What happens in high school stays in high school

Graduating high school and going to college is pretty major life achievement. Not everybody does it, for lots of reasons. Only around two thirds of Americans have a college degree. But if you found your way here to this website, then I assume that crossing the stage and going to college—probably moving away from home to go to college—is something you’re planning on.

College is a new start. You’re no longer confined to the strictures and bell schedules of high school, no longer looked over every hour. You get to leave a lot behind, and that’s wonderful. But let’s pause and take stock of some things you leave behind that you may not be thinking about. When you leave high school and go off to college, what stays behind?

Your high school grades. You’ll need to send an official high school transcript to your college once the final grades are in. And, if you’re like a lot of people, that’s the last you’ll ever see of your high school grades. The bad news is that they truly are part of “your permanent record.” The good news is that nobody is likely to look at, or care about, your permanent record. No matter how good, bad, or mediocre your high school grades were, you get a fresh new start in college.

There’s a catch, though. Your college GPA is very likely to be about the same as your high school GPA, or slightly lower. There’s a pretty strong correlation between high school grades and college grades. If you want your college grades to be different, you’re going to need to plan ahead to make that happen.

But unless there’s a change, your college GPA will probably be the same as your high school GPA. If you want to change, start planning now. Being a better college student than you were a high school student will require extra focus and organization. Time management skills will be incredibly important.

Your standardized test scores. Once you begin college, your SAT, ACT, or AP scores really don’t mean anything. They may have helped you get admitted to college, and they may even have an effect on your required classes in college, but they become useless after you begin. If you have scores you’re not proud of, that can be a nice burden lifted. If you invested a lot of your self-worth or self-identity in high test scores, though, the transition can be a bit more uncomfortable. But either way, those scores are done with.

I have to warn you, though, that that done-ness can come back to bite you sometimes. If you transfer colleges, either from a community college to a four-year college or from one four-year college to another, then those test scores may be meaningless.

Say, for example, you get admitted to a university based at least partly on your high test scores, but then things don’t go well. For whatever reason you fail a class or two (or three or five), and you realize the school isn’t a good fit. Your transfer application is going to rely much more heavily on your college record—which isn’t so hot in this example—than your high school record. The college may not even consider high school or SAT/ACT at all. This can be a big problem.

When I went to college, I placed out of the required first-year math and first-year composition requirements based on my SAT scores. That was wonderful! But then, when I transferred to a different college my junior year, they didn’t have the option to skip those requirements. And I didn’t have a math credit or freshman writing class on my transcript. So I had to take College Algebra and Freshman Comp my senior year. It was no fun.

Your boyfriend/girlfriend. I don’t doubt your affection for, and commitment to, your boyfriend or girlfriend. I do, however, doubt that you’ll be together for long once you’re in college. It just doesn’t usually work that way. Yes, you hear about people who married their high school significant other. I know people who have been with their spouse since they were in high school. But that’s what they call “the exception that proves the rule.” Think about it this way: when a couple has been together since high school, that’s noteworthy. People will call them “high school sweethearts.” It’s rare enough that it’s got a name and is something people bring up. Couples who met and together after high school? Nobody mentions that. There’s no special term for that, because it’s the norm.

I don’t think there’s any good reason to put your romantic life on hold until you’re done with high school (unless, of course, you want to, which is great also.) Nor do I think you should treat romantic partners as disposable, someone you’re just going to get rid of once you get to college. But far too many recent high school graduates are caught off guard by this dilemma. It’s okay to start thinking about it now. And talk about it. And plan for it.

Your family’s input and intervention. The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, guarantees that you and your parents have access to your educational records. You may have a Permanent Record, but you’re not supposed to have a Secret Record. What this means for you in practical terms is that if you or your parents have questions or concerns about your grades, the school has to respond. A teacher can’t legally say “your grades are your grades and I don’t have to explain them.” It also means a teacher can’t legally share your grades with others.

Once you’re in college and a legal adult, however, you get all the privacy. Not your parents. So the good news is that if your parents try to call one of your college professors to get answers about your grade and performance, the professors aren’t allowed to disclose anything (here’s a succinct graphic). The bad news is that you still have to deal with your parents about your grades and performance, and your professors won’t provide any context or support. It’s just you.

Some of the most important things and people to you in high school will suddenly get really un-important to you, really quick. Sometimes in ways that are freeing and glorious, sometimes in ways that can be a pain in the butt. I’m not trying to scare anyone or tell you that what’s important to you now isn’t really that important. I just know that there are sometimes situations where people ask “why didn’t anyone warn me about this?” You’ve been warned.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Check out these related Apply with Sanity posts: “The Glossary: summer melt” and “The two things you need for success in college and beyond.”

3. 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.

The best of 2019

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.

1. What do colleges want?

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.

Jenna is in the fast lane

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:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Check out Jenna’s past interviews and interviews with other Meet the Class seniors.

3. 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.

Katie has finished applying

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:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Check out Katie’s past interviews and interviews with other Meet the Class seniors.

3. 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.

Dealing with denial

It’s December, so acceptance notices are coming in for early applicants. That means, of course, that denials are also coming in for early applicants. All denials—colleges use “denial” instead of the harsher and more emotional “rejection”—feel bad, but the first one feels the worst. It especially feels worse if it’s from an Early Decision or Early Action application and you were hoping to be done with the whole process by now. I spent an entire morning reading through web pages on “how to deal with rejection,” and most of them deal with being rejected by someone you ask out on a date or being fired from a job. So here is my college admissions-specific advice about working through your first—or second, or twelfth—skinny envelope.

First, understand what you’re looking at: is it a no or a maybe? If you applied EA or ED and you don’t get accepted, then they’ve probably deferred your application and will reconsider it with the regular application pool. If you applied regular decision, you may be placed on a wait list rather than be denied. The good news is that a deferral or a waitlist isn’t necessarily a denial—you might still be accepted. The bad news is that it’s still probably going to be a denial in the long run. Take a few minutes to do some quick searches and see if you can find any stats or statements about that for the particular school. Remember, though, that the percentage of deferred or waitlisted students who were eventually accepted last year doesn’t mean that’s how many will be accepted this year. But it will give you an idea of what you’re working with.

If you applied ED, then this means you need to make sure you have other applications ready to go for regular admissions deadlines, probably around January 1st. That gives you several weeks. That’s not a whole lot of time, but you were probably working on them anyway. You’ve got time to catch up.

If you applied EA, this probably doesn’t change much. You were already working on other applications and weren’t completely sure you want to go to this one school. Otherwise, you would have applied ED. So you’ve got emotions to work through, perhaps, but you’re on track.

If you applied regular decision and got put on a wait list, I think you should just probably tell them to bug off and not think about them any more. There are other schools that want you.

If you got bad news of any kind, you may be wondering what you did wrong. It’s normal to do this, to want to know that one thing that messed things up for you: they must not have liked my essay, or my test scores were too low, or even I know someone with worse grades who got in, so there’s something unfair going on. Let go of this thinking as soon as you can. It’s normal, but it’s not useful or productive. Holistic admissions means that there’s no one thing that you did wrong. It’s just not that simple. The truth, which you may find reassuring and/or frustrating, is that you probably did absolutely nothing wrong. It may be that you did everything fine, but the school had more applicants who did everything fine than they could accept. This is why, other than politeness, they don’t call it a rejection.

If you’ve got emotions about the bad news—and you probably do—then you should work hard to name them and understand them. Work on at least one sentence that follows the “I feel _____ because _____” pattern. I feel disappointed, because I really wanted to go to that college, and they denied me. I feel discouraged, because this denial makes me question how well my other applications are going to go. I feel embarrassed, because I acted as though this was going to be my college, and now I have to find another one. You’ll probably have more than one feeling, and they’ll change over time. If you’ve got negative feelings, that’s not a problem. Don’t listen to the folks who tell you not to feel that way. You don’t, in fact, need to stay positive. But one of the most productive ways to make sure your negative feelings don’t sabotage your chances with future applications is to have a clear idea of what your feelings are and where they’re coming from. Naming your feelings is a way to help keep them from controlling you.

Remember that you planned for this. In its current form, a lot of the college admissions process isn’t based so much on people saying Yes as it is on people saying No. Colleges get a lot of credit and prestige for denying people. “Elite” and “low acceptance rate” are almost the same thing, and a low acceptance rate actually makes more students want to apply to a college. While the majority of colleges don’t operate this way—around 80% of colleges and universities accept at least half their applicants—almost all student applicants plan on being told No and also plan on telling at least one college No. If you’re hoping to have more than one acceptance so you can compare quality and/or financial aid, then you’re essentially planning to say No to someone. So it hurts to be a student who hears No and has to wonder if they’ll get into a good-fit school. And it hurts to be a school who hears No and has to wonder if they’ll make their desired yield. But being told No is part of the system on both sides, and you’re prepared for that.

The only thing left to do is take the next step. And unless you applied ED to one school and haven’t got a back-up, you already know what the next step is. Feel disappointed or frustrated or sad or embarrassed or whatever else you feel, and then finish up those other applications if you haven’t yet. Don’t decide that you need to change your list based on this one piece of bad news. Just do what’s next, and you’ll be fine.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Check out these related Apply with Sanity posts: “What to do when you get waitlisted” and “What are your chances of getting into your top college?”

3. 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.

What to do over your winter break

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! The first day back from Thanksgiving may seem a little early to be writing about what to do over the winter break that’s still a few weeks away. However, I know many students are already planning for—or at least daydreaming about—their winter break already, so it makes sense to go ahead and start thinking about it a little.

These suggestions are made with seniors in mind, but they’re good advice for anyone with a few weeks off this winter.

Rest. This sounds obvious--of course you're going to rest. You have several weeks with no school! But for lots of students--and adults--it never quite seems to work this way. You stay up too late, thinking you'll sleep in, and then you have to get up earlier than you expected. Or you spend too much time in bed or on the couch, and you feel sluggish and dumpy. You can only get good rest from your break if you decide that you're actually going to and schedule for it. Decide that you're going to get 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, and then plan accordingly. The time you spend awake will go much better if you do.

Spend quality time with people. Now is a great time to catch up with friends and family, but, like good sleep, quality time with people is also elusive. You go to parties and gatherings, you have text or Snapchat conversations, you spend a little time with people...and then you realize that you didn't really have any good conversations. Quality Time is usually thought of as time you spend with another person giving them your undivided attention. Schedule some time for this with a few good friends and/or family members.

Re-assess. Now is a great time for reflection and regrouping. Here are several exercises to try to keep that conversation with yourself productive and useful.

Highs and lows. Like a lot of families, at our dinner table we often go around and share our high and low moment of the day with each other. It's a better conversation starter with school-aged kids than "how was your day?" and it reinforces that every day has both the good and the bad. Take some time thinking about--and sharing with someone else--your high and low points over the fall semester and your college quest. What worked? What didn't? What felt good? What felt bad? Consider it all.

Two-month time machine. When evaluating your semester and planning ahead, think about a two-month time machine. If you could go back two months to re-try the fall, what's one thing you really wish you could change? You obviously can't really do it, but it's a good way to think about "lessons learned."

Restate your dreams and aspirations. Take some time and write a personal mission statement for the year, especially if you're a senior and moving on to college next fall. Or if you don't want to be so college-centric but want to spend time thinking about what's really important to you, try the "last-year test" method of thinking about New Year's Resolutions. 

Read. It's really tempting to read nothing--or nothing of merit--over the break. You've read so much over the past few months, so why do it on vacation? The answer is simple: now you get to choose what to read, and you can make engaging your intellect fun for yourself. Besides, if you're ready to concede that the only reason you read or learn is because you're assigned to by authorities, then you may want to re-think the whole college thing. Take back control of your mind by reading something. It doesn't have to be Important Literature if that's not what you like, just choose not to be a mental slacker.

Don't do any more college stuff than you absolutely have to. As contrary as it may sound, you really should use your time as a true break and not college-planning time. If you put things off with the idea that you'd do them over break, that's perfectly normal. But get them done first and with focus. You're not going to send out good applications if you're finishing them a little bit at a time while you also finish gift shopping and meet with friends. Make a plan to finish your college to-do list as quickly as possible into the break. If you have December 15th or January 1st deadlines, get those things sent out first and with focus. There's no good reason to wait until the 14th or 31st to send those out.

Don't expect other people to work over the break just because you do. Virtually every year of my time teaching high school I got at least one over-the-break plea from a student. They wanted one last look at an essay, or a last-minute recommendation sent, or help getting their English grade up a little but before the final grades were turned in. How I responded depended on the nature of the request and the student doing the requesting. Sometimes it really was an unexpected opportunity for a really on-top-of-things student, and I happily did what was asked. Sometimes I put forth a minimal amount of effort to just get along. Often I just said no. But please remember that sending other people things to do over the break feels about as crappy and unfair to them as it would to you if they gave sudden unexpected homework over the break. Don't do it.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Check out three related Apply with Sanity posts: “What movies should you watch before going to college?” “College-bound students do their summer reading,” and “What are the strongest signs of success?”

3. 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 Zoe Herring.

Apply with Sanity is a registered trademark of Apply with Sanity, LLC. All rights reserved.