Mistakes you made in the admissions process...

[Anonymous]

I am about to help my DS to apply to 14 colleges and we never done this before.
Can anybody come t on what NOT to do regarding college applications,visits and interviews ?
TX

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am about to help my DS to apply to 14 colleges and we never done this before.
Can anybody come t on what NOT to do regarding college applications,visits and interviews ?
TX

Fourteen colleges is too many. Try and get that down to 8.

[Anonymous]

My kid applied to 8. Choices ended up too limited.

[Anonymous]

Make sure that 1/3 of the 14 schools are schools where her grades and test scores exceed the average for admitted students, 1/3 where she is a match and no more than 1/3 are a reach.

Make sure the teacher(s) doing her letters of recommendation have the deadlines and everything they need.

Pay attention to deadlines — especially for schools that day students get most consideration for financial aid i you apply by X date.

[Anonymous]

- run NPC before applying (unless possibility of merit aid)
- don't born as an Asian
- don't assume stats will open doors for top tier schools unless you have hooks
- don't discount instate options

[Anonymous]

Your mistake was not picking a safety with rolling admissions - then she'd know by now and could tailor her search higher or lower as needed.

My kid is in to a school he'd enjoy attending, has five aps still outstanding (but turned in already). He is done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your mistake was not picking a safety with rolling admissions - then she'd know by now and could tailor her search higher or lower as needed...

Mistake? That's a bit much since most schools didn't even open up applications until last month.

OP - I agree that 14 sounds like a lot. We've been in the 5 to 10 range with our kids. Beyond that, previous posters have nailed the part about organization, knowing all the deadlines, giving plenty of time to work with school counselors and teachers to request transcripts and letters of recommendation, etc. Be sure you are aware of requirements for any add-on forms or applications that need to be filed. We just wrapped one up that required direct application to the school (not common app) plus FAFSA, CSS and a school specific financial disclosure, all by the application deadline. And the last one required a login ID that was not the same as the application, so that took a couple of phone calls and emails to straighten out. If we had waited until the last minute, we might not have gotten it done.

Every kid is different with campus visits. One of mine wanted to tour a lot of schools, and one wasn't as particular. He applied to a number of schools before visiting and then waited for the admissions decisions and financial package to decide if he wanted to go take a look or not. To each their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your mistake was not picking a safety with rolling admissions - then she'd know by now and could tailor her search higher or lower as needed...

Mistake? That's a bit much since most schools didn't even open up applications until last month.

OP - I agree that 14 sounds like a lot. We've been in the 5 to 10 range with our kids. Beyond that, previous posters have nailed the part about organization, knowing all the deadlines, giving plenty of time to work with school counselors and teachers to request transcripts and letters of recommendation, etc. Be sure you are aware of requirements for any add-on forms or applications that need to be filed. We just wrapped one up that required direct application to the school (not common app) plus FAFSA, CSS and a school specific financial disclosure, all by the application deadline. And the last one required a login ID that was not the same as the application, so that took a couple of phone calls and emails to straighten out. If we had waited until the last minute, we might not have gotten it done.

Every kid is different with campus visits. One of mine wanted to tour a lot of schools, and one wasn't as particular. He applied to a number of schools before visiting and then waited for the admissions decisions and financial package to decide if he wanted to go take a look or not. To each their own.

Op here,
Thank soo very much. We are very scary about the process and we do not want our kid to be crush if he doesn't get accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:- run NPC before applying (unless possibility of merit aid)
- don't born as an Asian
- don't assume stats will open doors for top tier schools unless you have hooks
- don't discount instate options

It’s not just about books. Great (as in outstanding at state or national levels) ECs can open doors for an unhooked kid.

[Anonymous]

Don’t fall in love with a single school unless you’ve decided to apply ED. You don’t want to set yourselves up for heartbrake, given how much is up to chance. Find the good people into tonseceral schools at different levels, and talk about the positives of each.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- run NPC before applying (unless possibility of merit aid)
- don't born as an Asian
- don't assume stats will open doors for top tier schools unless you have hooks
- don't discount instate options

It’s not just about books. Great (as in outstanding at state or national levels) ECs can open doors for an unhooked kid.

Hooks not books

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here,
Thank soo very much. We are very scary about the process and we do not want our kid to be crush if he doesn't get accepted.

We look at it this way - You don't pick the school; the school picks you. They looks at thousands of applicants and have years of data to back up their admissions decisions. The decision isn't based on, "who's the best." The decision is based on, "who will be most successful at our university." If a school doesn't accept you, they aren't saying you aren't good enough. They are doing you a favor if they don't select you. Move on to a place that DOES want you.

[Anonymous]

The process is also pretty random. The apps reader hasn’t had his morning coffee yet? Out you go. She hates hipsters and she thinks your essay has a tinge of hipster vibe? Out you go. Try not to invest everything in a single college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your mistake was not picking a safety with rolling admissions - then she'd know by now and could tailor her search higher or lower as needed...

Mistake? That's a bit much since most schools didn't even open up applications until last month.

It isn't like you didn't know what the essay would be. It really wasn't that hard to get something in by mid-october.

[Anonymous]

If you are just starting the process does this mean no EA/ED? That may be a mistake if some of the 14 schools are selective schools.