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College-bound students need help from parents. The parental assistance I’m talking about doesn’t include parents completing their child’s college application, rather, parents should help with associated simple, time-consuming tasks; tasks I like to call “tedious but necessary.”
High school juniors should save their best papers, essays, and reports from this year. This is because some colleges and universities REQUIRE submittal of graded writing samples from high school junior or senior years with college applications.
College-bound seniors submitting regular applications (as well as high school sophomores and juniors who will apply for college admission in the future) should develop a student theme to weave throughout application materials. A student theme will let college admission officers understand your personality and character as well as learn about who you really are and how you will fit into their campus community. MyCollegeCalendar.org provides advice on developing and using a student theme on college applications.
Early Action and Early Decision applicants should follow-up their applications for admission by sending a cover letter and résumé copy to influential college representatives. MyCollegeCalendar.org explains why this is a good idea and provides an example cover letter and résumé.
For students applying to colleges using the Regular Admission process, MyCollegeCalendar.org provides a “Get Started” page. All admission tasks with instructions are provided in chronological order in one list. The “Get Started” page complements the MyCollegeCalendar Regular Application Flowchart.
Application materials sent via U.S. Mail should have brief cover letter outlining the documents included in the mailing. A cover letter shows college admission officers that the student applicant is neat, organized, and professional. MyCollegeCalendar.org provides an example.
Don’t let simple but critical errors on your college applications ruin your chances to get accepted. MyCollegeCalendar.org discusses the most common of these simple mistakes and how to avoid them.
There are many possible formats for college admission essays. MyCollegeCalendar.org provides a description of a time-tested, standard format and gives recommendations regarding the critical elements that maximize essay interest and effectiveness in the eyes of college admission officers.
MyCollegeCalendar.org follows a fictional high school senior who successfully navigates the entire college application and financial aid process. All college-bound students and parents can follow along using the example documents provided.
