Students

Three quick questions with Emory 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 Katie Phenix, Admission Advisor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

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

Emory is a high-level research institution, but also follows liberal arts curriculum. This encourages students to explore academic areas outside of their major, along with giving students access to discussion based classes where they can truly become immersed in the content they are learning. Emory Univeristy is also one of the most diverse universities in the US, with over 80 languages spoken and all major religions represented on campus. 

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 Emory?

During the application evaluation process, Emory University looks at students holistically, meaning we take into account not just grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and community involvement. We also evaluate the community the student comes from and the resources that may or may not have been available to them throughout their life. We look for uniqueness and authenticity.

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

Ponce City Market and the Atlanta Beltline are places I always recommend! If you are a Braves fan, the Battery is always cool!   


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 Emory. I use the same photo for all Three Quick Questions 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 Southern Methodist 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 Brenda Del Rio, Admissions Counselor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. (And today’s response is very special to me, because I spent two years at SMU getting my Master’s Degree. Pony Up!)

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

While SMU is a very tradition heavy campus, one of our most unique ones is Boulevarding! Instead of tailgating, we Boulevard. It’s even greater considering that it’s never students alone celebrating their team, it truly is a Dallas wide community effort.

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 SMU?

What makes SMU really unique is that aside from drawing in students who know what they want to do with their life from a very young age, we also draw in students who are completely clueless about what they want to do, and we love that! Because our curriculum is flexible and 3 in 5 of our students double or triple major, it allows for some unique opportunities for students to marry different areas of study to create the education experience they are truly for. Often times, students who are unsure about their future don’t want to commit to just one area of study, so those that are interested in multiple ones really tend to flourish here.

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

There’s so many places, this question is hard! But the M-Line trolley is a lot of fun! It’s free to use and takes guests around the Klyde Warren Park area (also a lot of fun) and Uptown Dallas, which is right down the street from us.


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 SMU. I use the same photo for all Three Quick Questions posts so you can spot them easily.]

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

What should you be doing this fall?

Whether you’re in the 9th grade or 12th, at a large high school or home schooled, taking advanced classes or remedial ones, my advice for high school students thinking about college is the same:

* The best way to prepare for college is to be a good high school student

* Anything you do just because “it looks good to colleges” is a waste of time

* You need a time management system and a meditation routine

If you’d like more detailed, grade-specific advice, here are this year’s updates to “What Should I Be Doing Now?” for fall.

* 12th grade

* 11th grade

* 10th grade

* 9th grade

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 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.

A fall timeline for seniors

Around this time every year, I publish an updated “What Should I Be Doing Now?” page for every grade level. Because there are so many circumstances, so many different paths, I try to keep it fairly broad and generalized. However, I’ve recently got several requests for a more detailed and specific timeline for seniors. So here is a month-by-month breakdown of the process. Remember, this doesn’t fit every single case. I don’t include anything, for example, related to art portfolios or athletic recruitment. And I assume you’re applying to more than one or two colleges. But this covers most of the situations my own clients face, and (I think) most of the situations my readers face. As I say all the time when I’m giving feedback or advice: feel free to use it, modify it, or ignore it as appropriate.

August

Research colleges. By now you may have a pretty good idea of schools where you will apply. Spend time getting to know the colleges, and be open to learning about other colleges and possibly making changes to your list. Where should you research colleges? Their websites are a great place. Look at their admission page, and also the pages for any majors you’re considering. I also love the Fiske Guide. It’s not available online, only as a book, but it’s worth the trouble. For online resources I usually stick to BigFuture, which is run by the College Board, and Niche. You can also look into the schools’ Common Data Sets.

Interact with colleges. As soon as you think you’re going to apply to a school, begin interacting with the school as much as possible. Make sure you sign up for their mailing list or click on the “send me information” button on their admission web page. If you can go on a physical campus tour, that’s great, but it’s not necessary. Many colleges also have good virtual tours. Either way, get a feel for the campus. Follow the school’s social media accounts on your preferred apps. Find out if and when they’ll be at a college fair near you or visiting your school and do your best to go meet them. Do this even if the school doesn’t consider demonstrated interest. This is the stage where you’re beginning to build a relationship with schools.

Narrow your college list down to 20 maximum. While it’s great to keep exploring and adding schools to your list, it’s also necessary to start cutting schools from your list. Make sure you have at least two you are very confident will accept you. It sometimes helps to eliminate schools by thinking about their groups. You’ve got six medium-sized colleges in the northeast who offer a major you’re interested in? Reduce that to the top two. Drop the ones with the highest average net cost, or the ones farthest from a city, or any other criteria that makes sense for you. Have you got 30 schools on your list, and 25 of them have acceptance rates under 25%? Focus on the five that are most important to you. Don’t spend too much time and energy on schools that are not likely to accept you because they have too many strong applicants. Also, don’t spend too much time trying to figure out what schools are “safety, target, and reach” for you. Don’t get into the “what are my chances?” mentality. Many students do fine thinking about the same three categories: schools with acceptance rates over 50%, schools with acceptance rates under 20%, and those in between. Find a balance with these three categories on your list, and get it down to 20 maximum.

(Many of you won’t have this problem at all. Some never begin with a list over 20. That’s great, as long as you make sure you’re including at least two you’re very confident will accept you.)

Find deadlines for schools on list. For each school on your list, look up the different application plans they have and the deadline for each. Make a chart or timeline to keep up with these. When is their regular decision deadline? Do they have Early Action, Early Decision, or Priority deadlines? Is there an earlier deadline if you would like to be considered for scholarships? Is there a different deadline based on your major than for the school at large? Also, what are their deadlines for submitting test scores if you choose to submit? Do they have deadlines for submitting financial aid paperwork? Does your major require a portfolio or extra writing supplement with a different deadline than the regular application? Once you start tracking multiple deadlines for each school, you understand why narrowing your list down to 20 maximum is so important.

Finish at least one main essay. If you’re applying to a college that requires an essay—and you probably are—then get it finished. Or at least started. The best time to finish a solid draft of your essay is before school starts. If you do nothing else this month, do this.

September

Continue to research and interact with colleges. Make adjustments to your college list, taking care not to go over 20.

If you haven’t already, line up your recommendation letters. If you’ve narrowed down your college list and checked on the requirements for each, then you’ll know who you need letters from. Each school is different. They’ll require none, one, or two letters. They will—or will not, depending on the school—specify who they would like letters from. Some will let you submit extras if you want, some won’t.

Begin writing your supplemental prompt responses. If you’ve already got your main essay ready, you have time to begin working on the shorter supplemental questions that many colleges ask. These can be tough, because you typically have a much smaller space—50 to 350 words—to explain yourself.

Don’t get overwhelmed looking at all the supplemental questions for all your potential applications. Focus on your 4 or 5 top schools. Your top schools are the ones where you’re likely to apply early. This includes schools for which you may apply Early Decision or Early Action, and it includes the schools you’re really confident will accept you. If you’re applying to a school as a “safety,” apply as early as you can. Get the confidence boost and stability of knowing you’ve got a place to go as quickly as possible.

While it’s normal to think of the application process as one that runs from August to January, with a swift build-up in December as regular decision applications become due, I prefer to think of it as a two-wave process. Most of the work happens before early November, and then there’s a follow-up wave for any remaining applications in January. Plan on October being your busiest month.

October

Continue to research and interact with colleges. Make adjustments to your college list, taking care not to go over 20.

If you need to, complete the CSS Profile. You’ll know if you need to by checking the financial aid page of each of the schools on your list. You can also search here.

Decide if you’ll apply to any college Early Decision. Decide if you’ll apply to any colleges Early Action. Finalize your list of top schools—I recommend four or five—for that first wave of applications.

Finish writing your supplemental prompt responses for November applications. Again, don’t get overwhelmed thinking about all the supplemental, just focus on the ones you’re writing for a November deadline.

Submit applications with November 1 deadline on October 26. It doesn’t have to be exactly on the 26th, obviously, but I think submitting around five days before the deadline is ideal. Submit too soon, and you miss the opportunity to make your application even better. But waiting until the last minute is too risky. Websites crash, internet gets spotty, distractions appear. So three to five days before the deadline makes sense, for November 1 deadlines and all deadlines.

November

Continue to research and interact with colleges. If you send out any early applications in November, make best- and worst-case scenario plans. If you get accepted early, will you apply to more colleges? Which ones, and why? If you don’t get accepted early, does that change which and how many schools to apply to for January deadlines? Don’t spend too much time thinking about something so out of your control, but do a little planning.

Write supplemental prompt responses for the rest of your applications. Once your November applications are out, begin the ones that are left for your second wave of applications, which will mostly be due in early January.

DecembeR

Fill out the FAFSA. It doesn’t open up until December 1 this year, and there are changes from the past. I’d advise waiting at least a few days before getting started, in case there are any glitches or crashes when it first opens up.

Submit applications with January 1 deadline by December 28.

January

Send financial aid paperwork for anywhere that hasn’t got it yet

Start writing thank-you notes

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:

    Should you submit test scores to a test-optional college?

    How many colleges should you apply to?

  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.

Three quick questions with Quinnipiac 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 Michael James, Associate Director of Admissions and Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.

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

Unique Courses/Majors – Game Design and Development; Film, Television, and Media Arts; Health, Medicine, and Society; Justice and Community Engagement.

Unique Tradition – Battle of Whitney Avenue. Our Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams compete in the same conference as Yale, and our universities are 15-20 minutes apart from each other down one road. The games are always well-attended with students lining up for tickets hours in advance!

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 Quinnipiac?

I would say that while of course we’d love to yield the straight A students, our sweetspot is A-/B+/B students who really will blossom in college with the individualized attention and opportunities they get once they matriculate at Quinnipiac. We’re in a small town and our campus is a bubble, so our successful students are the ones looking to get involved in a number of different clubs and organizations on campus, rather than the ones who hope to enjoy the big city life every night and weekend. Leadership is important, yes, but willingness to be involved matters just as much.

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

Sleeping Giant State Park – it’s literally right across the street from our campus and has a number of great hiking trails. Great view of campus from the top of the mountain!


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 Quinnipiac. 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.

Four quick tips for your application essays

July has been full of student essays for me, and I expect the same of August. I strongly believe that college-bound seniors should have a solid draft of at least one application essay before the first day of school. It’s one of the larger—if not largest—tasks on your application, so giving it lots of time is wise. If you haven’t quite begun yet, are in the middle of drafting and revising, or feel you’re just about finished—here are four tips for improving your essay.

Add first, cut later. The main Common Application essay has a maximum of 650 words, and most students aim to use all 650. Ideally, your first draft should be more than 650 words. When you’re doing your first round of writing, don’t worry about word count at all. Most important, don’t worry about your essay being too long. I get nervous when a student sends me a first draft and it’s 652 words. Sometimes that means I’m not actually looking at a first draft, but something they’ve already edited down. But usually it means that the student worked on their first draft with a word count in mind, forcing themselves to stop at 650. They were too focused on length and not enough on the content of what they’re trying to explain. I love to see first drafts at 1000, 1200, 1500 words. That gives us a lot to work with.

Once a first draft comes to me that’s over 650 words, most students expect the next step is that I’ll give suggestions to get it down below the maximum word count. But I don’t. The first thing I ask for is more. More details, more examples, more explanation. I always want students to add before they cut. Cleaning up paragraphs and sentences to get the word count down is usually the last step of the process. It happens on draft six or seven, not draft two. Your strongest writing is going to happen when you add first, cut later.

Do you really need that hook? It seems to be a truth universally acknowledged that a college application needs to begin with a “hook.” A hook is often an intensely narrated scene or vignette that sets up the essay to follow. Its main goal is to “draw the reader in” or “grab the reader’s attention.” I am, as a rule, anti-hook. Your first paragraph does indeed need to be very well written and engaging. But so does your second paragraph. And every paragraph after that. With only 650 words to use, you don’t have time to devote a full paragraph only to fancy writing. The first paragraph needs to do a lot more than that.

So try this: remove the first paragraph of your essay and see what information is missing. What gets lost when you remove the first paragraph, other than a hook? If the rest of the essay simply makes no sense without that first paragraph, then congratulations! You avoided the hook trap. If the essay mostly works without the paragraph, but a few key things are missing, then work to get those key things into other paragraphs, or at least shorten the first paragraph. This will leave you room in your essay for more concrete details, which are far more important than a hook anyway. If your essay can begin at the second paragraph without losing anything, get rid of the the first paragraph. Now you’ve freed up a lot of room for better writing. Again, I want to stress: all the things you do for a hook you should do for all your paragraphs. Use precise and descriptive language, avoid cliches, do everything you can to hold onto that reader’s attention. But please don’t waste 20% of your essay with a hook for hook’s sake.

Spend more time working on verbs. How do you make your entire essay more hook-ish? How do you make your writing stronger, more attention-grabbing, yet also shorter and to the point? Focus on verbs. All the effort you might spend on a hook, you should be spending on verbs. That’s the secret weapon.

And it’s simple to do. Go through your draft and circle (on a hard copy) or highlight (on a screen) all the To Be verbs. You probably have a lot—most of us do. They’re the most common verbs in English, and they’re also the most vague. Spend as much time as it takes to eliminate at least a third of those To Be verbs and replace them with something more active. If you can replace half of them, that’s even better.

For example: “I am on the tennis team and I’m also a tennis coach” can become “I play tennis for the school and I also coach tennis.” Or “I am president of our NHS chapter” becomes “I lead our NHS chapter.” You’ll make stronger verbs, and you’ll probably also help lower your word count.

Include the past, present, and future. Most of your application will be focused on the past. You’re explaining things you’ve done, challenges you’ve overcome, and interests you’ve explored. That’s normal. But keep an eye on time as you’re writing. Don’t spend too much time in the distant past. If you need to refer to something that happened before high school that’s fine, but don’t spend any more words than necessary on a distant past. Also, be sure to include the present as much as possible. If you overcame an obstacle in the 10th grade and improved your life, fantastic. Explain what happened and what you gained from it. But also include the present. How are you currently applying what you learned from the episode? How are you currently improving the skills you gained? How is the quality you’re trying to explain currently showing up in your life? Don’t let your essay begin before 9th grade if you can help it, and don’t let it end before 12th grade.

While it’s present you who is applying to college, it’s future you who will actually be in college. Admissions readers aren’t just looking at the present you, they’re trying to figure out how future you may fit into their school. Keep this in mind, and make it easier for them. Whatever quality or characteristic you’re presenting in your essay, how do you see it being manifested over the next five years? How would you like those qualities and characteristics to develop and grow, and what kinds of challenges will help you achieve that? Your last paragraph is a good place to bring this up. Remember, it’s not that you have grown, are done growing, and will only be your full grown self at college. You’re expected to keep growing, through both successes and failures. Let them know how much you understand that and are looking forward to 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. Read these related posts:

    Practicing gratitude

    Supplemental writing: looking forward and looking back

    Writing essays like a grown up

    Yes, you can write about that

  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.

Three quick questions with Alabama 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 Reletta McGhee, Admission Coordinator at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama.

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

Turkey Day Classic is a 99 year old tradition and the longest classic football game in history. ASU goes head to head with rival Tuskegee University. The game is played on Thanksgiving Day.

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 ASU?

The students that attend our Summer Bridge program. These students don't quite meet the regular admission requirements and are enrolled in enrichment programs to help them prepare for college level courses. 

When people come to visit Montgomery, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there? The EJI Legacy Museum.


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 ASU. 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.

Rising sophomores and juniors: here's what to do this summer

You should not do anything that is boring or onerous just because you think it might “look good to colleges.” Colleges prefer that you are in interesting person, and there’s nothing interesting about wasting your time and energy just because you’re insecure about someone else’s approval. Don’t jump through any metaphorical hoops (or literal ones, either, I guess) based on vague ideas of what colleges want.

What should sophomores do this summer to be better prepared for college?

Train. You're like a professional athlete during the off-season. You get a lot more flexibility with your schedule and a lot fewer people watching you as you work, but you've got to spend this time productively. Does this mean to fill up your day with summer school classes and be a constant student? No. Like pro athletes, find another way to enhance the skills you have.

Think about your notable skills and talents, the things that you may want to emphasize on college applications. Now find interesting ways to hone those skills and talents. How can you best prove and improve your resilience, passion, intellectual curiosity, initiative, talent, creativity, empathy, or leadership? The more unlike another high school class or program the activity is, the better.

So, for example, going to a weeklong camp for debaters is good, but volunteering to do door-to-door canvasing for a local political campaign is better. Reading books ahead of time for your 11th grade English class is good, but starting a book club that focuses on foreign or lesser-known books is better. Taking a class for adults at the local community college is good, but teaching younger kids in a summer program is better. The most important thing is that you focus on yourself and the qualities you want to improve, not focus on a vague sense of "looks good to colleges." In any setting—be it a summer job, summer camp, traveling, or staying close to home—do everything you can with your summer time to be a better person, not have a better résumé. 

Push yourself. 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 and don’t want 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.

Go someplace new. Choose someplace you've never been that you can visit this summer. Geographically, it doesn't matter how close or far the place is, so long as it's new to you. It can be another country, another state, or another neighborhood. Try to get a sense of how people unlike yourself spend their days, and do it with an open and empathetic mind.

Goal of 20. Another way you can make the most of your summer is to give yourself a goal of 20. Make 20 visits to local museums or parks. Have 20 intentional interactions with older members of your family asking them about their experiences. Read 20 books. Watch 20 of the best movies of all time. Find 20 items to donate to charity. Run 20 miles, spread out over as many days as you need. The number 20 is arbitrary, but an arbitrary number helps make a vague idea an achievable goal. Every time you knock out one of your 20, remind yourself to be deliberate and reflective.

What should 9th graders do this summer to be better prepared for college?

Anything! You can do just about anything, I mean it. In terms of preparing for the next three years of high school, preparing for college, and preparing for productive adulthood, there's no magical activity that you really must do to get ready. Do your thing, no matter what it is (within reason--if your current thing is chaotic or self-destructive then take care of that first).

At this point, what you do isn't nearly as important as how you do it. Whether you're doing amazing, once-in-a-lifetime things like volunteering with veterinarians at a wildlife refuge in Botswana or mundane things like babysitting your little brother, you can make the most of it. Be reflective. Ask yourself "how did today go, and what can I do tomorrow that will be interesting?" Every day. Read something that relates to what you're doing. Even if all you're doing is walking aimlessly around the neighborhood trying to find someone to hang out with, stop at the local library and learn about the history of your neighborhood and go inside shops you've never been in before. Take photos of weird things you notice around the neighborhood. Be engaged with your world and your mind, whatever you're doing in the world. 

Write about your experiences. Writing about what you do on a regular basis serves several goals. For one, any college-bound person has got to be very comfortable with a lot of writing, so practicing on your own with your own assignments helps build up your discipline in a way that's more palatable to you. It will also help you maintain and deepen your self-reflection that's so vital for your off-time. You’re not trying to draft college application essays or make it into a novel. You’re just practicing writing in your own voice about what’s interesting to you.

Make a product. Toward the end of the summer, make some sort of product. Select some journal entries to make into full-on essays. Select and edit some photos to make a narrative photo essay. Make an interactive map of the places you visited. Make a book of advice for someone starting the job that you worked. Again, you can do almost anything. The idea is to curate and edit your experience into something that you can share. That's kind of a definition of education, isn't it?

Meet someone new. Right, of course you're going to meet new people over the summer. But what I'm talking about is to proactively and intentionally introduce yourself to new people that you've chosen to meet. Circumstance, coincidence, serendipity, and providence bring all sorts of people into our lives. That doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't work to bring others into our lives through our own intentions and effort.

Practice some form of meditation and contemplation. There's probably no better gift you can give yourself than to start the habit of meditation and contemplation. There are dozens of different traditions and techniques to fit any religious, cultural, and personal background. Here is a pretty solid introduction to 23 of them. Choose one and try it. It doesn't have to be a religious or spiritual exercise. It can just be good relaxation. 

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Rising seniors: here's what to do this summer

Some high school juniors are already far along in their college admission process. Through personal ambition, pressure from family, high school requirements, or a combination of those, they have a clear sense of where they will apply, why they’ve chosen those colleges and universities, and how to go about it. Many high school juniors will not start thinking about college admission until their senior year begins. But most college-bound juniors are starting their admission season right about now, toward the end of 11th grade.

Here are my recommendations for things you can do this summer to make your fall semester a little easier. It’s not a checklist to do in order, though. Each piece can affect all the other pieces, and you’ll find yourself updating and going through the cycle multiple times.

Go on college visits. You should visit some colleges. I mean this in the broadest sense, though. It doesn’t have to be a weeklong trip with family where you will personally visit three or more colleges that you think you’ll probably end up applying to. That’s great if you can do it, but most families can’t. After campuses shut down because of the pandemic, many colleges began offering high-quality online virtual tours (or improved the ones they already had). Even though campus is open again, those virtual offerings are still available. Take advantage of these to look at schools you’re interested in.

As far as college visits go, you don’t even have to visit schools you’ll be applying to. I’m a big fan of visiting colleges near you just to get a feel for college in general. Tour the large public university nearest you, the small liberal arts college nearest you, and anything in between. I live in Houston, so I encourage people to visit the University of Houston, Rice University, the University of St. Thomas, and Sam Houston State University. You may not be interested in actually attending any of those colleges, but it will quickly and easily give you a sense of the difference between a large public university, a mid-sized regional public university, a private research university, and a small private university. Three of them are centrally located in the heart of Houston, and the other is just over an hour away.

Write and revise a College Mission Statement. Start with the formula “I want to _____ at a _____ college with _____.” For example, “I want to study engineering and/or financial mathematics at a small- to medium-sized university in or near an urban area, preferably not in the Northeast, with an intramural sports program.” Fill in the blanks as thoroughly and honestly as you can. For more on writing a College Mission Statement, start here.

Put together a game plan. You don't need to start on your applications yet, but it helps to have a plan for how you will go about finishing your applications. Here are some questions to ask yourself to get an outline ready for your next semester:

  • What personal qualities do you want to project in your application? Examples of the kind of qualities I'm talking about include resilience, passion, intellectual curiosity, initiative, talent, creativity, empathy, and leadership. Think of one or two of your strongest qualities that will be the focal point of your applications. Your essay will center on these qualities, and you'll try your best to arrange for your recommendation letters to center on them.

  • What concrete evidence do you have--other than grades and test scores--of those qualities? What stories can you tell that exemplify those qualities? Who can vouch for you when it comes to these qualities?

  • What are the primary qualities of a college that will be a good place for you? How—other than by looking at rankings or reputation—will you know when a school is right for you? It helps to have an idea about this before you start looking too closely at individual schools. Knowing if a school has what you want can prove difficult if you don't know what you want. 

  • Is there a school for which you think you should apply Early Decision or Early Action? Why?

  • What are the major application deadlines? Begin with the general. Early applications are generally due in early November, regular decision applications are generally due in early January. As you build and then narrow down your own college list, you can find more specific deadlines for your schools. How do those fit with the rest of your schedule, both at school and outside of school?

  • What are the gaps in your understanding that you need to fill in? It can be quite difficult to know what it is that you don't know, but make sure you've looked through the Common Application as best as you can and identify any major holes in your timeline or knowledge.

Talk to your family about money. By the end of the year, you're going to need to send away paperwork with very detailed and personal financial information, including your parents' tax forms. You're going to decide where the line is between affordable and unaffordable. You're going to to decide how much you and/or your family is willing to borrow for your education. The sooner you begin these difficult conversations, the better. They rarely go well the first time around, so you don't want to wait until the deadline is close. If your family’s financial circumstances have changed recently through unemployment, depletion of savings, loss of investment value, and/or major medical expenses, then you’ll need to revisit your financial discussions often.

The FAFSA won’t open up until December 1st this year. That doesn’t mean you need to wait until December to have conversations with your family and to make sure you’ve got your documentation ready.

Draft some essays. Even if you don’t have a college list ready, you’ve probably got a good idea of the essays you will need to write for your applications. The essay prompts for the Common Application are available. So are the essay prompts for the separate application for public universities in your state, if they have an application separate from the Common Application. Look those over. You can begin working on those now.

Most of the seniors I work with end up having two “big” essays—around 600 words—that they use. Sometimes one gets submitted for the Common Application, and another gets used for scholarship applications or shortened for supplemental questions. When I work with a senior, I end up seeing several versions of the same response, at lengths from 150 to 1,000 words, constantly updated and re-used. You can begin those now, even without prompts. In fact, it’s best to begin without thinking about a prompt. Think about your qualities that you want to highlight, the big ideas that excite you, and the stories about yourself that you end up repeating to adults often. If it helps, here are some questions to consider:

  • What are you most proud of?

  • What do teachers or other adults praise you for?

  • How would you explain yourself to a stranger?

  • What separates you from your friends at school?

  • What gets you intellectually excited? What do you do when you’re excited?

  • What’s happened to you in the past three years that has most changed who you are?

  • You’ve matured in the past three years—what evidence or stories have you got to show it?

  • What’s the most recent un-assigned book you loved?

Narrow down your list of colleges. There are around four thousand colleges and universities in the US to choose from. By then end of your junior year, you will ideally have that narrowed down to no more than 50. By the beginning of your senior year, you want to have that narrowed down again to no more than 25. By application time, it will be narrowed down to between four and twelve (for most people), and by May 2023 it will need to be narrowed down to one or two. For each, make sure you do these things:

  • Go to the school’s website and sign up to be on their mailing list.

  • Look at the school’s web pages for any majors you’re interested in.

  • Look over the school’s financial aid and scholarships web pages.

  • Try to find the admissions staff assigned to your geographic area. Most schools still divide their admissions staff geographically, and many post that information on their website. You’ll know exactly who is in charge of your application.

  • Look up their policy and availability for campus tours.

  • Find out if and how they conduct interviews.

  • Find out if and how they handle gap year requests.

  • If your high school counseling office uses Naviance or similar software, put the college into your college list there so your counselor can see.

  • Get the information you need to try out the school’s net price calculator.

Take care of yourself. The junior year is the most difficult for many high school students. You've just finished yours, and it may have been your first “normal” year of high school…which isn’t normal. You need to prepare for your senior year and college applications, but you don't need to neglect your immediate well-being. Get rest. Read something for pleasure. Have a long talk with an interesting person. Ask some good questions instead of always being the one called on to answer questions. Be a person, and be the healthiest one you can.

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:

    The Glossary: summer melt

    Visiting colleges over the summer

    Don’t forget your summer reading!

  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.

How do you ask for a letter of recommendation?

Current juniors are probably aware of the basic checklist of things they’ll want for college applications this fall: transcript, essay, test scores, activity list, and supplemental question responses. But there’s one document that is mostly out of your control—a letter of recommendation. You’ll probably need one (or two, or three), and right now is the best time to think about who to ask for recommendations, how to ask them, and when to ask them. Here is a an updated rundown on rec letters and how to get the best ones you can.

Understand what you’re asking for. Have you ever seen a letter of recommendation? Have you ever written one? Do you really understand what you’re asking for? Take some time to get familiar with the type of letter you’re asking for. Look at these examples with comments. You’ll have a better idea of who to ask, when to ask, and how to ask if you have a better appreciation for what all goes into a good recommendation.

Write one for yourself. Seriously. Put yourself into the mind of the teacher you want a letter from, and try to write your very best letter about you as if you were that teacher. Think about what qualities that teacher would say stand out, and think of narratives and examples that teacher could give about you. Do not try to send it as if they wrote it! That’s not what this is for. Nobody will see the letter you write, but it’s a great exercise. Self knowledge is the best knowledge, and few things help you know yourself like having to explain yourself.

Make sure you ask someone who can help you. Like the essays and interviews, recommendation letters are one of your opportunities to show colleges that you’re an interesting person, not just a transcript. So make sure you ask for recommendation letters from teachers who know you as a person. Some schools specify which teachers they want letters from, and there’s nothing you can do about that. But when you have control, get teachers who will say great things about you. If a teacher is likely to just repeat what’s already in your transcript, then you’ve lost a big opportunity. If a teacher is writing letters for a lot of other students, then that teacher may not be able to write a unique and personal letter for you. A teacher who had you for a class and also sponsored an activity you were involved with is ideal. A teacher you’ve had good rapport with and who knows you as a person is going to be better for you than a teacher who doesn’t know you as well but gave you higher grades.

Understand that it’s a personal favor. Teachers are not required to write recommendation letters, and they’re certainly not required to write good ones, so treat it as a favor. When I was a teacher, I liked it when students set up an appointment with me to come and talk to me about rec letters. I preferred to know why they were coming so I could prepare questions or suggestions. I loved it when a student sent me an email asking to come by later and ask for a rec letter. However, I also worked with teachers who didn’t care for this approach. They feel like it makes them have the same conversation multiple times. So there’s no one best approach.

But whatever you do, ask for the letter politely and with lots of time to spare. Don’t rush the teacher or treat it like a foregone conclusion that they’ll write you one. And never corner a teacher while they’re trying to get someplace else.

Give them some direction. Hopefully you’ve given a lot of thought to what personal traits you want to discuss in your application essays. Let the teachers who you’re asking for recommendations know what those traits are. If there’s a particular story or example you’re hoping they’ll write about, let them know. Teachers may or may not follow up on that, but it can’t hurt to ask. Which do you think will get a better rec letter?

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

Or

·      “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 Power Point presentation and I still found a way to get the information across without it.”

Unless the teacher asks for it, I don’t think you should give them a copy of your transcript, résumé, or “brag sheet.” It makes it too easy for the teacher to write about what’s already in your application. Instead, offer to send the teacher any information or reminders they need. Even better, offer to show the the letter you wrote for yourself. It’s a common practice in business to have people write their own recommendations to be edited and sent off. Show the person you’re asking a letter from how confident you are and what you need by offering your letter. However, don’t offer to write the first draft yourself unless you already have it written.

Convey the actual deadline for the letter. If you’re applying for Early Action, Early Decision, or any other November 1 deadline, let them know. If it’s a Regular Decision application due in early January, let them know. If it’s rolling admissions, and the sooner you get all the materials in the sooner you get a decision, let them know. If it’s a Regular Decision application due in early January, but you want to have all your applications out early for your peace of mind, that’s fine. But the teacher’s deadline is still early January. Don’t try to push them into arbitrary or confusing deadlines that aren’t realistic.

If they say no, don’t be pushy. This should go without saying. There are a number of reasons a teacher might say no when you ask for a recommendation. Don’t assume you know what the reason is, and don’t be pushy. Someone who can’t or doesn’t want to write a letter isn’t going to write a good one. If the teacher who says no is one who a college requires a letter from, let that teacher know and see if there’s something you can work out. But do this as a follow-up, not in the same conversation where the teacher initially says no.

Say thank you. A recommendation letter is a personal favor, so make sure you thank the teacher profusely. Thank the teacher when they agree to write the letter. Say thank you again—in writing—when the teacher sends the letter. When you get accepted to any school that the teacher recommended you for, say thank you again. A thank-you gift is not required, but is a nice gesture. But don’t give one until after the letter has been sent—you don’t want it to look like a bribe. 

How many rec letters will you need? And from who? This is tough to answer, because each college has its own requirements. As you’re looking at colleges you may want to apply to, look through their admission requirements to get a sense of what you need. Some colleges don’t require any recommendations. It’s very common for a college to want one from your school counselor and one from a teacher. Some require two teacher recommendations, and some specify that one be from a STEM teacher and one from a Humanities teacher. Most will take letters from community members other than teachers and counselors.

I think it’s best to plan on getting recommendations from your counselor and two teachers until you know for sure you don’t need that many. You should obviously send all the recommendations a school requires. But I don’t think you should send more than a single extra recommendation, even if they allow for more. Sending too many recommendations quickly becomes a problem: it makes you seem more annoying and desperate than accomplished and interesting. Also avoid having someone impressive send a recommendation if they don’t actually know you. A bland, generic letter from a business executive, elected official, or famous person doesn’t actually help you.

When should you ask for rec letters? This is also tough to answer, because each teacher has their own preferences. There are teachers who, if approached in the spring of 11th grade, will tell you it’s way too early to deal with that. There are teachers who, if approached in the fall of 12th grade, will tell you it’s too late and they can’t take on any more. Some teachers would love to discuss it during the summer when the pace is slower, but some will absolutely resent you for bothering them in the summer. So all that I can advise is to bring it up before the end of this school year, but bring it up casually. Ask your teachers what they prefer, and then follow up when appropriate.

What do you do if a college asks for something you can’t provide? There are times when a college may ask for a recommendation that you’re simply unable to provide. Example: your school counselor left the school and hasn’t been replaced. Whenever there’s any kind of problem or question, reach out to your admission representative at the college. Most colleges still divide their admission staff by geography, and most will let you look up who the admission counselor for your region is. If you can find that on their admission web page, perfect. If not, find any contact info you can for the admissions office and reach out with your question. The sooner you do this, the better. Don’t wait until right before the deadline to let them know you may not be able to get exactly what they’re asking for. Consider mid-September to be your deadline for this (unless, of course, you decide to apply to a school after that).

I’m sure there are many exceptions to my normal advice for rec letters, but here are two big ones. If you’re applying to a US service academy, then you will be required to get a recommendation from your member of Congress. Representatives typically have a form on their website with instructions. If you’re applying to any of these, ignore what I said about getting recommendations from impressive people you don’t necessarily know. Also, home schooled students will often have a completely different set of requirements, since recommendations can be awkward if your teachers and counselors are also your parents. Most colleges have a separate checklist easy to find on their admission web pages.

 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:

    Do you need a “brag sheet”?

    On swastikas and rec letters

    Be kind to your counselor

  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.

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

Common Data Sets

I wish more high school students knew about the Common Data Set. The Common Data Set (CDS) is a form that many—though not all—colleges use to report information about the college. It’s where the College Board, US News, and Peterson’s all get their data about colleges. When you’re ready to do a “deep dive” to get to know a college, their CDS is one place where you look. How do you find a school’s CDS? Just Google “[name of college] common data set.” For example, here is a link to Austin College’s 2022-2023 CDS.

Most high school students looking for data are going straight to section C: “FIRST-TIME, FIRST-YEAR ADMISSION.” Find out exactly how many people applied to the college, how many were accepted, and how many enrolled. Find out if they have a waiting list, how many people were offered wait list spots, and how many of the people on the list were ultimately admitted. Wondering how many foreign language credits they require? How many science credits they recommend? You can find out in section C of the CDS. Does the school consider demonstrated interest? How about legacy status? or first-get status? They’ll tell you in the CDS. They’ll also tell you how important things like class rank and interviews are to them. You can find out what their SAT and ACT midranges were to compare your scores (if you have them). Pretty much any piece of information you would like to know about their admission process is in the CDS.

But if you only look at section C for admission data, there’s a lot you’ll miss that may be important to you.

Section B: ENROLLMENT AND PERSISTENCE. This section tells you how many students there are, broken down by gender, ethnicity, and type of degree. It will tell you what their graduation has has been over four, five, and six years.

Section E: ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND POLICIES. Here’s where you find out if the college offers double majors, study abroad, internships, and student-designed majors, and other programs. It will also tell you if there are subjects where all students must take at least one class.

Section F: STUDENT LIFE. This section tells you what kinds of housing are available on campus (like coed housing, special housing for the disabled, theme housing), what percentage of students are in sororities or fraternities, what percentage of students live off campus, if the school offers ROTC, and what kinds of clubs and organizations are on campus.

Section G: ANNUAL EXPENSES. Tuition, fees, and living costs are found here. Notice there’s a place for schools to check if the costs are not the same for each year. For example, Austin College’s tuition and fees are $475 more for first-year students than returning students.

Section H: FINANCIAL AID. You can look through the financial aid section, and I encourage you to. But remember that it tells you nothing about the financial aid that you will receive. You only find that out once you apply and are accepted.

Section G: INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY AND CLASS SIZE. Here you can find out how many faculty members they have, how many of them belong to minority groups, and how many of them have doctorate degrees. You can see what their overall student faculty ratio is, and see a sampling of class sizes.

Section J: DISCIPLINES. This section tells you what majors they offer, and what percentage of students graduate with degrees in the majors. So you can see what’s offered and also what’s popular.

That’s a lot of detailed information.

A few things to remember. Not all colleges participate in the Common Data Set , and not all of them answer each question. So while it’s very standardized, it’s not perfectly standardized. Also, different schools publish their CDS in different ways. Most have it as a downloadable PDF. Some a downloadable Excel file. And some have it formatted into their web site and not as a downloadable file at all. But you’ll still get plenty of information from any CDS you can find.

Combing through the CDS of every school you’re looking at might be too time-consuming. It’s fine to begin with each sites like BigFuture, Forbes, US News, and the Fiske Guide. But once you’re seriously considering a school—once it’s in your top 15 or 20—then you should take the time to look through the CDS. What all does the document tell you about the school? What questions does it leave unanswered? These are really important, and they’re (usually)waiting right there for you online.

 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:

    What to think of college rankings

    Finding the right college can be like finding the right bottle of wine

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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's changed since Covid?

Last week I had a lovely time talking with a local PTO about college admission. I was specifically asked to talk about how the admission process has changed since Covid. That’s a great question, and I talked about three changes that I’ve seen in my own small practice over the past few years. From everything I’ve read about nationwide trends, my experience seems to be pretty typical of admission for most people.

So what’s different?

1. I talk about testing a lot less.

To be clear: All of my clients have taken at lease one SAT (usually administered at school during the school day). Some take it more than once, and some have also taken the ACT. Most of them are choosing to submit test scores in their applications. Testing has not disappeared.

And around 4% of colleges require test scores—MIT is a notable example. So please carefully check the policies of any school you’re thinking of applying to. Most schools who are going to announce any changes to their testing policy will do so this summer, so check again in the fall.

But many schools that relaxed their testing requirements for Covid have decided to stay permanently test optional, and some are going test blind and not looking at test scores even if you have them—the University of California system is a notable example of this trend.

Testing is still a part of the application, it’s just not the stressor it was a few years ago. Almost everyone takes the test once or twice, accepts their scores for what they are, and then moves on. It’s been two years since I’ve had any kind of “testing strategy” conversation. Once or twice I’ve spent a few minutes talking with a client about whether I recommend they re-test. Once or twice I’ve chatted about the pros and cons of test prep. I’ve had a single conversation this year about whether a test scores is “good,” or “good enough.” And a quick email about whether or not to report scores. That’s it. Probably a 90% decrease in time spent thinking about, talking about, and writing about standardized tests.

(The most common test-related question I’ve had so far this spring is about whether certain colleges prefer the SAT or ACT. The students admit that colleges say that they don’t have a preference, but wonder if they really do have a preference. They do not have a preference. Colleges are very used to both ACT and SAT scores.)

In the big picture, I think this de-emphasis on testing is a really great thing. Of all the things you do to make a stronger college application, standardized tests have the shortest longevity. Better grades in high school, a stronger essay, more connection with your community, more activity out in the world—all of these things are a better use of your time in the long run than getting high SAT/ACT scores. So I’m fine with this development, especially for otherwise bright and promising students who just don’t do as well at timed, high-pressure, multiple-choice exams.

I also acknowledge that the de-emphasis on testing can be frustrating for students who had hoped to make their test scores the centerpiece of their application. You can still report your scores, of course. And really high scores are never going to be a hindrance to your application. But students should be a lot less confident on their acceptance to colleges based solely on high test scores than they could a few years ago—and they shouldn’t have been over-confident a few years ago.

2. The whole process has moved up by about two months.

My first few years doing this, December was really busy for me. Clients were finishing up applications for Regular Decision deadlines in early January. There were lots of questions, lots of last-minute changes to their college list, and quite a bit of last-minute edits to essays. Then I would have little to do in January and February, wondering if I would even be able to continue doing this work since nobody was inquiring about my services. But a little later, mostly in the week before Spring Break and the week after, calls and emails would start coming in, and I had close to a full roster by May.

The past two years, that whole cycle has been accelerated by two months. October has been really stressful, and applications have been largely finished by November 1. Almost everyone I work with has applied early—whether through Early Decision, Early Action, or just turning a regular application in early—to at least one school. Many, though not all, had at least one acceptance by mid-December and didn’t submit any more applications. Even the ones who sent January applications were still pretty much done early, though, since they had already finished things up for a November deadline. December has been pleasantly slow.

Just as things are wrapping up a few months earlier than before, things are beginning earlier. I almost always only begin working with students in their junior year, and March and April used to be when I brought most people on board. Now, I’m getting calls and emails in the first half of 11th grade. I had about half of my current juniors by the end of December, and by Spring Break this year I was turning people away because I have all the clients I need. January and February are no longer quiet, but now really busy.

I don’t know to what extent this earlier schedule is a national trend. It could easily be that I’m getting client inquiries earlier just because I’ve been doing this a bit longer and am more established. But I know that early applications are definitely on the rise, so I suspect that the timing shift is bigger than just my small sample.

3. There’s no “normal” number of applications any more.

I used to tell students that ideally they will be applying to four to eight schools, and that most apply to eight to twelve. I still talk about the four-to-eight goal, but there’s no longer a “normal” or “average” number of applications for my students.

As I said, the past two years have seen more students applying to a few schools early, getting accepted, and being finished. Although the number of clients who apply to only one college is still pretty small, it’s double what it used to be. And the number of clients who apply to four or fewer schools is also a lot higher. So, fewer applications…

…except the students who don’t apply early, or don’t get accepted early, are typically applying to more schools. If there’s not early success, then they get nervous and feel the need to send out more applications, just in case. I’ve had a lot of clients in the past two years apply to more than 15 colleges overall. Last year someone applied to 23. So students are applying to fewer schools or to more schools, but not as many students are applying to the middle of range of four to 12.

Those are the major changes I’ve seen in the past few years. And they seem to be normal. It’s a mess out there, and I haven’t got a lot of hope in the near-to-mid-future that it will get better.

What advice do I have for parents and students considering these changes?

Consider early 11th grade as the ideal time to begin thinking seriously about college admission. I still don’t encourage 9th or 10th graders to get too involved, because there’s still so much time for so much to change. But I know lots of parents my age didn’t begin their own college admission process until 12th grade, and that’s just not nearly as feasible as it used to be.

Think of November 1 as your deadline, not January 1. Some of the large public universities have earlier deadlines, especially if you want financial aid or campus housing. If you’re in a position to consider Early Decision, then consider it seriously. While I used to have “will you apply ED to any of the schools on your list?” conversations, now I mostly have “to which school on your list will you apply ED?” conversations.

Building a balanced list of colleges is incredibly important. I want all my clients, no matter how impressive their transcript and resume, to apply to one or two schools they are very confident they’ll be accepted to. I don’t discourage anyone from applying to as many “highly rejective” colleges as they want, but we work hard to have realistic expectations, and I want those Dream School conversations to happen after the conversations about confident-in-acceptance schools.

Remember that the best way to prepare for college is to be a good high school student. It’s not about “tips and tricks” or strategy. It’s not about secret formulas or inside information. It’s about being the best version of you possible, and then clearly communicating who you are. And as I say as often as possible: when you see unhappy adults, they’re never unhappy because they didn’t get into their top-choice college twenty years ago. College is important, but getting into your Dream School just isn’t that important in the grand scheme. You’re going to 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. Read these related posts:

    Four things juniors should do now, before the end of the year

    Three pandemic changes I hope become permanent

  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.

Three quick questions with the University of La Verne

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 Luz Cabada, Admission Counselor at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California.

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

A tradition here at the University of La Verne is our annual Spotlight event. This is a weekend event where we host admitted students to the university. It provides students with an opportunity to get to know the university before decision day. This event includes campus tours, department presentations, faculty meet and greets, one-on-one appointments, student panels, food trucks, raffles and more. It is an awesome opportunity for us to show our LEO pride and give students a taste of the University of La Verne community.

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 La Verne?

Something incredible about the student population at the University of La Verne is that no matter who they are or where they come from, they receive a very personal and one-on-one education. We have very small class sizes (around 16 students per class). Students are able to get to know their professors and faculty members allowing for more opportunities and success. With this style of learning, every kind of student can flourish. You do not need to be the loud and outgoing student to stand out and be noticed by your professor. Every student can flourish at the University of La Verne.

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

The University of La Verne is located right in the middle of downtown La Verne. Downtown La Verne (D Street) is full of eateries and shops for students and faculty to enjoy! A community favorite is Warehouse Pizza located on the corner. There are also restaurants such as Lordsburg Taphouse, Fourth Street Mill, Allegro, and Miss Donuts and Bagels!


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 La Verne. 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 Marymount 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 Christopher Valenti, Admissions Counselor at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

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

 Located just six miles outside our nation’s capital, Marymount provides countless opportunities for internships and research. Students are required to complete an Internship in order to graduate. Marymount students have interned with the White House, the State Department, the CIA, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and countless other notable organizations in the Northern Virginia area.

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 Marymount?

I believe that all students have the opportunity to flourish at Marymount. Because we are a small, close-knit community, it is very easy to get engaged and involved on campus. Our average class size allows students to truly interact with their professors. So if you are a student who is looking for small class sizes, and a personalized learning environment, Marymount is the place for you! 

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

Arlington is very beautiful! You can go to the National Cemetery and pay your respects to the Unknown Soldier. Washington D.C is only 6 miles away, so I always like to encourage students to explore the monuments and Smithsonian Museums. Restaurant wise, I always like to recommend the Ballston Quarter located inside the Ballston Mall. There are so many food options to pick from! If you are a sports fanatic, the Washington Capitals &  Washington Wizards are just a few metro stops away! 


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 Marymount 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.

Meeting students for the first time

I haven’t been posting online much the past two months (or reading online, for that matter), because I’ve been busy meeting new clients from the class of 2024. The first meeting with a student is one of my favorite parts of the entire process, because it’s when I get to know these new, interesting people. I never stop being amazed and grateful how much strangers will open up to me within a few minutes of meeting.

What does that first meeting look like? One thing that’s really important to me is that we almost never talk about college in our first meeting. Because a good application process is about finding schools that are a good fit with the student, I need to know about the student.

Here is my outline for talking with students the first time. I don’t usually get to every question, and I try to let the conversation flow as naturally as possible. Whether or not you’re going to work with a consultant for college admission (you probably don’t need to), how would you answer these questions? How would you explain yourself to another person? What questions do you think I should ask that I don’t?

 

How’s it going? Two things I learned teaching high school: always begin a test with an easy question to put nervous people at ease, and always begin a discussion by asking what the students want to talk about. So I try to begin every meeting with a general “how’s it going?” or a slightly more specific “how’s school going?” 80% of the time the answer is “fine,” but sometimes students are ready to talk about really interesting things right off the bat.

What school do you attend? What’s it like? Most my clients go to the same five high schools, and I’m familiar with them. But it’s good to hear what the students think of school. There’s are huge differences between “I go to the health professions magnet school because I want to be a doctor,” “I go to the health professions magnet school because my parents make me,” and “I go to the health professions magnet school because I thought I wanted to be a doctor…but I’ve changed my mind and now I’m stuck there.”

What classes are you taking? It’s funny, but most students have trouble answering this question. They’re in their classes all the time, but they’re rarely asked to list them. It’s like asking someone to list all the rooms in their house; it’s so familiar that you rarely actually think about it.

What do you like and dislike about school? What’s working for you? The most popular answer for what students like about school: being with their friends. (Especially after pandemic lockdown.) The most popular answers for what they don’t like: taking classes they’re not interested in. And busy-work.

Have there been any big changes recently, either in circumstances or what’s working for you? If your high school life has a before/after structure, I’d like to know. Before/after you moved. Before/after your parents split. Before/after your injury. Before/after you got in some trouble. Before/after your diagnosis.

Who do you live with? What do they do? Parents, ask your children what you do for a living. You may be surprised by the answer. A lot of my clients have trouble answering this question.

What are your grades like? Do you have a GPA and/or rank? Asking “what are your grades like” often gets a narrative answer. Things like “mostly As, but Bs in math classes” or “not too bad, though I had a bad freshman year.” I follow up with asking about the GPA, but that narrative is much more important.

What tests have you taken (PSAT, SAT, ACT etc.) and how did you do? Do you plan on taking any you haven’t already taken or re-taking any? For years, I noticed that nobody was ever happy with their test scores. Everybody wanted to re-take tests and raise their scores. At least for my clients, that’s largely gone away for the past two years. Thanks to test-optional policies and general fatigue, most are taking the SAT once and being done. I’m happy about that.

Tell me about extra stuff at school. Tell me about extra stuff outside of school. Like listing their classes, students have a hard time with this. I’m constantly going back to my notes on this one to add something when they casually mention something they do outside of school that they didn’t list before.

What are your external limitations and special circumstances? Do you have any learning differences? Dyslexia? Anxiety, depression, or OCD? Do you care for your anyone in your family beyond the occasional babysitting or normal housework? Do you work job to help sustain your family? None of these things are a problem, but they are circumstances it's better to know about sooner than later.

What are your current career aspirations? What are all the things you’ve wanted to be when you grow up? This is my favorite question. Lots of “astronaut,” lots of “lawyer,” lots of “veterinarian.” Someone once told me “I had a spy phase, obviously.” Having someone list all their aspirations, even going back to pre-school, can be illuminating. For some students, there’s a clear theme. Some are all over the place. Some don’t really have a career goal. Late middle school seems to be the line where people either find new interests or begin to lose interest.

What do adults praise you for? I didn’t realize it when I began asking this question, but I can now usually predict the tone of the next year’s work with the student based on their answer to this question. I listen very carefully to what students say—and don’t say—when I ask them this. A few have basically given me an outline for an application essay, enumerating several intrinsic traits that adults have noticed in them and giving examples of how those traits have been helpful to themselves and others over the past few years. At the other end of the spectrum are students who have never really heard praise from adults. Most are somewhere in between.

Why do you do what you do? Everyone does at least a few things beyond the bare necessity of what they have to do to graduate high school. Why have they chosen the things they have? What do they get out of it? Where do they want to go next with those interests?

What’s the last book you read--because it was assigned--and enjoyed?  I don’t think anyone will be surprised that students rarely name a book they read for school that they enjoyed. Most reach back to elementary school to find a good example.

What’s the last book you read on your own volition and enjoyed? This usually gets much more robust and enthusiastic responses. And they’re often books I’ve never heard of.

How heavily do you edit? Big things like school essays and projects, and little things like emails and texts? My favorite responses to this question are the ones who essentially say “I don’t really edit much. I just go back over the essay five or six times, making changes each time, until I feel like it’s good enough. But that’s all.” This question gets more humblebrags than any other.

In the past year, what’s been your biggest victory? Let’s celebrate the good!

In the past year, what’s been your biggest setback? Let’s acknowledge the difficult.

For what are you most grateful? This one is really tough to answer. I know because most students begin by saying “this is really tough to answer.” But then they usually answer it.

If you could magically gain one talent or trait, what would it be?

What are you hoping to get out of college consultations with me? It’s never the student who hires me. Usually parents reach out, occasionally an uncle or a family friend. But there’s always something the student hopes to get from me, and it helps to know what it is. It’s also good for the student to understand that what they hope to get from our work may change as we go.

What else do you want to talk about? What did you expect me to ask that I haven’t asked? What else do you think I might need to know about you? I like to end just as open-ended as I begin. My first year or two doing this, I didn’t ask about test scores in our first meeting. I didn’t want to over-emphasize the numbers. But so many people told me that they were expecting me to ask about test scores and that they wanted to tell me about their test scores, I began asking. I now prefer to ask about ACT/SAT early in the conversation to get it over with, since so many are expecting to talk about it. Like with the opening question, the majority say they have nothing else to talk about or ask. But the ones who have something on their mind usually have something really interesting and useful to say. I always want to make room for interesting and useful.

 

 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:

    What do you want to be easier?

    What would you do as a bored billionaire?

  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 should sophomores 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 these related posts:

    The secret to success? Here are two of them!

    What are the strongest signs of success?

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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 should juniors do this spring?

People often say that this is the most important semester of high school in terms of college admission. They’re usually right. This is the last full school year that will be reflected in your application, so finishing this semester as successfully as possible is important. If things don’t go well—especially for reasons out of your control—it doesn’t mean that everything is ruined forever. But doing your best, whatever that means for you, in whatever your current circumstances are, is more important now than any other time in high school. Here are some guidelines and suggestions.

Dates & Deadlines

I thin it’s safe—and wise—to make not taking the SAT or ACT as your default. There are several god reasons to test: if you live in a state where the public colleges require test scores, then you’ll definitely want to test and do as well as possible. If you’re pretty sure that you’ll be applying to an other college that requires it, then prepare for that possibility. And lots of high schools still give tests during the school day and it’s just easier to take the test than not. Those all are fine. But “it’s just the normal thing that everyone has to do” is no longer true and no longer a strong to take the ACT or SAT seriously. But just in case:

SAT: March 11 (register by February 10); May 6 (register by April 7); June 3 (register by May 4).

ACT: February 11 (register by January 6); April 15 (register by March 10); June 10 (register by May 5).

AP Exams: May 1-12

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 these related posts:

    Four things juniors should do now, before the end of the school year

    Should you submit test scores to a test-optional college?

  3. Ask a question in the comments section.

Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.

Photo by Angela Elisabeth

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

What should seniors do with their last few months of high school?

When I taught high school seniors, I had a pretty reliable trick to predicting how the year was going to end: how soon I heard them talking about Prom. When all the conversations were Prom-related a few weeks before prom, no problem. When talk had turned to Prom as early as March or even February, I knew it was going to be a long and senioritus-filled spring semester.

Seniors, here’s to a happy new year, an exciting time in your life, and no Prom talk for many months.

Dates & Deadlines

AP Exams are May 1-12.

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: you’ve probably already registered for exams, since it was due November 15. So you had to sign up for AP exams not knowing how they might affect you or if you even 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. If you registered and paid for yourself, it may be easy to not sit for the exam—you just don’t show up. If your school paid for the exam, they may want you to take it whether you want to or not.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 these related posts:

    Three things seniors can do while they wait

    Seniors, it’s time to decide

    What if you get a full ride?

  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

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How students can handle their Winter Break

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 16 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.

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. Not just as background while you do other things—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 two easy things you can do:

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

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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.

How seniors can handle their Winter Break

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  2. 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.