myUsearch blog

It is that time of year, when holiday decorations go up, the temperature drops, snow starts to blanket the outside world in a white wonderland and holiday panic ensues. It is also the time of year for the majority of high school seniors to start burrowing into dens and bedrooms, huddling over laptops as they prepare college applications. Ah! The admissions season is getting underway and news stories abound with dire warnings of the slim chances applicants face in getting into their desired colleges.

104/365: 1985-1986, courtesy of hyperbolic pants explosion

I urge high school seniors and their parents to take a deep breath. Yes, the coming days and weeks for those applying to schools with late December and early January deadlines will be arduous. Applicants will want to take great care making sure that all of the application sections are thoroughly completed and their personal essays are compelling and clear.

Inevitably at this time, some newspapers and magazines declare that successful applications should look more like a slick sales pitch than the earnest, thoughtful proposals they ought to be. It’s enough to propel me to speak out on the matter.

These articles often refer to an applicant’s need to package and “brand” themselves, like they are some type of commodity. At one point, there will be quotes from a college admissions counselor, saying that the widely used Common Application (a generic document that can be customized for submission to each school; it’s available online as well as in print) and the restructuring of SAT scores has rendered schools’ admissions officials “blind” and dependent completely on an applicant’s more nebulous attributes.

Please. Spare me. The Ivy League and other highly competitive schools are pretty smart about how they assess applicants. They know how to read transcripts. They know “fluff” when they see it. Advice from a good college admissions consultant will help you define and interpret your most important “wow” factors, especially the ones that speak to a given school’s larger mission. Applicants whose academic or extracurricular records demonstrate how their backgrounds will fit in well with a given school’s focus will want to highlight this, front and center, in their applications.

Yet, outside of an applicant’s “wow” factors, smart admissions advisers will focus on academics and standardized test scores. They will balance their client’s goals, unique talents, diversity factors, and any legitimate challenges that might have put a dent into otherwise strong records.

Before you panic, just take a reality check. Ignore the hysteria in many articles that claim Harvard and others won’t know a good applicant without $40,000 in packaging. Good, sound admissions advice is based on facts, not fear, and generous doses of optimism are mandatory to assure that applicants launch their academic careers on the right campus.

Take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the holidays. And, if you need some help feel free to give our office, AdmissionsConsultants, a call. All of our consultants have been involved in the admissions arena for many years; they know what to look for and what doesn’t work. So drop us an email or give our offices a call at 703.242.5885; we’ll be happy to help during this holiday season.

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