As the January deadlines draw near, countless high school seniors are completing their college applications. Even students who started on their applications earlier in the Fall term may be checking over their application forms and proofreading their essays.
Don’t press the submit button before doing these 3 things:
1. Review your application in its entirety – Your college application is a portfolio which reflects your best effort. This portfolio includes these pieces:
- General demographic profile data
- Transcripts
- Secondary school report
- Teacher and/or personal recommendations
- Personal statements or essays
- Sample work, in some cases
If there are redundancies in your application, remove them and add new information that complements the remainder.
2. Confirm that your application shows or spells out how you will contribute to campus life. This may sound too difficult to do but by this time in the application process, you should know why you’re applying and how you’ll contribute to the campus where you’re applying. If it’s not indicated in the application, then it’s left to any admission reader’s guess.
3. Proofread your essays for authenticity. The best way to do this is to read your essays aloud. It may feel unnatural but if you can’t stand to read your essay, then who else will want to read it? So, find a quiet space and read aloud. If there are words or phrases that “don’t sound like” you, eliminate immediately. Admissions officers read thousands of essays in a cycle and can easily spot something that’s disingenuous or worse . . . written by an adult. This is why I caution parents, teachers, or other adults to never add a different word, rewrite a sentence, or any such “help.” The essay should be written solely by the student applicant, in their voice. Authenticity is key to getting into the best-fit college for you.
Admissions decisions will be released in the next couple of months. Stay encouraged as you wait and try not to let senioritis slip in . . . Your college of choice will be receiving a Final Year Report.
