Common Mistakes Outstanding Students Make When Applying to Colleges
1. Applying only to highly selective schools.
Susie has a grade point average well above 4.0, a test score in the 90th percentile, and great extracurricular involvement. Susie will get into every college she applies to, right? Wrong. There are schools that accept fewer than five percent of applicants. Almost every one of their applicants is as qualified as Susie. The biggest mistake Susie can make is to only apply to the most prestigious schools. Some or all of them may say no or hold on (wait list). It is also possible that the one prestigious school that accepts Susie might not be a great fit for her. She applied to that school because it appeared in a Top 20 list or because a friend applied there last year.
There are so many great schools. Our most outstanding students often apply to the same 20 schools. Picture a student in the Gainesville area applying to Florida, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Virginia, Princeton, and Harvard. These are beautiful and prestigious schools. They are also schools that will say no to even a higher percentage of students this year than they did last year. Outstanding students should have a few prestigious schools on their list. These schools should not comprise the entire list.
2. Applying for the sake of applying
“What if I don’t get into my top choice schools? I better apply to one more school. No, make that three schools just to be safe.” My daughter was accepted into an Honor’s program (with a nice scholarship) at a state school. I was excited and proud. I asked her when she wanted to visit the program and the school. She didn’t want to visit. She didn’t want to attend that school. She applied because she was afraid of not getting into the other schools she applied to and because her friends applied to more schools than she did.
3. Failure to understand finances
Every situation is different. Some students will qualify for a great deal of financial aid. Some won’t qualify for any. Some families were able to save for college. Others were not. Some students earn Bright Futures in Florida. Others do not.
While many schools do an incredible job of helping students pay for college, it is important for families to discuss paying for college before the student starts filling out applications. I want students to have a wonderful college experience and to graduate with no debt or a manageable amount of debt. It is fine to apply to a school with the understanding that you can only attend if you get accepted and the money works out.
4. Managing the process
Our most outstanding students take an ambitious course load during their Senior year. Keeping up with your papers, projects, and tests while applying to as many as 10 or 12 schools is a daunting task. Students copy and paste essays while forgetting to change language intended for one school (there nothing quite like ending your FSU essay with “Go Gators”). Students miss deadlines and forget to submit scores, recommendations, and forms. It is important to start early, make a plan, and stay organized.
5. Parents make mistakes too.
You should be proud of Susie. She is a great student and a great person. She has volunteered more hours by age 18 than you have in your life. She has already earned college credit. Susie is a great kid.
Don’t forget the “kid” part of great kid. Susie might not yet understand that School A is north of where you live and that School B is south. Susie may not have driven on the interstate by herself for more than ten miles. If Susie thinks she knows what she wants to do professionally, she is likely to change her mind. As impressive as Susie is, she is still very young. She needs adult support during the college process. Without support, she will rely on her peers and, possibly, on misinformation.
On the other side of this is too much adult involvement. We know our children and we have opinions on what will be best for them. There is big difference between supporting your child and deciding what colleges the child will apply to and attend.
6. Tying college acceptance to self-esteem.
“Over the last few decades, Americans have turned college admissions into a terrifying and occasionally devastating process, starting with the conviction among too many young people that their futures will be determined and their worth established by which schools say yes and which say not. That belief is wrong. It’s cruel.”
The quote above comes from the book Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni. I recommend it. I also recommend sitting down with an Educational Consultant. Student First Educational Consulting would be proud to serve you. Please check out our website for our “Blog” and our “News” tab. The latest “News” post is a Parent’s Guide to Completing the FAFSA.