myUsearch blog

One of the things I have noticed students admitted to college starting to ask is, “How many students are admitted to my major?” or “How many students do you accept each year?”.  While valid questions, these answers need to be placed in the right context.

What many students may or may not realize is that the landscape of applying to colleges have changed.  The University of New Haven is not alone in an increase in the number of applicants to the school.  While we have seen a tremendous surge in applications over the last 3 years … many universities have seen a steady increase in applications as well.

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This is a crazy time of year.  Thousands of colleges around the country are reading thousands of applications for students who are putting their hopes and dreams into an envelope (well … nowadays an e-mail account) and hoping for the best.

The unfortunate downside of reviewing so many applications is often times students are either not ready, or not a good fit for some of the colleges they are applying to.  This should not deter a you from applying to the school(s) you are interested in attending … in fact, it should encourage you to do your research, and prioritize your schools based on “fit” over “rank”.

Photo by satguru 

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Today we have a guest post from college admissions insider Gil Rogers, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of New Haven.

 So you are getting ready to finalize those college applications.  You have visited schools, met with counselors and students, read through every piece of mail sent to you and surfed on all of the best college search websites.  You are ready to go, right?  Wrong.

Filling out the application form is easy.  As long as you know your name and address, chances are, that part is done.  But what are you going to do to set yourself apart from all of the names and numbers on the papers going in to the admissions office at your top choice school?  That is where the application essay comes in.

Photo by Valeriana Solaris 

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There’s a belief among some students that senior year is a time to take easy classes.  Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if you really want to go to college that’s the last thing you should do.  It seems that every year the same erroneous ideas regarding applying to college manage to make their way into students’ conversations.  They are part of what I refer to as “Hallway Mythology”.

Photo by Kevin Walter 

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Every year, more and more students choose to apply online - a trend I’m happy to see as we become more environmentally responsible.  However, in some students’ minds, online applications seem to trigger a response that says, “It’s just another online form.  How hard can it be?”  The truth is, it’s not “just another online form”.  It’s your chance to make a great first impression - or not. (more…)