Early January means the end of the application phase for most seniors. And while Katie is technically done applying, her musical theater ambitions means she still has a lot of auditioning to do on top of regular applications. That and a bout of pneumonia have kept her a little more stressed into the new year. Read her entire interview below!
This Thursday I’ll be publishing one last blog post of the year, but for now let’s look back at the five best posts of 2019.
If you’ve been an Apply with Sanity reader for the past year: thanks! I really appreciate it and hope you’re getting something good from it! Come back Thursday for the last post of 2019!
If you haven’t been following all along year: thanks for reading, whenever you started! Keep coming back! And here’s a rundown of what you may have missed earlier.
So what do they want? They want you to be you, the best you, and to let them know who that is. You can’t do that if you’re too busy trying to be what you think they want you to be. There are schools out there looking for you, so you have to tell them who you are, not what you think they want to hear. Just like in a good relationship.
2. How do wealthy kids get into elite colleges?
There are a few dozen schools that are both need blind and meet full demonstrated need. They don’t take your ability to pay into account when deciding to accept you, and they will make sure that you get all the financial aid that you need based on FAFSA. There’s a reasonable expectation that many of their graduates will have high earnings after graduating, so there’s no need to prefer one person over another based on the assumption that they might be donors. These schools ought to be the very definition of meritocracy, since almost nobody needs to worry about the cost when they apply, and the schools only look at your academic records, not your financial records, to make their decisions. And yet, those schools are all elite colleges dominated by wealthier students. Is this the proof that wealthy families game the system? Sort of.
3. The two things you need for success in college and beyond.
Today’s post is about two things you need for success in high school, college, and beyond: a meditation routine and a time management system. Maybe need is a strong word. You can get by without either of these things—many people do. But I promise that a meditation routine and time management system will never be a waste of your time or effort.
4. You’re not trying to impress anyone.
If you’re hoping to get into college by impressing the admissions office, I want you to let go of that idea right now. You’re not going to impress them. Your SAT or ACT scores—even if perfect—are not going to impress them. Your GPA is not going to impress them. Your list of activities and awards is not going to impress them. Your letters of recommendation are not going to impress them. If your college admissions strategy is to impress, rethink your strategy.
5. Three things parents should stop saying to their children.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it covered.”
“We can’t afford anything, so you’ve got to get a full scholarship.”
“We fall into that window where we make too much money to qualify for financial aid, but not enough money to pay for college.”
Also this year I began the Three Quick Questions section, where I ask admissions officers from all over the same three questions.
What would you like to see in 2020? Have you got any questions, any suggestions, any requests? Put them in the comments box below, or hit the Contact button to send a message.
Thanks for reading!
Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.
Photo by Zoe Herring.
Apply with Sanity is a registered trademark of Apply with Sanity, LLC. All rights reserved.
What do you do after you apply to five colleges, and get accepted to all five, in a single day? According to Jenna, you work on school projects, go Christmas shopping, take another SAT…and apply to more colleges. Read all about Jenna’s busy Novemeber!
Meet the Class gets updated each month from September to May. Each installment features an interview about both the facts and the feelings of where the student is in the process.
Interviews may be edited lightly for clarity and grammar. Names may be changed to protect privacy.
Jenna ATTENDS A Public HIGH SCHOOL IN Michigan
First, how did the college application fair go for you on the 9th?
The college admissions fair went great! I applied to Oakland, Michigan Tech., Northern Michigan, Central and Eastern and got accepted into all 5 (woo!). It was a super quick process and when I picked up my results in the afternoon it was pretty clear which ones had accepted me because all the colleges had given me something if that makes sense. For instance, Michigan Tech gave me a shirt, Central gave me gloves, Oakland gave me a magnet etc. since I had gotten accepted.
Now that you have some applications out and several acceptances back, how are you feeling about admissions season?
Now that I have some applications out and several acceptances back, I’m feeling more calm about admissions season. For some schools, I really wanted to meet that November 1st deadline but for others I wanted to do regular decision or at least take my time when writing essays such as Michigan State, UMich Ann Arbor and Stanford. I’m starting to get more worried about scholarships though. It's a very tedious process and finding scholarships that are right for me isn't easy, especially considering they might require an essay or video etc. It’s hard considering lately I haven't had much free time to do these things and deadlines come very quick.
How's school going for you? Does all this focus on the future change how you go through high school on a daily basis? Are there any signs of senioritis yet?
As for school, it's going decent I guess. I really only have to worry about my 3 morning classes which is nice about the way I setup my schedule. But sometimes they all give a lot of homework or multiple projects at once which puts a bit of a damper on my personal time to finish applying to other schools or look for scholarships as mentioned earlier. Though applying while still in high school is changing a bit of my daily basis. My routine doesn't change much besides maybe the way I think about my day or how it’s going more. It's a bit overwhelming to know these are my last few months with the people I've grown with but at the same time I'm in a way ready to move on and get a new start. But also so far luckily the senioritis hasn't settled in yet. I have responsibilities that can't be avoided here at school. Although once it gets closer to prom and graduation, I'm sure senioritis will definitely settle in more.
Did you go on any college visits or have any interviews in November? Do you have any planned for December?
I still haven't gone on any college visits in November and I haven't planned any for December. I think I want to wait until I finish applying to schools and then narrow it down to the top 3 ish and then visit the campuses. I'm not really sure, I haven't really talked to my mom about visiting college campuses. I brought it up once and she shot down the idea very quickly so when I get my license in the next month or so. I'll try to bring it up again soon probably and if she shoots it down again then I guess I’ll be on my own for that too or I'll try to gather a group to come along with me, so i'm not alone.
How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do any college-related work over the break?
My Thanksgiving was great though, being able to relax for a day or so with my family was nice. I didn't do any college related work over break really because I figured I still do have some time to finish applying etc. I had gotten out of school on Wednesday, but i had to run errands all day then Thursday was Thanksgiving and then Friday I had to go Christmas shopping. I also had a project due the Monday we came back from break so I had to finish that on Saturday and Sunday.
How involved has your family been the past few months? Do they have any preferences from your current college list? How big a factor will your family be in your final decisions?
My family has been somewhat involved-ish in the process. My mom still hasn't really done much to help me with the college process unless I ask her to but there's not really much to ask. My mom as of right now wants me to attend Wayne State University for my first 2 years then transfer to Central Michigan. So far Wayne State has given me the most money out of all the schools I've applied for which makes sense for me to go there. In the end, I feel that it is still my future and of course I will take my mom's opinion into consideration when making my final decision but primarily I'm calling the shots. Plus I'd prefer to go to a college for all 4 years instead of having to transfer. If I have to transfer though, that's fine too but I'd prefer to not have to go through all the paperwork and then wondering if my credits will transfer etc. But it also depends whether or not if I’ll have a car to be able to get to where I need to be or if I can get a summer job before I start the new school year. It’s the small things like that, that will have a big impact on my decision and how I choose to go about it.
Let's go over your list and make sure I have it correct:
Central Michigan University (applied)
Cleary University (applied)
Eastern Michigan University (applied)
Henry Ford Community College
Madonna University
Michigan State University
Michigan Tech University (applied)
Northern Michigan University (applied)
Oakland University (applied)
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
University of Michigan Dearborn (accepted!)
Wayne State University (accepted!)
Is that right? Are there any changes?
Yes the list is correct, but in the beginning I have mentioned which schools I have been accepted into.
I’ll start my applications to Henry Ford, State, Ann Arbor and maybe Stanford? sometime in January since I'm just planning for regular decision. I'm still on the fence about applying to Stanford and I know my answer changes almost every month but I'm still not sure what to do about it.
Is there anything you want to share that I didn't ask about?
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I had planned on retaking the SAT which I finally got around to!!
I retook it on December 7th and I'm not sure when i'll get my scores back. I'm still a bit upset I didn't get a ton of time to study but I did study a little bit which did end up helping but I'm still not sure I can say to did great which is a little disappointing. Whatever happens, happens in the next few months and we'll see how this all plays out.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:
Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.
Check out Jenna’s past interviews and interviews with other Meet the Class seniors.
Ask a question in the comments section.
Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.
Photo by Angela Elisabeth.
Apply with Sanity is a registered trademark of Apply with Sanity, LLC. All rights reserved.
There are two primary phases of the college admissions process for students, the applying phase and the deciding phase. They often overlap when you’re already getting responses from some schools while you’re still applying to others. Katie is finished with the first phase, having applied to 20 different colleges. Congratulations, Katie!
Meet the Class gets updated each month from September to May. Each installment features an interview about both the facts and the feelings of where the student is in the process.
Interviews may be edited lightly for clarity and grammar. Names may be changed to protect privacy.
Katie ATTENDS A Private Christian HIGH SCHOOL IN Ohio
You had several applications due in November and also several prescreens due December 1st. Did you get those complete and submitted?
I did not get all of the things I needed to submit submitted. There was a complicated situation with my Roosevelt and the University of Oklahoma prescreens, so those two were not submitted. Everything else I needed to complete was submitted, though.
Now that you have some applications out and several acceptances back, how are your feeling about admissions season?
I am feeling much, much better than I was last month. It feels really great to be getting accepted, although I know it doesn't really mean that much. It feels nice to have a lot of things just off of my to-do list and out of my hands. I am still concerned about my applications, but I feel a lot more relaxed about this whole process.
How's school going for you? Does all this focus on the future change how you go through high school on a daily basis? Are there any signs of senioritis yet?
School is going well. I am taking more classes than I have in years, and it is a lot. I am really enjoying it all though. Exams are very soon, though, and there is a lot of stress that comes with that. I don't think that my focus on the future has really changed how I have felt about this year, but the fact that I am attending quite a few on-campus college classes has made this year much more fun for me. I don't have senioritis just yet. I am excited about my next chapter, but I am also excited about all my new classes next semester.
Did you go on any college visits or have any interviews in November? Do you have any planned for December?
I did not have any interviews or visits in November. I don't have any planned at the moment, but I am considering going to visit the University of Central Missouri this month.
How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do any college-related work over the break?
Thanksgiving was good. I really needed the break. I did a ton of college work that weekend. I filmed a few prescreens, wrote some supplemental essays, and finished a few applications.
How involved has your family been the past few months? Do they have any preferences from your current college list? How big a factor will your family be in your final decisions?
My family has been a part of my college journey, but not a positive part. My family and I have very different views of what I need for the next four years of my life. They want me to go to a private Christian school and double major, but that is not what I want at all. Neither of us has really budged from our camps, so while they have been involved, I have been applying to these schools completely on my own. My family wants to be the sole deciding factor in my college decision, but I don't think they will end up being involved at all. I have added a school to appease my family because it was a free application and decent.
Let's go over your list and make sure I have it correct:
Penn State (top choice)
University of Hartford (top choice, applied)
Ball State University
Central Washington University
Columbia College Chicago (accepted, offered scholarship!)
Indiana University Bloomington (applied)
Minnesota State Mankato (accepted!)
Montclaire State
North Dakota State (accepted!)
Rider University (top choice, applied)
Roosevelt University (applied)
Temple University (applied)
University of Central Missouri
University of Utah (applied)
University of Minnesota Duluth (applied)
University of Minnesota Twin Cities (accepted!)
University of Oklahoma
University of South Dakota
University of the Arts
Western Michigan (applied)
Is that right? Any changes?
I have applied to all my schools by now. I was accepted to the University of Central Missouri and Western Michigan. I was offered a scholarship at the University of Central Missouri, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minnesota State, and North Dakota State. I was invited to a scholarship competition at Western Michigan. I was accepted to the honors programs at Columbia and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:
Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.
Check out Katie’s past interviews and interviews with other Meet the Class seniors.
Ask a question in the comments section.
Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.
Photo by Angela Elisabeth.
Apply with Sanity is a registered trademark of Apply with Sanity, LLC. All rights reserved.
If a college or university is “test optional,” that simply means that they do not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. Students may submit scores, and many do submit scores, but they are not required to submit scores. There are three good reasons for a student to apply to a test-optional school and decide not to submit test scores:
1. The student didn’t take the SAT or ACT, so they don’t have any scores to submit.
2. The student took the SAT and/or ACT, but they don’t think the scores are a good refection of them as a student.
3. The student wants to take a stand against standardized testing by supporting test-optional programs and increasing the number of applications submitted without test scores.
When I first spoke with Diana just two months ago, she was frustrated and demoralized because she really didn’t know how to get started with college applications or who to go to for help. Things aren’t free an easy, but they’re certainly looking better: she’s applied to eight colleges and has an acceptance. Read her short-but-full interview below.
If I’m counting correctly, Katie has applied to 12 colleges already, and has got acceptances from four of them. She’s also working furiously to finish her audition videos and wrap a school play. Did you know there’s basically a Common Application for theater auditions? I didn’t. Read about that and more as Katie reports on her October.
Jenna’s admissions experience is really great to read, because it reminds us how many bright, successful students have a story that’s quite different than the ones we tell ourselves over and over about how college applications work. By early November, she’s already applied to at least nine colleges—and been accepted to at least two! She has a preferred major, but she knows it’s likely to change. She wants to write a great essay, but has also gone quite a way into the process without having one finished. Jenna is just one of hundreds of thousands of college-bound seniors who are working hard and are aiming high, but aren’t agonizing over the one perfect application to the one perfect super-selective school because they think it will give them a perfect life. Cheers to Jenna!
Two years ago I explained how I would re-shape the college admissions process if I had some sort of magical power to decide how everything would run. You can read that original post here. I still strongly believe in the basic parameters of what I wrote: a two-cycle system, where everyone is encouraged to apply early to up to—but no more than—three colleges, and then a much later round to fill in the spots that weren’t taken in the earlier round. It would push students and schools to act earlier, but the limit of three would also allow both students and schools to work more efficiently.
Two years of working with student clients has me thinking that maybe I wasn’t being realistic in my timing. Maybe an October 1st deadline, even if you’re only applying to three, is a little too aggressive.
But on top of that, colleges this year did actually make some big changes to the system, and I want to revise my plan taking those into account also.
I put up an online survey for students about college admissions last month, and I’d like to report on the results. There’s nothing at all scientific about this survey: I only got 126 responses, and most of those were from a high school where I made a presentation…including time to take the survey. Percentages are rounded. I didn’t do any statistical analysis.
Still, I think the answers are quite illuminating, especially since the seniors who responded were a diverse crowd of college-bound, successful high school students.
The most significant overall theme I see is that local reigns supreme. Even for these students (at a college prep magnet school for gifted students) who have access to information and representatives from all over the nation, most of their attention is in state. Almost every school named was in Texas, a well-known “elite” university, or—in the case of Rice—both. Here at the details.
There’s a new feature coming to Apply with Sanity called Three Quick Questions. I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I’ll post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.
I sent out a test batch of 10, just to see if I got any responses. One came back almost immediately, so I’m considering that an initial success. Let’s hope more come in soon.
The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique and that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.
Here’s the first response from Conner Green, Assistant Director of Admission at Ohio Wesleyan University.
I’m on the record as being fine with Legacy. I ran a blog post two years ago called “What’s wrong with Legacy admissions?” and I still stand by it. In fact, I’d like to reiterate why I’m not as bothered by Legacy as the New York Times editorial board. It’s not that I think it’s a perfect policy that needs to be defended at all costs; I’m just not nearly as bothered by it as the Times.
Meet the Class is back for a third year! It’s an opportunity for parents, educators, and admissions professionals to get a look at individual seniors and what they go through to find their school. Below you’ll meet Diana. Diana is stressed and feels like she’s at the very beginning of the process. Read her full first interview below.
Meet the Class is back for a third year! It’s an opportunity for parents, educators, and admissions professionals to get a look at individual seniors and what they go through to find their school. Below you’ll meet Jenna. Like a lot of seniors, she has some strong ideas about what she wants, but isn’t as sure about how to get it. Read her full first interview below.
Meet the Class is back for a third year! It’s an opportunity for parents, educators, and admissions professionals to get a look at individual seniors and what they go through to find their school. Below you’ll meet Katie, who is quite ambitious—she plans to apply to around 25 schools. Read her full first interview below.
Last weekend I was fortunate to be one of the presenters at a college access workshop presented by Wonderworks, an enrichment program sponsored by Rice and the University of Houston. The pre-written text of my talk, called “Temporary Insanity: College Admission, American Style” is below. I welcome your comments and questions!
There’s been a lot of talk this week about the College Board’s new Environmental Context Dashboard and “Adversity Score.” And a lot of people don’t like the new program. Some want it to do more, some want it to do less. Some don’t want it to exist at all. And here’s my take on the program:
We can all just relax about the “adversity score.” I don’t think this will be a big deal, nor do I think it should be. Let’s look at some key ideas.
