An Overview Of College Admissions
One of the busiest periods in a student’s life is when they apply for college. There is an endless hustle and bustle of selecting a college, preparing the various college essays, collating test scores, recommendation letters, and more. This process can be confusing for both students and their parents/guardians.
College admission offices have always been completely transparent with their admission process. In this article, college admissions officers themselves give students some tips and suggest ways in which they can make their applications stand out.
Tips From Admissions Officers On How To Ace College Admissions
Every college has admission officers who are more than happy to help students applying to that college for the academic year. Some common pieces of advice from all admissions officers are provided below:
- Highlight your strengths: Students need to highlight their strengths and also show how their strong suites relate to the university and program they’re applying to. Many legit essay writing services can help students present their academic and extracurricular strengths effectively to make them stand out. Students who lack confidence in their writing skills can avail the services of these agencies to make their essays stand out.
- Be Authentic: The main purpose of a college application is to show the admissions team your personality, background, skills, and determination to get into a specific school. Students should let their personalities shine through the application. A student should be authentic about their tastes, goals, aspirations, and background. They must also honestly state any shortcomings they have and wish to improve through the course.
- Test scores are important: To apply for college in the US, SAT and ACT test scores are very important. Most colleges look for these test scores in addition to essays and overall application forms. The test scores help to better gauge the academic prowess of the students.
- Show meaningful extracurricular involvement: Never pursue a hobby or activity simply because it’s trending at the time. Students must only pursue activities that they are genuinely excited about and can highlight in their applications.
- Make your essay engaging: Nobody wants to hear the same story about how a specific college is the best college in the state, and that’s why a student has chosen it. Students can include unique stories and facts in the essay. They can talk about specific aspects of the program or university that they are excited about. This shows admissions officers that students have thought about their choice instead of blindly following the herd.
- Talk to current students and alumni from the college: This is an important step that students often neglect. An enrolled student or alumni mentor can give a student valuable insights about coursework and available opportunities.
- Recommendation letters matter: Admissions officers always advise students to think carefully before asking their teachers for a letter of recommendation. Ideally, a teacher who has taught the student for two or more semesters is an ideal choice, as they can talk about the student’s growth. A sports coach or dean can also give a recommendation letter if a university requires multiple recommendations.
A Few Final Words
There is no single secret way to get into college. Every student has a unique personality. In the same way, every college admission process and every application they receive is also unique. As long as a student takes care to present their most authentic selves on the application form, they have nothing to worry about.
About the Author – Barbara Fielder
Barbara Fielder is a counselor and author. Her expertise lies in college admissions. She has worked as a consultant for admissions offices of various Ivy League and Tier 3 universities across the United States. During this time, she gained experience in the different criteria colleges look for in their applications and discovered many common mistakes. Today, she is the founder and CEO of an agency that helps students with college applications.
