a new experience for a student, but the only way they get better at those skills is with a lot of practice and a little parental help, not the other way around.

college admissions | college essays | applying to college | parents and college | Common Application | Facebook

2010.04.09 16:19:11

Patrick OConnor

Money for College Comes from Nowhere!

It was mid-April, and Maura was just about to send in her enrollment deposit at the college of her choice.  It hadn’t been the first choice on her list, but the financial aid package was considerably better than the offer that was made at her top choice school.  This would leave more money for graduate school—and besides, a second trip to campus convinced her she could be happy and successful there.

Maura took her deposit check to her mailbox, only to discover the mail had come early that day.  She flipped through the mail on her way up the driveway and discovered a letter from the financial aid office at her top choice school.  “We’re glad you’re still considering us” the letter read, “and we wanted to let you know we found another $3000 in annual grant money for you.  Please let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall.”

Maura ran back to the mailbox and texted her father to tell him the good news.

While this may sound like the best dream you could have that doesn’t involve front row seats at a Lady Gaga concert, students had experiences similar to this one last year with their eyes wide open.  For reasons that can’t be explained, many colleges sent out letters in the midst of decision month to admitted students who hadn’t sent in their deposits that said “hey, we just ripped open the mattress, and look what we found!”  The economy was tough, there were more than enough students to go around, yet Santa came early to these seniors, and proved to be a game changer.

Since it happened last year, is it likely to happen this year?  It’s hard to say—and that’s the problem.  On the one hand, seniors are getting phone calls every night from well-meaning students saying “Hope you’ll join us”; on the other hand, families who know about last year’s mystery money are telling students to hold on and see what happens, thinking colleges will court them like presidential candidates schmooze undecided voters on Halloween—except of course, the students get cash, while the voters don’t.

Since we can’t tell which colleges might be offering incentives to which students, families should consider two things.  First, if you’re in Maura’s shoes, call your first choice college and tell them they’re it, but the money situation is tight—this isn’t bargaining as much as it’s being honest.  While last year’s bonus bucks came to students out of the blue, many more students got increased aid by simply asking for it—so that might be worth a try.

 

Second, read your admission information carefully.  It’s true you have until May 1 to deposit at 1—and only one—college, but some colleges engage in the shady practice of giving better housing and top dibs for class registration to students who deposit before then.  That’s violating the spirit of the May 1 deadline, but it’s still being done, and that could leave you with five 8 AM classes next fall, and having Mr. Ed as your roommate. If your college is offering these “bonuses”, call them to see if they have more aid for you, and go from there.  If another college calls with more money before May 1, you can always cancel your deposit at School A, but you might not get it back.  

The windfall for last year’s undecided students makes this April an even crueler month—take a close look at your options, then make your best call.

 

 

choosing a college | applying to college | college admissions | paying for college

2010.03.05 01:55:40

Patrick OConnor

Choosing a College is More Than Smoke and Mirrors

Today’s column begins with another college quiz.  Ready?

2.      What person was recently quoted as saying “I’m not very pretty”?

Frequent readers have the first answer tattooed on their arm, next to the Web address for Colleges That Change Lives.  The purpose of college is to give you the opportunity to continue to live the wonderful life you already have, and to understand more about yourself, the world, and your relationship to the world.

I’m pointing this out again because this is the time of year when all kinds of people forget that.  As seniors and their families wait for the March Madness of college decisions, and as juniors get back their tentative class schedules for next year and decide if it’s “college-worthy”, it’s easy to think school is more about thick envelopes and “getting in” than personal growth.  

That’s not to say high school should be a breeze, or that diligence and achievement shouldn’t be recognized. But what does it say about college choice if you get into a name college you’d hate going to, or if you get a 7  AP class senior-year schedule with so much homework you can’t even remember your name? There’s a fine difference between self-growth and self-destruction, and if you’re not careful, this approach to college can spill over into other areas of your life, like dating, career exploration, or self-identity…

…which leads us to Question 2.  The person who thinks they aren’t pretty is Anne Hathaway.  Right—not the Anne Hathaway who works at the corner deli, but the Anne Hathaway.  It’s nice to hear a little humility coming from Hollywood, and  I certainly don’t want to diss the reigning queen of Genovia, but either a new mirror or a new perspective is in order— and such is the case when the dream of being admitted to college is more important than the reality of going there.  The first ground rule is keeping grounded.

This same topic is addressed in a must-see movie. “Race to Nowhere” documents the lives of students who discover that more really can be less, and some of these lessons are hard ones.  The trailer’s at www.racetonowhere.com  Take a peek before you decide if a fourth community service project is really all that important— and either way, do your community a service by asking your counselor to set up a screening of this film for your school.

“But dude”, says you, “aren’t you the guy who tells us colleges want us to do all this crazy stuff?  Isn’t it your job to tell us to dance a little faster in order to win the game?”

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever called college choice a game—if I did, I was wrong.  Classes, extra-curriculars and community service aren’t the elements of a game—they are ingredients in the recipe of your life, and my job is to give you cooking lessons.  The recipe for life—and for college success-- is only complete with healthy doses of perspective and self-knowledge.  Without them, you might end up like this guy, who didn’t think he was good enough to be a professional singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA 

And just how did Paul Potts decide to audition for Britain’s Got Talent, which led to performing before Queen Elizabeth and selling over 4 million albums?

He flipped a coin.

choosing a college | applying to college | college counseling | college entrance

2010.01.28 22:05:28

Patrick OConnor

College Applications-- The Early Returns, and What They Mean to You

Since President Obama failed to mention it last night, the state of college admissions is strong—in fact, maybe a little too strong!  Many colleges are reporting record application years again, and some will be accepting applications for two more months.  This makes sense, since this is the largest high school class in history (next year’s class will be smaller, by the way)—it seems the bad economy is having very little impact on applications.

While applications are up, the number of admitted students is mixed.  Some schools have already admitted more students than last year, but it seems a number of colleges with Early Action (EA) programs are taking more of a wait-and-see approach; students are reporting an increase in the number of deferrals from EA, where colleges ask students for grades from their current classes, and compare these deferred students to those who applied to the college on a later deadline,

The larger number of “tell us more” responses isn’t too much of a surprise; with more high school seniors wanting to hear sooner from colleges, and since EA programs don’t require an early commitment from the student, colleges want to make sure there’s plenty of room for good students who apply later on.  Still, it’s understandable why students with above-average records could see a deferral as a defeat, rather than a delayed possibility for achievement.  It takes a great deal of thought and planning to submit early applications, and when a letter comes back with an answer of maybe, it’s hard not to take it personally.

What does this news all mean to seniors?  It depends on where you are in the application process:

-- If you haven’t applied to any colleges just yet, two words—“now” and “more”.  Most colleges have received at least 80% of all the applications they’ll be getting, which usually means they will evaluate any new applications more closely.  Make sure your applications are neat, thorough, and sent in by Ground Hog Day, and if you were going to apply to 4 colleges, make it 8—the volume of traffic is very heavy, so everyone can be more choosy.

--If you have applied and don’t have a firm acceptance yet, it’s time to break out the college guides one last time.  More EA applications usually means more regular applications—and that will lead to more deferrals and rejections this spring.  Don’t play the April fool; there are great colleges with deadlines of February 15 and March 1 that will give you a decision 2 or 3 weeks after you apply.  Find one that will work for you, and let that be your winter blanket.

--If you’ve been deferred, be sure you’re in touch with the college now.  Most students who are deferred will obediently submit their current grades, keep their head down, and hope for the best—but colleges will not be admitting most of their deferred students.  A three-paragraph note that updates what you’ve been doing, what you plan on doing, and why State U is still of interest will separate you from the crowd, and create room for dialogue with the college.  If you haven’t done so, this too is a must this week—and if you have no acceptances, see the point above, and find a school that will say yes in February.

--If you’re in at the college of your choice and feeling good about things, well done.  Get back to the business of high school-- spring will soon be here with senior mayhem—and lend a kind word to seniors who haven’t heard.

applying to college | early action | college admission | college selection | college counseling

2009.12.14 21:41:23

Patrick OConnor

Choosing a Major: Where's the Safe Money?

There you are, gliding along on your college applications, and things seem under control.   Name?  Check.  Address?  Check—until you have a new one at college.  Major—Ancient  French Architecture.

And then it hits you—The Ghost of Holidays Past comes by to remind you of the words Uncle Dave uttered as he lit the fourth candle on the menorah:

“Ancient French Architecture? Is there any money in that?”

It’s hard enough to choose among the six things you’d really like to study, but Uncle Dave’s question throws another log on the fire of indecision—will you be able to make a living?

The best way to build an answer to this question is to consider these three questions:

Is this really an either/or question?  Too many people think careers and college majors are either about working with people or working with things, about following your heart or making money.  Why can’t you do both?  Become a professor in ancient French architecture, and supplement your income giving guided tours of French architecture in the summer; go make a ton of money in the business world, and volunteer at the homeless shelters on weekends; be an artist for 10 years, then go back to school to become an engineer.

This is just as true with students thinking about graduate school.  With research, you’ll find some med schools are actually hoping you’ll major in English or Political Science, and law schools love to teach smart poets—if you meet the pre-reqs and get good grades, you may actually bring a perspective that will allow you to see things others don’t, and that’s good. 

Is Uncle Dave right?  If you just can’t shake Uncle Dave’s question, it’s time for an Internet road trip.  Your favorite search engine is eager to take you to great places with questions like “How do musicians make money?” or “What does an architect do all day?”  Unless you’re simply making up a major, someone else has the same degree you want—some time on the Web, or a call to a college prof who teaches the subject, will help you hone your answer.

How much does this really matter right now?  It’s important to pay the light bill once you’re done with college, but that’s almost five years from now.  Unless you’re thinking about a serious change—like you’ve only applied to music schools, but now engineering sounds good—there’s a good chance college will give you both the flexibility and the knowledge to change majors with a purpose.  Since most students change majors three times, this gives you plenty of time to go with your gut right now, discover the details later, and make Plans B, C, D and Q in due time.

In addition, we’re dealing with some serious unknowns here.  Two years ago, real estate agents made big money—what about now?  What about those studies that say 95% of the jobs in the future don’t even exist now—how do you prepare for something that doesn’t exist? 

Most career experts say it’s best to learn how to think, how to relate and communicate with others, how to create, and how to put your heart into your work—so Ancient French Architecture sounds like the ticket to me, as long as it’s something you love, and you keep your eyes and ears open to the possibility that things might change.

college major | major | applying to college

2009.11.24 19:54:30

Patrick OConnor

Applying to College? Count your Blessings

I’m pretty sure Abraham Lincoln didn’t decide to put Thanksgiving in November just because high school seniors could use the break—then again, since Lincoln never went to college, maybe he did!  It would be easy enough to talk about how this is Wall time, when the last 100 words of the big essay won’t come, or the homework due in your 15 AP courses doesn’t give you the time to work on essays anyway, or you’re bracing yourself for your Aunt Esther’s response on Thursday when she finds out you’re applying to art school—or your mom’s boss has decided to take another week or two to decide if another round of layoffs is in order.

It is indeed Wall time, and that’s really saying something, since the entire country is in a Wall year.

Having said that—and remember, I live in Michigan the state that is the poster child of this Wall year—it could be worse:

•We started this school year with the expectation that more colleges would have less money for financial aid.  Early reports indicate the opposite is true—I don’t know where they’re printing this cash, but every college I’ve spoken to has said their coffers are full.

•The same was true about need conscious admissions—the expectation was more colleges would consider a student’s ability to pay as part of the admissions process.  Many colleges still do this, but the number is actually down from last year.

•Detroit Public Schools started the school year with the news they were laying off almost all school counselors, leaving most high schools with one counselor for 1000 students, or no counselor at all.  Two weeks ago, the layoff was rescinded; counselors are all back to work, and Detroit is actually hiring school counselors for the rest of this year.

•Michigan’s Promise Scholarship, a $4000 incentive to do well on a state-required proficiency exam, was cut last month, leaving thousands of college students with unexpected debt and some tough decisions.  Public push-back on the issue is leading the legislature to reconsider their position—for more on this and how you can help, go to the home page at www.collegeisyours.com

Of course, not everyone lives in Detroit, and many colleges don’t have as much money for aid—but if there are ideas to hold on to in Michigan, surely there are opportunities for you to consider as you build your plans.  This isn’t to say the bad will simply vanish by looking at the good, but given how the year has gone, looking at the good isn’t all that bad of a plan…

…and I hope your future plans include some time for rest and reflection.  Another big college deadline looms next Tuesday, and I imagine many of you will be up with the chickens—or turkeys, I suppose—to crank out the rest of those early applications.  Do what you need to do, but remember this is your last Thanksgiving in high school.  While many of you will tromp over the river and through the dorm to get home next year, Thanksgiving can be different on the college end; so take a good look around before you jump on that essay, and if your cousin wants to see if you’ve got game with Left 4 Dead 2, let the essay wait a while, and revel in the thrill of taking out some zombies…

…and no, I’m not talking about Uncle Bob.
.
This weekend is designed to create more of the possible by seeing the good in what you already have.  Ready?  Begin. 

College applilcations | applying to college | college essays | gratitude

2009.11.12 19:09:08

Patrick OConnor

Applying to Colleges a Bear? Time to Regroup!

This is the hardest three weeks of applying to college.  You've already submitted a couple of applications, and now you're up to your Uggs in essays and deadlines for more colleges.  You're starting to wonder if this is all really worth it, when along comes a thick envelope from one of the colleges you applied to in September-- congratulations, you're in!

You have now entered the Goldilocks zone.

(Forgot about her?  Go to http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/goldilocks_story.htm --DON'T ask your English teacher, who will tell you the story is a metaphor of global consumption by Western civilization.)

Why Goldilocks? Right now, you think your college list is:

Too hard  With 5 class papers to do and the fall play, you're sure you are applying to too many colleges.  You only visited half of them, the time you spend on essays would be much better spent on keeping your grades up, and you're already admitted to one college-- do you really need more?

Too soft  Sure, you're in at one college-- but that was a safety school.  In fact, every school you're applying to looks like a sure thing.  Maybe it's time to ramp things up-- and if that means more essays, you can take your laptop to Grandma's on Thanksgiving.

These may seem to be opposites, but they are signs of the same thing-- you are stressed about the application process.  Pull up a bowl of porridge, and let's sort this out with three simple questions:

How did you feel about your college list in September?   If you put a lot of thought into your choices, visited some campuses and researched the others, chances are you'd be cutting out some options by cutting down on the list; the busy-ness of school is blocking your view of the big picture, and it's time to take a breath.

However, if you threw the list together to get Mom and Dad off your back, you may now have a better idea of what you want-- or don't want.  If that's the case, there's time to re-visit the list, and a good reason to do so.

How many essays do you really have left?  Count up the college essays you have to answer.  Now, divide that number by six.  That's the number you have to complete each weekend to finish the apps by mid-December.  If you mix and match short and long essays, you're probably OK if you have to do three each weekend, maybe four.  (Remember, no writing during the week.  That's time for school work, which is the way you keep your grades up.)

Then again, if you have to write something like one-sixth of an essay each weekend, you have room to apply to more colleges.  Write down what you're looking for in a college, and spend this weekend looking around for more; it sounds like you can skip the essays for a while.

Have your college goals changed since September?  If you have new college plans, a review of your list is the right thing to do.  If you really know all of the colleges are keepers, it's time to pull up your socks and do the heavy lifting of the essays.  Persisting now will be good practice for college, when you have to choose between turning a paper in on time, and the Euchre tournament.

Goldilocks made bad choices-- trespassing, destruction of private property, and napping after a big meal.  Don't let this happen to you; step back, think about what matters most to you, and you'll make a decision about college apps that's just right.

college applications | applying to college | college entrance | college stress | paying for college

2009.11.09 22:03:18

Patrick OConnor

Applying to College is a Changing Game!

October seemed to be the month of surprises for college-bound students, at least as far as the state of Michigan was concerned.  The first surprise came on October 16th, when the University of Michigan announced they were going to change the way they recomputed the GPAs of their applicants.  For years and years, U-M only counted grades in the five academic areas (English math, science social studies, and foreign language) earned in 10th and 11th grade.  Right—they didn’t use any grades used in 9th grade at all.  Now, U-M is not going to recompute GPA — they will use whatever GPA appears on the high school transcript.

While this is a huge surprise—admission reps at U-M were still talking about recomputing GPA as late as October 14th—the bigger surprise is that this change will go into effect immediately, including applicants for the Fall of 2010.  It’s uncertain if this change will impact admissions decisions—U-M says it studied GPAs for two years and concluded this change had little impact on applications—but the news that the change would begin this year was most unexpected.

The second surprise came two weeks later, when the budget for the State of Michigan was passed.  One of the programs axed by the state was the Michigan Promise Scholarship, where students who scored well on a state exam could receive up to $4,000 to attend a Michigan college.  The test is given in junior year, meaning this year’s seniors took the test last March, thinking they were aiming to get some college cash.  It turns out their labors were literally for nothing…

…but it gets worse, I’m afraid.  The Promise Scholarship has been in existence for three years, and the entire program was cut.  As a result, students in some Michigan colleges have been sent letters saying “So, the state was supposed to pay $1000 of your tuition this semester, but they really aren’t.  Here’s your bill.”

U-M’s decision on the Ides of October and the Devil’s Night Diss from the state legislature emphasize three important points when it comes to applying to colleges:

paying for college | applying to college | college applications

2009.10.21 21:49:16

Patrick OConnor

Freezing on College Applications? Here's the two-step cure

The real challenge for a college counselor is helping students whose first sense of application panic comes on a fall Saturday morning, when they bring a pen or laptop to the breakfast table, throw a last handful of Cocoa Doodles in their mouth, decide it’s time to take on that first application—and they freeze on the line that says “Name.” In other words, they are coming out of the “College is Crazy” hype, and thinking about what they really want out of college for the first time in a long time, or for the first time ever. 

I’m sorry I can’t be at the breakfast table when there’s nowhere to run to—if I could be there, I would tell them to go to their room. 

The good news is the colleges that are right for you will feel just like home. It may be in the dorm rooms, it may be at the library (hey, it happens), it may be the whole campus—but somewhere at those colleges, there is a spot waiting for you to reflect on the challenges of life, wonder about the possible, and text your BFFs til dawn. Once you think about college as your next home, completing the applications will be as easy as taking the written exam for your driver’s license, because both are just the paperwork that leads to a greater sense of freedom. In the end, going to college isn’t about leaving home—it’s about taking home with you. 

The second thing I would do is replace students’ earbuds with soundproof headphones. Some students hit the brakes because of outside opinions about their college choices. The application to a college a student loves often heads to the shredder when a well meaning neighbor asks “Where is that college?”, or Uncle Bob reports the college is nowhere to be found in the recently published rankings. If it turns out no other student at the local high school is applying to this college, this can become a trifecta for trauma.

When this happens, I encourage students to make the mature choice and be selfish. By fall, college-bound students know who they are and what they want in a college—with all the research they’ve done and the campuses they’ve visited, if college selection were a term paper, they’d have about 25 sources to quote and 3000 file cards to synthesize by now. 

Knowing what you know about college and yourself, it’s important to keep the well-meaning insights of others in perspective—some may know you, some may know colleges, but very few (except your parents) will know both as well as you do. Everyone on your first grade soccer team got a trophy for participating, and choosing colleges works the same way—with self knowledge and college knowledge, everyone gets a best college, even if what’s best for you is different than what’s best for everyone else.

college applications | applying to college | essays | college essays