What sophomores should do this spring

Work at being good at high school

Everyone’s experience is different, I get that. But there’s a really good chance that this semester is going to be your Golden Age. For one, you’re almost half way through high school and have got the hang of it. You’re not a clueless and picked-on Freshman any more. You’ve cultivated relationships with fellow students and, hopefully, a teacher or two. And also, the big jump to more rigorous courses and more college pressure usually doesn't begin in full until the 11th grade. 

So now is your time to shine. There are a few things you should do:

Improve your grades. Set modest and achievable goals--like improving your grade in each class by just three points--and track your progress at that goal. Do this in a positive way by studying a little harder and giving an extra half hour of effort, but also do this in a negative way in the sense of working to eliminate one bad habit or time-waster. 

Continue to explore your interests. By now you don’t need anyone to remind you that school is about more than the classroom. 10th grade is when a lot of people make the move to leadership positions in clubs and teams, to getting after-school jobs, to driving, to dating. It’s also when you see a lot more people get into parties, alcohol, and drugs. You know all this, so just let me remind you to stay focused on you. Think about your interests, explore new ones, and work toward building some kind of expertise. Whether moving toward High Achievement or Dropout Prevention, it’s all too easy to get caught up in some Flow that doesn’t really fit you. Resist this. Get help when you need it.

Build confidence and clarity. There are dozens of ways to actively reduce your stress and build your confidence. If you haven’t yet, try at least one. Practice meditation; begin a workout routine; join a book club; take a low-stress online course; take on an art project; volunteer; write a short story; find a mentor; be a mentor.

Make summer plans

This is the same advice I have for 11th graders. 

If you need to work or want a job, that's great. As far as college is concerned it really doesn't matter what that job is so long as you work hard at it and are reflective about what you learn from the job. As you go to work, remind yourself to work as hard as you can. And when you're done, ask yourself what you learned from that day's work. Those two things matter so much more to everyone than the job title or name of the company. 

If you don't need to work, then make other plans. And here's the trick: treat it like a job, in the sense that you decide to do your best and be reflective. Even if you have the cushiest summer imaginable--maybe you're going to spend two months as a VIP on a cruise ship sailing around the Caribbean--you can still get a lot out of this. Just begin each day reminding yourself to make the most of the day, and end each day reflecting about what you learned. Whatever is you do, it can be useful for your college applications and useful for your productive and interesting life.

Sitting around "doing nothing" is the enemy of any smart and ambitious student.

Make fall plans

In his 5th century B.C.E. classic The Art of War, Sun Tzu says that the battle is won or lost before it even begins, because it is the preparation that wins the battle. Sports coaches love to repeat this wisdom about games being won during practice. The same principle applies to you and college admissions: the more you prepare now, the better it's going to be when the deadlines come.

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. Read What Should I Be Doing Now? for other grades. Spring updates will available for all grades by the end of the week.

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 juniors should do this spring

Dates & Deadlines

I don’t think you should take the SAT or ACT unless you live in a state that requires it for public colleges. But if you live in one of those states, or if you decide to take it anyway, here are the dates.

SAT: March 12 (register by February 11); May 7 (register by April 8); June 4 (register by May 5).

ACT: February 12 (register by January 7); April 12 (register by February 25); June 11 (register by May 6).

AP Exams: May 2-13

Work at being good at high school

The best way to prepare for college is to be a good high school student, and there may be no more important semester of high school--as far as college planning is concerned--than this semester. When admissions counselors look at you transcript next fall, this semester is the most recent and full picture they have. While they'll look at all your grades and activities, the junior year is more important. It lets them see how you perform in more rigorous classes and more leadership roles than you're likely to have in the 9th and 10th grade. 

What it means to be a good high school student—what it means to be a high school student at all—is drastically different for you. You haven’t had a “normal” year of high school. Keep in mind that everyone knows this. Everyone, from your teachers to school counselors to admissions officers, are in the same boat…or at least similar boars. They know that this hasn’t been normal and that transcripts and activity lists look really different.

So you don't need to add any stress or anxiety about this. You need to give this spring all that you have, to be as fully engaged and active as possible. Nobody is asking the impossible of you. If your circumstances require you to scale back your efforts this semester or are getting in the way of your success, begin thinking about how you will talk about those circumstances with colleges.  If you find yourself falling behind, take the time to talk with your teachers and family about how to catch up—if you can. If you need emotional help, go get it. Don't wait.

A lot of the pressure that smart and ambitious high school students have to deal with is the idea that one wrong move or bad grade will ruin your chances of getting into a "good" school. This isn't true.

Reach out to colleges

By now you've probably got a good idea of what type of college you think will be good for you, and you've likely got some schools in mind. If you haven't done so yet, reach out to them now. As a starter, check out their admission web pages and read what's there. Watch the videos and take the virtual tours. If there's an easy way to ask for more information or get on a mailing list, do it. If there's an easy way to ask a question, ask it. Many schools will even make it clear on their web site the name of the admissions counselor for your area. Remember their name and reach out to them. If you find yourself feeling anxious, remember that this process isn't about proving that you're worthy. This is just an introduction, a saying "hello." It's not going to hurt you or count against you.

If you don't have a good idea yet where you might like to look, do some exploring. I’ve found that students’ geographical preferences are usually their strongest preferences. People who thought they wanted a big school end up at a small school. People who wanted to major in STEM end up majoring in Humanities. But people who want to avoid hot places rarely end up in the Southwest, and people who want to be in an urban area rarely end up in the country. So try this: think of three states you might like to live in. For each of those states, spend some time looking online at their big state university, a liberal arts college in that state, and at least one other school in that state. In this case, it's ok to search for "best colleges in...." Don't take the list's word that those schools are indeed the best for you, but it's a staring point to look around.

Once you find something that looks interesting to you, reach out to that school. This reaching-out process is really important, but not necessarily for obvious reasons. Even though some schools take "demonstrated interest" into account, it's not real likely that filling out an on-line form in your junior year is going to be the one thing that gets you accepted to a school that would otherwise deny you. It's also unlikely that an admissions counselor will, a year from now, remember your name and feel more inclined to be generous. The reason reaching out is really important is because it helps to shift your own mindset. Proactively reaching out to schools and taking that initiative reminds you that you're not just a passive product to be offered to colleges. The power in the relationship isn't only with the schools--you also have a voice in asking questions, making decisions, and finding what's right for you. When you treat the process like finding a good person for a relationship, then you understand that you have to be an active participant.

Talk to 12th graders about college

If you're in the 11th grade, then you know 12th graders. Talk to them about college. Ask them where they applied and why. Ask them how they went about their search. Ask them where they thought about applying but didn't. Ask them for advice. Be a good listener when they talk about their own experiences. 

Lots of schools have some sort of get-together where graduates get to come back and give advice about college. If your school has this option then go, and listen carefully to what they say. Ask them not only about their college experiences, but about their application experiences. Remember not to take any of their advice--or anybody's for that matter--as the only or best advice. What worked for them may not be appropriate for you.

Make summer plans

Here's where I'm supposed to give very pointed mandates about thinking strategically and making plans for this summer that best align with your college goals and help "round out your resume," whatever that means. But really, I can't make myself do that. Because it really doesn't matter so long as you do something and you're thoughtful about it. But sitting around "doing nothing" is the enemy of any smart and ambitious student. That’s true in the summer, true in the fall, true in the spring.

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. Read What Should I Be Doing Now? for other grades. Spring updates will available for all grades by the end of the week.

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.

What seniors should do this spring

Dates & Deadlines

AP Exams are May 2-13. The College Board plans, at least right now, to be back at traditional pencil-and-paper exams, given in schools, this year.

You should already know which AP classes you’re taking and which exams you’re likely to take. But seniors are in a weird spot. High school AP Coordinators have to turn in registration materials much earlier than students have decided which exams they want to take. So you have to sign up for AP exams not knowing how they might affect you or if you really want to take them.

For example, if you end up going to a college that doesn’t give credit for AP exams, or will only give credit for a 5 when you’re on track for a 3, then you may not want to bother taking a test that’s not going to benefit you directly. But you usually have to register for the exam long before you know which college you’re going to next year. Here’s the best thing to do: go ahead and register for exams and act as though you’re going to take all of them. Act as though each score of 3 or higher will get you college credit, potentially saving you time and money. If that turns out not be the case, then talk with your teachers and counselor about what to do. Many seniors end up going into the exam room knowing that the exam either doesn’t gain them anything or that they’re not likely to get a good score, and so they go to sleep. While this practice, honestly, is not likely to have personal negative repercussions for you, it may have negative effects for your AP teachers and your school. So be thoughtful about how you handle an exam that you’re neither expecting to get much from or put much into.

Work at being good at high school

It may seem silly to talk about being a good high school student in the spring semester of your senior year, but the fact remains that you're still in high school and there's still more to be done. And yes, I'm very aware of "senioritis." Your parents and teachers may not want me to say it, but slowing down your last semester is completely normal and fine. Because it's true, you're not just a regular high school student any more. On top of your normal classes and activities, you also have a lot of college decisions to make. Many seniors go on more college visits once they get their acceptances and have to make a decision. Your time in high school is just about over. There are often Prom and Senior Trip and Senior Gifts and Senior Pranks to organize. And so it's normal and fine to begin a transition and be less committed.

But think about it this way: how crazy would it be for an athlete to be told she's going to be on the Olympic team, and then stop working out and practicing? How self-destructive would it be for an employee to get a big promotion and then celebrate by not showing up to work half the time and being rude to her team that helped her get the promotion? You're almost out of high school and into college. That's wonderful! Keep acting like a great student.

One way that senioritis works is for students to suddenly take on the "I don't need it to graduate" standard. Even good students find themselves failing classes or dropping their extracurricular activities simply because they don't need them to graduate. If your family has raised you with the bare minimum of parenting required not to get arrested for neglect, and your teachers have only done what was required to not get fired, then the "I don't need it to graduate" attitude is understandable. Otherwise, it's pretty reprehensible. Don't celebrate your transition to adulthood by acting like a toddler. It's that simple.

So what is a more healthy and productive transition? What, if you will, is Good Senioritis? Good Senioritis is the kind that begins to move away from high school realizing that you're moving Up. You act even more like a leader in your extracurriculars to pass your skills along to next year's seniors. You let the adults in your life know you appreciate all they've done to help you get to this new space. Even though you really are tired and stressed, you ask a lot of questions instead of whining or dropping out. Seriously, the last thing your teachers and parents need is for you to tell them how hard it is to be a responsible adult. They know. So ask them for guidance and be honest about your fears.

If you begin to jettison time-wasting school activities, fine. But also think about jettisoning time-wasting activities outside of school. The best way to prepare for college is to be a good high school student. While it's different being a high school student your last semester, you still need to be good at it. 

Choose a college

Most colleges ask for a commitment by May 1, and that’s the standard deadline for accepting or rejecting their admissions offers.  Take a lot of time to think about this. Talk to your family. Talk to your trusted teachers and counselors. Talk to your smart and ambitious friends. Talk to the financial aid offices. You’re not just making a choice about classes and professors, but a big part of your identity. Go back over the Five Foundations, especially the part about treating it like a relationship. Remember that while some schools may be a better fit than others, it’s hard to make the “wrong” choice unless you choose not to go anywhere.

Get financial aid

Most students depend on at least some financial aid to get through college. For most, the final decision about where to go is heavily--if not completely--influenced by financial considerations. Look through your financial aid offers very carefully. Ask a lot of questions. Talk to you family about money, often. Don't be afraid to ask a school for more money.

Make summer plans

What do you need to do to get ready for college? Don't wait until the week before the fall semester to think about clothes for a new environment, bedding for a dorm, and transportation issues. If you've had a sluggish spring and need intellectual stimulation, see what your local museums or community centers offer. If you haven't had a job during high school, now is a good time to get some work experience, even if you don't think you need the money--especially if you don't need the money. It's tempting to treat this summer like a long nap, getting rested and doing very little before school next fall. But this is the best time to get prepared. Wherever you think you need improvement, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, intellectual, or any combination, now is the time.

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. Read What Should I Be Doing Now? for other grades. Spring updates will available for all grades by the end of the week.

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.

Making new year resolutions? Focus on the How, not the What

You’re probably familiar with the Marshmallow Test. In the 1970s, psychologists put little kids in a room with a marshmallow. The test administrators left the room for about 15 minutes, telling the kids that if they didn’t eat the marshmallow sitting in front of them, they could have two marshmallows when the administrator returned. Some children were able to resist the temptation sitting in front of them to get the bigger prize, but many were unable to wait. Decades later, the psychologists met back up with many of the kids from the experiment, and they noticed that the ones who were able to resist as children had much better outcomes adults—better grades in school, higher paying jobs, more general happiness. The experiment seemed to show that children who have the inner power to delay gratification tend to have more successful adult lives. It proved, at least maybe, that will power is a real and powerful thing.

The experiment has been replicated, studied, and challenged many times. It turns out that the correlation between resisting the treat and better outcomes later stands up fairly well, but there are many factors that explain the results other than innate will power. Not surprisingly, if you grow up in a financially secure household and feel you can trust authorities, then it’s easier to have will power.

Here’s what stands out to me about the experiment: kids with a strategy did better. They didn’t just sit there, staring at the marshmallow in front of them, deciding over and over again not to eat it. They did something else to make it easier. Some of the successful kids did this on their own, by sitting on their hands, turning around, singing a song, or otherwise distracting themselves. Sometimes the strategy was built into the experiment: when the psychologists helped out by putting a cover over the marshmallow or providing the kids toys to play with, the kids did better at holding off and getting the bigger prize. Delayed Gratification is a how, not just a what.

If you’re making near year resolutions—or setting goals any time—keep this in mind. Most goal setting and self discipline are about delayed gratification, so remember the lesson: how, not just what. A large goal, any large goal, is essentially a Marshmallow Test. Can I resist the temptation to give in to easy treats in order to get a larger reward later? Can I resist the urge to check my social media feeds in order to do better homework and have higher quality studying? Can I avoid the temptation of…everything else…in order to keep an established weekly time for my college search? They’re all marshmallows. More abstract and more important marshmallows, but essentially marshmallows.

Setting a goal is good, but it’s unlikely to work. Most of us can’t simply decide to avoid eating the marshmallow. We can’t simply decide to be better students, better family members, have healthier bodies, have clearer minds.

Setting a goal and having a method for enacting the change is better. You’re deciding what you want to achieve, and you’re also deciding how you’re going to achieve it. You’re adding a how to your what.

And here’s the trick: setting a goal and having at least two layers of methods for enacting the change is even better.

The most common methods for achieving goals include routine, accountability, measurability, and help from others.

Here’s a personal example. I have made it a goal many, many times to exercise five times a week. I know that I should exercise to help out my blood pressure and weight. I know that I should improve my flexibility. I have frequent back pain, and exercise is the primary method for dealing with that. Despite making this sensible, achievable goal, I have never exercised five times a week. I’ve not been able to delay the gratification of doing other, less difficult things to get the reward of a healthier body. Simply deciding I’m going to exercise five times a week has never worked.

But here’s the thing: I always exercise at least twice a week. It’s not because I have a little bit of will power. It’s not because I try hard but not too hard to remember my goal. It’s because I have a method: I work out with a personal trainer on a set schedule twice a week. The routine and accountability make all the difference. Because those workouts with my trainer are always on my calendar, I never schedule anything else at those times. If I don’t show up to work out with my trainer, I have to pay her anyway. She sends me reminders and she gives me encouragement. I have podcasts that I look forward to listening to in the car on the way to the studio.

I have a goal for five days a week, but I only set up methods for twice a week. So I exercise twice a week.

If I’m going to make it a new year resolution this year to begin exercising five times a week, I’m going to have to include methods, not just the goal. The obvious answer is to use what has been successful so far and work out with my trainer five times a week. But that’s expensive, and I don’t necessarily have time to drive to the studio five times a week. I need to do most of my workouts at home. So what I should do is pile on a number of methods to make sure it happens. I should establish routine times to exercise on the other days, and put them on my calendar. I should set out my exercise clothes as a reminder. I should ask my trainer to check up on how often I work out at home to add a little accountability. I should find a new podcast to listen to while I exercise at home. Setting the goal isn’t enough—I need multiple methods to make it happen.

Let’s think about an academic goal typical of smart, ambitious high school students: get better grades at school. Deciding that you want to improve your GPA is a good thing, but it’s unlikely to work. You need methods, multiple methods, to set you up to achieve that goal. You’ll need to establish regular homework and study times. Ideally it would be the same time each day, but that may not be possible. But for each day, there needs to be a set time you’ll do homework and study. Set up a regular alarm on your phone to remind you every day that it’s time to study. Also set your phone up to go into “do not disturb” mode for your set study time. Establish a routine place where you’ll do this homework—not your bed!—and have everything you need for homework in that place. Tell a family member or other adult you trust about your plan, and ask them to follow up with you about how regularly you follow it. Decide what would make a good reward for following your plan at least 90% of the time, and remind yourself often of what that reward will be. If you’ll do all these things, you stand a much better chance of actually raising your GPA.

If you fail, it will not be a lack of will power. If you fail it will be because of circumstances beyond your control, in which case you will need to alter your methods and try again, or because you didn’t execute the methods in the first place.

So if you’re making new year resolutions this week, remember:

Decide on methods for success, not just the goal. Decide on the methods now, not later.

The more overlapping methods, the better.

Effective methods include routine, measurability (“I will raise my GPA by seven points” is better than "I will get better grades”), and outside help/structure.

If you succeed at implementing the methods but don’t meet the goal, you’ve still succeeded. If you set up a good homework/study routine and keep at it…but don’t raise your GPA significantly, you haven’t failed. You’ve set yourself up for easier success next time. Self-discipline and delayed gratification will always pay off in the long run. Always.

Happy New Year!

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:

   Study in the quiet places

   To do better at school, think of studying like bathing

   Take time to think about pleasure

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.

How to handle bad news

Yesterday, December 15, was a day of good news for many college applicants. Thousands of students learned that their Early Decision or Early Action applications had been accepted. Congratulations to all of them!

But it was also a sad day for thousands more, who had their ED and EA applications deferred or denied. (Colleges use the term “denied,” because although they are denying you acceptance to their school they don’t want you to feel like it’s a personal rejection. Every student I know calls it “rejection,” because—at least at first—it indeed does feel like a personal rejection.)

If you got good news, you know what to do. ED applicants—you’re done! Enjoy your break and enjoy your spring! EA acceptances mean you have some place to go and some place to compare your later offers to. That’s a nice spot to be in.

If you got bad news, though, you may not know what to do. You may be overwhelmed with questions or disappointment. So here’s some advice on dealing with the bad news.

First, understand what you’re looking at: is it a no or a maybe? If you are denied, then it means they are not going to enroll you. You won’t be going there; it’s decided. But very often with ED and EA applications, they don’t actually tell you no. They instead defer you to the regular decision pool. Your application will be looked at again, and you still may be accepted—or waitlisted—when those decisions come out. You may still be going to your top-choice school.

Either denied or deferred, if you applied ED this means you need to make sure you have other applications ready to go for regular admissions deadlines, mostly 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. Make sure that your applications include a wide range of selectivity. Don’t assume that because you got denied or deferred once that it means you “can’t get in” at a low-acceptance-rate school and decide not to apply to any.

You should also apply to at least one or two schools where you are very confident you will be accepted. For some students, this means making sure you include schools with acceptance rates over 50%. For some it means making sure to include schools with acceptance rates over 70%. For some it may mean applying to schools with acceptance rates over 90%. You probably know which category you fit in—for most, 70% is a good standard, just to be sure.

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’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. I feel angry, because I think they underestimated me and are taking away an opportunity.

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 people 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. You’ll probably want to discuss those feelings with someone you trust.

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 but may find 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’re experiencing strong negative emotions and making strong negative assumptions—things like “I won’t be able to have a successful life now that I’m not going to my top choice school” or “I’m not going to be accepted to any college”—then you may need to work on what psychologists call decatastrophizing. You can search for “decatastrophizing worksheet” and find plenty of examples, and they all ask you to logically and honestly ask yourself what the worst possible outcome really is, how likely that worst-case scenario really is, and what you plan to do if that worst case does (or doesn’t) come true. No matter what it feels like right now, the odds that this one college decision will actually be your downfall and ruin your life are incredibly small.

Remember that you planned for this. You knew this might happen, and you planned for it. Even if you applied ED, you knew that you would need a plan B and had other schools in mind. If you applied EA, then you definitely had other schools in mind. You certainly hoped to get good news in the first round, but you knew that it might not be the case. You have a few weeks to finish other applications to most schools, and even longer for some schools with late deadlines or rolling admissions. This is disappointing, but it’s nothing you aren’t prepared for.

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 throw your entire plan out the window and start all over again at zero. Don't decide that you’re a failure. Don’t decide that you will not even bother applying to college. Don’t spend the next two weeks feeling too bad to do anything about it. Just do what’s next, the logical next step, 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

   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.

Expect surprises

In my years teaching high school seniors who were going though college admission, I learned to expect surprises. Several times I had fairly intense conversations in April with a senior trying to choose between two colleges. And on the May 1st deadline I would learn…that they went someplace completely different. I saw seniors celebrate in December their early acceptance to their dream school only to have very different dreams—and enroll at a very different school—in the spring. I learned never to consider a decision final until the student actually committed on paper. Even then, sometimes students will change their minds or do something completely different. When it comes to college admission, which is a very big, complex, and important decision, we should all expect surprises.

As a consultant, I often remind clients to expect surprises and not to be afraid of them. I’ve had clients begin the process in their junior year with a very clear set of goals, only to find themselves with a very different set of goals by the end. I’ve heard a shocking number of times: “I don’t actually know why I applied to that college.”

I had a couple surprises last week as I was checking in on people to see what news they’ve heard so far and what I can do to help them over the next month. One client initially told me that she’s not interested in going to school in the South, except maybe Florida. Still, I wasn’t too surprised when she told me a month ago that she applied to the University of Alabama. And this week she told me she’d been accepted to 11 schools so far, including Ole Miss. I didn’t know she applied to Ole Miss until she’d already been accepted. Surprise!

Another client had a plan. She was going to apply to UT Austin and Texas A&M, where she knew she would be accepted through auto-admission. She was also going to apply to Harvard and Cornell. And that’s it. Four schools: two assured acceptances, two long shots. So was I surprised when she told me this week that she was offered a scholarship at Auburn and is interviewing at Baylor? A little. But I’ve come to expect surprises.

Students, it’s ok to change your mind about things. People do it all the time, and you’re still growing and figuring things out. All that I ask about changing your mind and embracing the surprises is that you’re honest with yourself about your reasons. Self-knowledge is the best knowledge, and understanding your own motivations is honestly more important to your future success than what college you attend.

Take a (relatively) common example: the senior who gets accepted to an exclusive private college, one that they had as their top choice school, but ends up going to the less selective public university that’s much closer to home. They choose less prestige than they might. Why might a student do this? There are plenty of reasons.

A student might realize that they were only applying to the selective school to see if they would be selected, not because they actually want to go there.

A student may have known all along that they were unlikely to afford the private school but wanted to find out for sure. This student is fine with the decision.

Another student may have just assumed that a big scholarship would fall in their lap, and when it didn’t they changed plans and are very not-fine with the decision.

A student may have applied for the selective school with a major in mind, and then changed their mind about their intended major.

They may have visited the selective school and realized that the culture isn’t a good fit and not worth the extra money for them.

They may be experiencing mental or physical health problems that make being near home more practical.

They may be experiencing a major case of poor self-esteem and feel like they don’t deserve to go to the more prestigious school even though they were accepted.

They may change their mind and have no real idea why.

There are so many reasons to change your plan; there are probably overlapping reasons. But be honest with yourself. If what’s happening is that you’re scared of failure and so you’re setting yourself up for something that seems easier, don’t tell yourself that you’re changing your mind because of the dorms. If you’re freaking out because you now understand your family’s financial situation isn’t a stable as you assumed, don't tell yourself that you’re suddenly philosophically against private education. You can’t grow if you’re not honest about what the problems are. That’s really important.

You don’t have to tell everyone your reasons for changing your plan. You can always say of the school you enroll at: “it turned out to be the best academic, financial, and social fit for me.” And leave it that at. But if the reasons for your surprise move are things you need help with, you have to be honest with yourself so you can get that help.

Parents, keep yourself open to possibilities. When I talk to a student who doesn’t know what they want to major in but feel pressure to figure it out by their senior year of high school, it’s always their parents who are doing the pressuring. The reasons for the pressure are completely valid. It is indeed easier to choose a school suited to your field of study if you know what your field of study is. You are more likely to graduate on time if you go in with a plan and a schedule. College is indeed an expensive place to just explore interests. And yet you have to expect surprises. A third of college students change their major at least once. Forcing them to figure it out before applications doesn’t actually make things go more smoothly. When you’re helping your student choose colleges, focus on things other than fields of study and majors, especially if your child seems unsure. I don’t worry about clients who don’t have a major picked out. They’ve got a lot to discover and a lot that can go right. I worry a lot about clients who seem to have the next five years mapped out. They’re in for surprises, and there’s a lot that can go wrong.

Surprises happen, all the time. Those of us who see them over and over again are not that phased by them. Students going through the process for the first time, and especially their families, are often really distressed about it. Many high school students don't know what they want to do, what they want to study, where they want to be in the world. While I could share a bunch of exercises on trying to figure it out, instead I’m going to share the words of Zen Master Seung Sahn: “Good. Keep this ‘don’t know mind.’ It is an open mind, a clear mind.”

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. Read these related posts:

   Making a very important decision in a very difficult time.

   It’s not the choice, it’s how you explain it.

   Getting good advice from your family.

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

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Three quick questions with Iowa State University

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Dakota Carpenter, Senior Admissions Counselor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Iowa State University?

A unique event at Iowa State is the Fashion Show. It is one of the largest student run fashion shows in the nation. The Fashion Show brings together students from across disciplines to draft press releases, execute set and stage design, design and model garments, and more. This event brings in around 2500 attendees each year and often features alumni judges who have gone on to work for companies like VANS, Marc Jacobs, JCrew, Vineyard Vines, and more.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at Iowa State?

Iowa State is a public, land-grant, tier one research institution. Currently, the institution has an emphasis placed on research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Students who arrive to Iowa State with curiosity, an open mind, and a desire to obtain and share knowledge in their discipline will thrive.

When people come to visit Ames, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

Visitors to Ames often find that the Cyclone spirit exceeds far beyond our campus. “Iowa Nice” is very real and visitors will find that to be true as they explore various business and restaurants in the community. One place folks must check out is Reiman Gardens! Reiman Gardens sits on 17-acres and offers 26 different garden areas with displays that change with the seasons. It is home to the Christina Reiman butterfly house and is home to one of the most diverse butterfly collections in the county.

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of Iowa State. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

Looking forward to winter break for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders

What does a non-senior high school student need to do over this winter break to help prepare for college? In most senses, nothing. This is a break, after all. And, unlike 12th graders, you’re not finishing up applications for an early January deadline.

But in another sense, this is a great time to work on college applications, in the most broad way. The best way to approach college admission is as the beginning of a relationship. You’re trying to find the best match for you as a whole person. It’s not about proving that you’re worthy, or trying to rack up a lot of “impressive” things for your resume. You are, however, trying to be the best whole person that you can, and a break from school is a good time to plan and practice.

First, look over what I wrote for seniors. On top of finishing up college applications, I suggest that they should rest, read, re-asses, and spend quality time with people. Those are all true for you as well. Below is a list, which I first put together for my own 15 year-old, of things to try over the break that are neither difficult work nor passive consuming. I hope you’ll try some.

Go for a walk long walk, at least 30 minutes. Don’t play music or have any distractions. If you’re already a walker, take a different route than you’re used to. Pay attention to all your senses as you walk.

Watch some Healthy Gamer videos.

Clean and organize your room, bit by bit. Choose a small, discrete section--like a single shelf on a bookcase or one part of your desk--and clean it thoroughly. Then, when you’re ready, move on to the next. If you have the time, energy, and ambition, do a full “Konmari” of your room.

Read a novel. A good one. Preferably by an author you’ve never heard of. Read with your full attention.

Begin a meditation practice if you haven’t already got one. I like Andrew Weiss’s Beginning Mindfulness.

Improve your organization. I like Dan Charnas’s Everything in its Place: The Power of Mis-en-place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind.

Listen to some music. Preferably something you’ve never listened to before. Listen with your full attention.

Choose a work of art and learn as much about it as you can. Find information about it from as many good sources as possible. If it’s a work you can see in person over the break, even better.

Do a creative writing exercise.

Read a college profile. Or more than one.

Watch some School of Life videos.

Choose a place you’ve never been and plan an imaginary vacation there. Research online. Be as detailed as possible in your itinerary, learning as much as you can about the place.

Stretch. Then exercise.

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:

   Treat it like a relationship.

   The secret to success? Here are two of them!

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.

Looking forward to winter break for seniors

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. I’m also assuming a reasonably “normal” December. While a few of the students I work with are still very much in pandemic chaos, most are living relatively normal lives. Not all have been going on college tour trips, but a lot more have than last year (which was zero). Most are vaccinated and schooling in person. At this moment, though, the world is bracing for the Omicron variant and wondering how bad things can be. Please, please be careful out there.

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?”

   “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.

Supplemental writing: looking forward and looking back

It’s the middle of November. A few weeks ago I was tremendously busy reading essays for students sending off early applications with a November 1st deadline. Since then I’ve mostly been reading a slow-but-steady trickle of supplemental prompt responses. Most of them have been really great, and when I do see problems they tend to fall under a single category: mixing up past-centered and future-centered prompts. When you first approach the prompts and begin to decide how to respond, ask yourself if the prompt is asking you to look back or look forward.

Some common supplemental prompts ask you to look back on the near past. Prompts asking you to explain an extracurricular activity, explain a challenge or setback, explain a talent, or explain a work of art that is meaningful to you are all asking you to look back on where you have been and who you have been. Prompts asking you to explain the effects of Covid or other disasters also look back to the near past. They want to know what you have done and what you have thought about. It seems completely reasonable that they’d ask these types of questions.

The key for these past-centered prompts (and all short-response prompts) is to be clear and honest. For the long essay I advise people to write absolutely as much as they like and can, without regard for the word limit. It’s better to write 1200 words and then pare down to 650, I say, than to write every sentence with anxiety that you might go over the limit. For short responses, typically 150 to 300 words, I actually advise the opposite. Begin by trying to answer the question in a single sentence. Then add on to that to explain and give context. Obviously you revise and edit from there, but you'll ideally be near the word count when you start the editing. These are very short responses, and they will be read very quickly. Make it easy for the reader to see what it is you want to say. These responses are not the place for clever narratives and dialog.

When you do edit these responses, focus on verbs. Identify all your “to be” verbs and do what it takes to reduce that number by at least a third. The key to stronger writing, especially in short responses, is almost always in the verbs.

Where I see people go astray in these looking-back prompts is when they don’t think they have a strong answer to the question. They haven’t done a lot of sponsored extracurricular activities in school, or they don’t really have a favorite book character or work of art, or they didn’t really suffer in the pandemic like many others did. So they try to cover this up by writing about the future instead. They essentially say “I haven’t got an answer to your question, so I’m going to explain how I’ll be able to answer in the future once I get a response.” Avoid this instinct. Find an answer to the question. Dig deep. Spend time.

You may need to have conversations with friends or family members going over memories of the past. You may need to review synopses of books you read to remember which characters you may have connected with, even a little. (Don’t write about a book you haven’t read—that’s not going to go well.) You may need to spend time researching topics and using your imagination to put together a good answer. The time you spend doing this will be a good investment. It will make your response to the question stronger, and it’s a valuable exercise in solving problems.

If you don’t have many—or any—extracurriculars to talk about, it’s probably because you’re defining “extracurricular” too strictly. You were doing something with your time. If you didn’t participate in any after-school clubs or teams because you had too many responsibilities at home, say so. Talk about what you did to support your family. If you didn’t participate because you had a job, say so. If you didn’t participate because you were struggling with physical or mental health, say so. If you didn’t participate because you’d much rather be playing pick-up basketball (or skateboarding, or playing the guitar, or reading manga or….) say so. Don’t try to cover up the fact that you “did nothing,” but explain what it is that you actually did.

Other prompts ask you to look forward and anticipate the future. Typical forward-looking prompts include questions about your intended major, how you plan to make a difference at the college, what kind of extracurricular activities you hope to be a part of, and what your post-college plans are. With these answers, be as honest and positive as you can.

When I see students go off-track here, it’s often because their answers are too past-focused. They still want to talk about their accomplishments, and it gets in the way of talking about their future. I can understand the impulse: talking about what you’ve already done stands as evidence that you are realistic about your plans for the future. But don’t spend precious words rehashing the past! I won’t be rigid and say “do not mention the past in your responses to these prompts,” but I will say: don’t let a whole sentence be dedicated to the past. If you want to mention something you’ve already done, make it a small part of a forward-looking sentence.

And here’s the other thing about forward-looking prompts: you will rarely impress anyone by providing a course catalog number. For “what kind of things do you hope to do at our college?” questions, applicants really like to prove they’ve done their research by listing the catalog number of courses that look interesting. Ask yourself: how likely is it that the person reading your response—who is not a student or professor at the school, and is probably not even a graduate of the school—knows what “SOC6724” really means? It proves you’ve looked through the course catalog, sure, but it doesn’t prove you’ve been thoughtful about how you see yourself at the school. If you’re going to talk about specific courses or programs you hope to be a part of, follow these simple rules of thumb: as much as possible, talk about professors you’d like to meet, not courses you’d like to take; double-check to make sure that program or course you’re talking about is actually available to undergrad students and isn’t a graduate-level program; don’t overlap niche programs or honors programs in an unrealistic way.

Of course not all supplemental prompts ask you to look back or look forward. Some are completely different. But a surprising number of them do.

Probably the most typical supplemental question is some version of “why are you applying to our school?” For this prompt, you’re looking both back and forward. That’s a good way to approach this question: considering what all you’ve done and what all you hope to do, why is this school a good place for your transition? How can this school help you with that change, and how can you help them, in your small way, in their transition from what they’ve been to what they hope to be?

If you’ve already sent out applications with supplemental responses, I’m sure they were good. And I also hope the future ones will be even stronger.

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. Read these related posts:

   How should you handle supplemental questions?

   Be careful re-using essays.

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

Three quick questions with the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from the admission office at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, part of The New School, in New York City.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Lang at the New School?

Each year, The New School has a block party where we close down a full block on our campus to traffic. Students, staff, and faculty all mingle before the start of the semester, and a combination of student organizations, resources for students at the university, and local businesses set up tables so the university can learn more about its community. There's a ton of free food, activities, and more.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at Lang?

We review applications holistically based on all of our application requirements. This means that academically we take into account not only GPA but course rigor, grade trend, and the context that students provide for their grades. In addition, we're SAT and ACT-optional. Students who show that they're open-minded, inquisitive, and determined to make positive change in the world tend to thrive at Lang, and we try and recognize that in the review process.

When people come to visit your part of New York City, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

The High Line in Chelsea is a great walk--it's a repurposed abandoned elevated rail project turned into a park--it's always bustling with all kind of people and has great views of the city and the Hudson River, especially at sunset.

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of Lang. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

Three quick questions with Hofstra University

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Puja Patel, admission counselor at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Hofstra University?

We have a program called “Explore Next Door” where students can sign up to explore NYC whether it’s in person or virtually! They can sign up with a group of other students and faculty member to go to museums, restaurants and broadway shows!

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at Hofstra?

We love to invite students to join Hofstra University if they are passionate, ambitious and resilient from their unique life experience! We want students to be themselves, and we would love to help them get out of their shell.

When people come to visit Hempstead on Long Island, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

Definitely check out the Nassau Coliseum, NYC and the beaches we have near us! A little bit of everything, especially during the Fall time there are places to go apple and pumpkin picking.

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of Hofstra. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

Apply with Sanity and Ekuso

My privacy and full disclosure page is pretty straightforward. It says, among other things:

I don't currently have any sponsors or advertisers. If that changes, I'll make it clear.

I don't write sponsored posts.

If I have any kind of relationship with someone or some place I'm writing about, I'll tell you.

So I want to tell you about my new partnership with the Ekuso Virtual Esports Academy. Technically, Ekuso isn’t sponsoring me; they don’t pay me anything. In fact, I’m sponsoring them. I happen to think the Apply with Sanity logo looks pretty good on their uniforms. It’s more of a partnership, and I want that to be transparent when I write about esports or share any of Ekuso’s content. All of my writing is still 100% my own: not written, reviewed, or approved by Ekuso or anyone else.

What do I like about Ekuso? A few things.

First, my own teenager is a team member. When they first approached me about joining an esports team at their school, I honestly didn’t think much of it. I know nothing about video games, and I imagined it would basically be an in-school club where they could play with friends. But being part of the team had drastic effects almost immediately. My kid was growing not just in their League of Legends skills, but their self-knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills as well. All the things you practice when playing on a traditional sports team, like discipline, sportsmanship, leadership, communication, and strategy? That’s no less true of esports. Although I still have trouble following the action of a League match, I at least now understand how important esports can be for young people.

There’s also an obvious college admission connection. Many universities host esports teams, and many of them are actively looking for players to fill those teams. Esports is a legitimate activity that students can explain on college applications. Being on a team with coaching, rather than an individual player, can have real advantages both for your development as a player and as a college applicant.

That’s what I like most about Ekuso. They’re not just hosting video game tournaments. Karlin Oei, the founder, is an impressive player and a focused coach. He’s a gamer and an entrepreneur, and he’s also an educator.

This partnership won’t have an huge impact on the content or tone of Apply with Sanity. But you will see me sharing news about Ekuso here and on social media. You’ll see me more interested in esports at the high school and college level, which I’d probably be doing anyway. I’m also planning some free college admission webinars for Ekuso students and families, probably beginning in March.

And if you’d love an introduction to what organized esports looks like at the high school level, check out Ekuso’s tournament on November 13. It will be streamed live on their Twitch streaming page.

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

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

2. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

Writing essays like a grown-up

When I was a high school teacher, I liked going to the Homecoming Dance and Prom. I didn’t go every year, but when I did I enjoyed them. Here’s one thing I always found fascinating: the transformation from kids to adults…for a while. Often students would arrive to the dance looking quite grown up. Suits and ties, fancy dresses, hair and makeup, fancy shoes. The grown-up look affected their behavior, too. I noticed how often even students who would never greet me with more than a grunt during a school day would want to shake my hand when they saw me at a dance. They were learning to be an adult, and I always loved that.

The funny part, though, is how different things were at the end of the dance. Ties loosened, shirts partially unbuttoned, and jackets in hand. Hair down in a ponytail and high-heeled shoes in hand. Grunts. The adulthood rarely lasted more than an hour or two. I’m not making fun of them or trying to be mean. We all, no matter our age, constantly work on adulthood through trial and lots of error. Seeing these early attempts at growing up on a daily basis is one of the joys of working with high school students.

This week I’ve been reading a lot of student writing as clients are finishing applications for November 1st deadlines, and I’m reminded of the same phenomenon. Students are pushing themselves to be more mature and professional in their writing, but there are a few clear signs—to those looking—that the maturity may not be complete. I’ve only noticed them through years of repetition, and I want to share some of those indications.

Four words I only see in high school research papers and college application essays. These four words I almost never see in any student writing, ever, in any context, except for research papers and college application essays, when the students are working hard to sound formal and mature. In those two cases, I see these words all the time. So very often.

Plethora. I get it. “A lot” doesn’t sound very professional and mature, and we use “a lot” often in everyday speech. So when we’re writing something that’s supposed to be more formal, it makes sense to try “plethora” instead.

Myriad. It means the same as plethora, and using it solves the same problem as plethora—avoiding “many” or “a lot of.” Myriad has the advantage of being both a noun and an adjective. So either “Myriad opportunities awaited me at the job fair” or “A myriad of opportunities awaited me at the job fair” works. Plethora is only a noun, so you would only say “A plethora of opportunities….” If you’re going to use myriad, make sure you use it the same way every time. Don’t go back and forth between adjective and noun.

Delve. This word originally meant to dig. Now it’s only used metaphorically: nobody ever delves a hole in the ground. They only delve into texts or memories, as if digging. And in college application essays, they delve often.

I’m not going to say don’t use myriad, plethora, or delve. You may be one of the people who actually uses them outside of research papers and college applications. You may intend to become a person who uses them regularly. That’s fine. But I do want to give you this warning: when you use these words, you’re more likely to sound like a high school student trying to sound more grown up than an actual grown-up. It’s a slight difference, but it’s there. If the difference matters to you, be careful using plethora, myriad, or delve. I see them often, but 99% of the time it’s in the context of a high school student trying to sound more formal. Not just 99% of the time I see them from students, but 99% of the time I see them ever. I don’t know many adults who use myriad, plethora, or delve in their writing.

There’s another word common in high school formal writing that I will absolutely tell you not to use: whilst. Whilst means the same as while. It’s very common to use whilst in the UK. It is not common to use it in the US. Throwing “whilst” into a sentence is like briefly slipping into an English accent in the middle of a sentence, which doesn’t make you sound more formal, smart, or grown-up. So use whilst if you’re British and use other words and spellings associated with British usage. Or use whilst if you’re being silly and having fun. But if you’re trying to sound more formal for something really important? Do not use whilst.

None of these are deal-breakers or application killers. Nobody gets accepted or denied admission to a university because of how they use (or don’t use) plethora, myriad, delve, or whilst. It’s not that big of a deal. However, if you’re specifically using a word for an effect you’re trying to achieve (“I’m a strong writer”), and using the word often produces the opposite effect (“You’re a high school kid trying too hard”), I feel like someone should let you know.

While (not whilst) we’re talking about things students do in college application essays to sound more formal, let me also warn you about semicolons. Here’s what I always say about semicolons: they’re like samurai swords. Just because they look cool is no reason to go slinging them around.

Just as you never really need to use a samurai sword, you never need to use a semicolon. Commas and periods will get you through life just fine.

Like a samurai sword, only use a semicolon if you’re absolutely positive you’re doing it correctly. Because semicolons are unnecessary, using them incorrectly always looks bad.

Even if you do know how to use a samurai sword or semicolon correctly, using it too often still creates the wrong tone. Use them sparingly, when you’re really sure it’s the best tool to use. It rarely is.

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. Read these related posts:

   Thinking about pleasure

   Don’t submit that mission trip essay

   Put together your own writing workshop

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

Three quick questions with Champlain College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Leah Miller, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Champlain College?

The Spring Meltdown is a favorite activity of our students. It happens during spring break and is a great time for students to get outside and participate in lots of activities indoors, outdoors, and around the Champlain campus as the snow melts.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at Champlain?

Champlain is a small school with a hands-on personalized, educational approach. Champlain went test-optional 4 years ago because we found that our student's GPA's were relatively higher than their test scores because they liked participating in the classroom, conversing with their peers, and doing hands-on learning and projects. Those are the types of students we continue to see thrive as Champlain because our Upside-Down Curriculum and hands-on learning really resonate with students in their small classes.

When people come to visit Burlington what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

Campus visitors definitely need to take a walk down Church Street and to the waterfront of Lake Champlain. Church street is a pedestrian only, brick street, filled with shops, restaurants, galleries, and of course Ben & Jerry's. It has beautiful views of the lake and is a great place to snuggle up with a hot chocolate or gather outdoors with friends. It's beautiful year-round and a must-see spot in Burlington!

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of Champlain College. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

More about community service

Most students understand, or at least have heard, that performing community service is something you should do in preparation for applying to colleges. But why? What do colleges care if you’ve served? Is it just another arbitrary hoop for you to jump through, a sort of weeding-out process? Do they actually believe that simply performing some community service will make you a “good person”? And what kind of community service should you do?

At the most basic level, colleges are interested in how you serve your community because they are going to be your community, and they want to know how you might fit in. They want, to paraphrase President Kennedy, people who will not just ask what their community can do for them, but what they can do for their community. And because how people behave in college usually looks a lot like how they behave in high school, asking about your service to others while you were in high school is a simple way for them to gauge how you may serve others when you’re in their college community. It’s important that everyone, no matter how wealthy or challenged in terms of time, money, or talents, finds a way to give as well as receive, and so community service is something you should plan on while in high school.

For high school students approaching community service, there are two main categories: the simple route, and the creative route. You’ll probably do things that fall into both categories, though most of your energy may be in one or the other.

The simple route is where “community service hours” come in. The simple route is to work at events that are recruiting volunteers and to keep track of the quantity of your service. This includes working car washes, helping to staff community events or fund-raisers, volunteering at food banks or nursing homes, or any sort of event where you are serving someone else’s organization. This route is popular, because it doesn’t necessarily involve much time or effort outside of the volunteer event itself, because it has set times and tasks, and because a sponsor or other authority can easily vouch for the hours that you spent helping.

The simple route isn’t necessarily easy—in fact it rarely is. But it’s usually pretty straightforward, simple to do, and simple to explain. Your school may have a volunteering club or honor society that essentially works to match events with volunteers.

The drawback to the simple route is that it’s easy for others to look at it cynically. If you can show that you’ve worked many hours in a seemingly random assortment of events that aren’t connected to each other, then it’s easy for college admission committees—or anyone else—to wonder if you really do care about the community, or if you’re just doing these things to “get the hours” and check it off your list. If you work 300 volunteer hours but people don’t believe you really care, then those hours—while useful to those you served—may not get you much in terms of college acceptance.

The creative route is one where, instead of working for someone else's organization, you create the organization that other people work for. This can look like different things: taking over leadership of an existing club at school, starting a new club at school, getting a grant from an organization to run your own project, or even starting your own non-profit organization. Like the simple route, the creative route is rarely easy. Plus, it may be more difficult to get documentation from a credible authority of the work you put into it. The creative route may produce higher quality service sometimes, but it doesn’t have the easy-to-read and easy-to-understand hour log signed by a sponsor that the simple route does. However, the creative route does tend to provide more autonomy and a larger sense of accomplishment. Interestingly, this route can often give you a greater sense of accomplishment even if you are unable to accomplish your goal. That’s because of the more intense problem solving that comes with these kinds of endeavors.

Remember, though, that it’s also easy for colleges and others to look on this kind of community service cynically. Most of the student-founded nonprofits I hear about are tackling problems that other organizations already exist to address, and they usually fall apart as soon as the student goes off to college. People aren’t going to assume you’re doing great things just because you start a club or organization—some will assume you’re just doing it for your own resume.

We obviously need both kinds of community service, and most people do both. There’s nothing wrong with taking the simple route. Be honest with yourself about your motives, your strengths, and your limitations. Remember that to a large degree it’s not as important what you do but how you explain it. There’s also nothing wrong with the creative route. But again, be honest with yourself and be able to explain your choices.

Here’s a process for getting into community service or revamping your current strategy. It’s not a linear process that you do once in order. It’s more of a cycle that you’ll go through over and over throughout your life, not just as a high school student.

1. Think about why you are interested in community service. Be honest with yourself. You likely don’t have a single motive, and you need to understand your overlapping motives. This will give you and the people you’re helping a greater chance of success. Are you performing community service because you are required to complete a certain number of hours for an honor society, your school, or some other organization? Is community service an avenue for you to show gratitude for your own good fortune? Is it a social opportunity for you to spend more time with friends completing projects together? Do you have political or religious ideals, and you want to find ways to put them into action? Are you lonely and looking for ways to be around other people? Understanding the reasons why you want to get involved at all will help you decide what kind of service is best. There are no wrong answers.

2. Define your communities. You’ll be more successful if you approach community service thinking about serving your own communities. These overlapping communities can be geographic—neighborhood, town or city, state, nation. They can be social, political, religious,, and special interest communities. We often think of service in terms of helping other communities, not our own. In some senses this is true, of course, but your service is going to be of higher quality when you think about how you are a part of the community. You may not be in the hospital, but when you volunteer at the hospital you’re helping to strengthen people within your community, and you’re therefore strengthening your own community. The less you think of the people you serve as other, the more useful the service will be to them and for yourself.

3. Who needs help in those communities? Some of these are obvious. The hungry, homeless, and sick in your community need help. People who cannot, for whatever reasons, live independently need help. But lots of people need all kinds of help. When you define your communities more broadly to include not just neighborhood and school, but also your social groups, hobbies and passions, you’ll find more people who can use help and more types of help to give.

4. Who is already helping in those communities? Whatever the problem is you’d like to tackle, it’s not a new one. And there are already people, many of them experts, already working on that problem. Seek them out. Ask how you can help. Learn from them as you help them. Make starting something new from scratch a last-resort idea, not your first idea. The people and groups working to help that part of your community will eventually become another of your communities.

5. How can you contribute? How would you like to help? What have you got that you can contribute to helping? Time and labor? Knowledge and expertise? Materials and supplies? Social connections? Think of all the things you can do to help. This likely includes hours spent working, but don’t limit yourself to those.

When you take this more broad approach to defining community and defining service, you’ll find that you have plenty to do. You’ll find that being a part of a community and serving that community are inseparable. You’ll find that to be true from the family level up to the global level. It won’t be easy or simple, but you’ll have no problem explaining your service on college applications or to anyone else who asks. You’ll know why “day of service” events are really helpful, and you’ll also know why every day is a day of service.

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. Read these related posts:

   Thinking about community service and college admissions

   Don’t submit that mission trip essay!

   Should you join an honor society?

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

Three quick questions with College of the Atlantic

Thanks to College of the Atlantic, I’ll now be asking “how many islands do you have for research?” to all colleges. Read about their islands, sustainability, and self-designed majors below.

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Casey Schuller Jordan, Admission Counselor at College of the Atlantic in Bal Harbor, Maine.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to College of the Atlantic?

There are too many to name them all! Pretty much everything at COA is unique. The concept of our self-designed major in human ecology is a good place to start. While we offer a wide selection of courses covering arts, sciences, and humanities, you may find many of our courses take a unique purpose-driven, hands-on, and experiential approach. Check out some of our courses through our areas of study (which are not paths you have to follow, but may be a helpful place to begin exploring). If you are interested in entrepreneurship and sustainable business, you might like our hatchery program.  Additionally, we have two farms and two islands that are used for research, coursework, and general student experiences.

We are also the #1 Green College in the U.S. and sustainability is central to everything we do. Our system of college governance where faculty, staff, and students make decisions together is a key part of COA as well. Student voice and participation are highly valued on campus, which is all part of our tight-knit community. Finally, if I had to pick one favorite campus tradition it would probably be the Bar Island swim after convocation, which is followed by a cookout.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at COA?

First, we have always been test-optional, so if testing is not your strength that's okay. We often attract students who are looking for something beyond traditional education systems, students who want to think beyond departments and majors, and students who are passionate about something, even if they don't know why or where that will lead them. Our students are curious, deeply engaged in their education, and want to go beyond understanding the world as it is to be a part of actively shaping the future. If you want to explore beyond the traditional classroom, we might be a good place for you.

When people come to visit Bal Harbor what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

There is so much to do here! I highly recommend everyone visit Acadia National Park. There are so many beautiful hikes, biking trails, and swimming spots, but if you have limited time you should at least drive the Park Loop Road. There are also a lot of ways to get out on the ocean from kayaking to whale watching to lobster boat tours. Finally, Bar Harbor is a pretty cute town itself if you want to spend time wandering through local shops.

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of College of the Atlantic. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

Three quick questions with the Catholic University of America

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Chris Lydon, VP for Enrollment Management at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to the Catholic University of America?

Program - the University Honors Program, offering access to faculty and research opportunities to undergraduates from across all of our programs.

Tradition - the Saint Mother Teresa Day of Service in September; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in January.  These events, sponsored by Campus Ministry, are held early in the fall and spring semesters, as a way to give back to our Washington, D.C. community. Typically, 800-1,000 students, faculty, and staff participate.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at CatholicU?

CatholicU does not consider standardized tests in the review for admission or for merit scholarships. The heart of our academic review is based on a student's curriculum and the fit to the major of their choice, and their classroom performance. We recalculate all GPA's on an unweighted 4.0 scale, and the GPA middle 50% is 3.30 - 3.70 (basically B+ - A-). The 25% of our students who are admitted with less than a 3.30 cumulative GPA have typically taken an especially demanding curriculum, or have significantly improved over the course of their high school career, with their best work taking place in the junior year and first semester of the senior year. Essays, recommendations, and activities (viewed as opportunities to demonstrate commitment, responsibility, and leadership) help shape our perspective on a student's personal fit.

So many students who are admitted to CatholicU are "imperfect." Some are still coming into their own academically, some don't know what they plan to study, and some have had limited opportunities for engagement outside of the classroom. We're seeking to determine fit, and the potential to take advantage of the academic and extracurricular offerings we provide. And we offer the advising support to help students find their way.

When people come to visit Washington, DC, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

The monuments at night—even more beautiful than during the day. The Smithsonian Museums (all free!); my personal favorite is the National Portrait Gallery. Here's a great summary about how our students take advantage of the Nation's Capital.

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. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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. [The banner photo is not of the Catholic University. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

College application essays: don't forget the middle!

Most of the college application essays I look at involve explaining some sort of change. Several of the Common Application essay prompts ask about change:

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Every change essay I read involves, at least at first, a before/after structure.

“I lived in this type of environment, but then I moved and had to change my perspective.”

“I really struggled as a student at first, but then became much more successful.”

“I used to really over-schedule myself, but I’ve learned to focus on a few quality activities over too much quantity.”

The most troubling before/after essays are the ones that put all their energy into the before and dedicate very little space to the after. You don’t quite accomplish your goal by spending 80% of your essay on where you no longer live, or how bad a student you were, or how poorly you managed your time, and then only 20% on the newer, more successful version of yourself. If you’re going to have a before/after essay, then make sure only 20% is on the old and 80% explains the new. After all, it’s the present you that is applying to college, not the past you.

But even the good change essays benefit by expanding the structure. Instead of before/after, think of beginning/middle/end. And here’s the key: the middle is the most interesting part. It shows how you’ve changed, not just that you did. It has verbs. It shows how you’ve adjusted your thinking and habits. It shows you developing and doesn’t just ask the reader to trust that you’ve developed. Make room—a lot more room—for the middle.

It’s October, so let’s use a Halloween example—the werewolf. 1941’s The Wolf Man uses a before/after technique. Larry looks down at his legs, and they quickly change from human legs to furry legs. That’s it. The whole process takes about 20 seconds, and we don’t see any other part of him change. In the next scene, we see him, full werewolf, running through a foggy woods. That’s what most before/after essays are like. “I changed! I’m different now!”

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But skip ahead 40 years to An American Werewolf in London. David’s transformation into a werewolf takes almost three minutes, and we the audience see almost every hair grow, every change in his body. The transformation itself is interesting, not just the after-effects.

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In your change essay the transformation, the things that happened right after the event that prompted the change, is the best part. It tells the audience—the admissions people deciding if they think you’re a good fit for their university—what kind a a person you are, and how you became that person. They can see your thinking, your process, your dedication.

If you moved to a new place and had to get used to a new environment, what were the things you tried? What worked, and what didn’t? Who, if anyone, helped you?

If you struggled as a student but then turned things around, what was that process like? What were the things you tried? What worked, and what didn’t? Who, if anyone, helped you?

If you were over-scheduled and had to adjust, how did you go about narrowing down your activities? What did you prioritize, and why? What were others’ reactions to your changes? Who, if anyone, helped you?

To use another movie example, consider the training montage. The training montage is how a movie condenses days, weeks, or months of transformation into just a few minutes. It gives glimpses into the process without taking up too much time showing the entire process. It focuses on moments of small victories that lead to the large-scale victory. Since a Common App essay only gets 650 words maximum, you need to do the same thing. Explain the process of change in a way that highlights the process but is also efficient with words. Like a training montage.

“I lived in this type of environment, but then I moved and had to change my perspective” becomes “I lived in this type of environment, but then I moved. I was able to identify a mentor, and I tried out a handful of unfamiliar things before finding something new that I’m good at. When I move into another new environment for college, I’ll know how to adjust to the change.”

“I really struggled as a student at first, but then became much more successful” becomes “I really struggled as a student, and I knew I had to change. After several attempts, I found a time management system that works for me, and I made after-school tutoring a normal part of my routine. Maybe I’m not valedictorian, but I’m ready for college in a way that I wasn’t a year ago.“

“I used to really over-schedule myself, but I’ve learned to focus on a few quality activities over too much quantity” becomes “I over-scheduled myself and was miserable. I took a self-designed retreat to get some rest and map my priorities. Then I balanced one academic club with one sport, and now I’m able to be a contributing team member instead of an undependable participant.”

When you add the middle, the before/after essay itself transforms into something stronger, more focused, and more likely to succeed. Much like yourself.

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. Read these related posts:

   Is it ok to write about….

   Don’t submit that mission trip essay!

   How do I write a great essay?

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—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.

Do you need a "brag sheet?"

Brag Sheet. It’s a term I hear a lot in September and October, but only in those months. I learned the term in the context of college letters of recommendation, and that’s the only context I’ve ever heard it in. If you ask a teacher or counselor for a rec letter, they may ask you for a brag sheet. What does that mean?

Basically, a brag sheet is a resume, but less formal. (If they ask for a resume, give them a full and formal resume.) The teacher would like you to list your activities and accomplishments so they can have it in front of them when they’re writing your letter. Many teachers—especially those who teach 11th grade English and math classes—get a lot of letter requests. A brag sheet helps them stay focused and write a letter more quickly. That makes sense.

I encourage you to have a brag sheet ready in case a teacher or counselor asks for one, and I also encourage you not to give it to them unless they ask for it. The best recommendations are personal and talk about something beyond what a student has accomplished. They talk about the student’s character and, ideally, include examples of the recommender’s experience with the student. A brag sheet makes it very easy for a recommender to avoid that and instead write something much less personal that lists the student’s activities and accomplishments—things the student already lists in other places on their application.

When you first ask someone for a recommendation, do so in a way that prompts them to write about the more personal, character-driven letter you’re hoping for. Instead of

“Mr. Holloway, can you write me a letter of recommendation?”

try

“Mr. Holloway, I’m putting together my college applications, and I’m really trying to emphasize my creative problem solving. Would it be possible for you to write me a letter of recommendation? I was remembering the time in class when the computer crashed in the middle of my class presentation and I still found a way to get the information across without it.”

Make your request in writing, probably over email. If there’s something you want them to write about, let them know. Don’t just hope. You can’t control whether they actually write what you want, but you can ask.

But if someone does ask for a brag sheet, what should you do?

If you already have a resume, begin with that. You’ll want your brag sheet to be absolutely no more than one page, and you’ll want to tailor it to this teacher and this request. If you don’t already have a resume, you’re going to build up the brag sheet from scratch. Remember that it doesn’t need to be as formal as a resume. It isn’t for a wide audience; it’s for a specific person. Make it for that person.

At the top, include all your basic information. Name, grade, contact information. A teacher looking through a stack of papers on their desk (or stuffed into a bag or drawer) should be able to find yours quickly and easily. Put your name on the top, and make it big. If you’re sending your brag sheet over email, make it very clear in the email subject line what’s in the email. Something like “Brag sheet for _____’s rec letter due _____.”

Under that, include the three basic categories: education, experience, and accomplishments. But personalize that information for that person. Include your overall GPA, but also list what classes you took with that teacher—if it’s for a teacher—and the grades you got in those classes. (Because of privacy laws and data management, teachers rarely have access to student records from previous years.) List your activities and accomplishments that relate directly to that class and that teacher. List as many accomplishments, clubs, and activities you want, but make sure it doesn’t go over one page, and make sure the more directly related to that person, the higher up on the list.

Also include what you want your recommender to write about. If there are specific qualities you’re trying to get across in your application, like intellectual passion or creative problem solving, list those qualities near the top of your brag sheet. If there are specific stories or examples you want that person to write about, find a way to fit it into your brag sheet.

A teacher asking for a brag sheet is essentially asking you to help them make the letter-writing process easier for them. Be absolutely honest and accurate, and help them make it easier to write the letter you are hoping for, not just the letter they might write when they have time. You don’t want a generic form letter, so don’t give them a generic brag sheet. Make it specific, make it easy to read, and make it easy for the teacher or counselor to write you the best letter possible.

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

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2. Read these related posts:

   How do I ask a teacher for a recommendation letter?

   How do I put together a resume?

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