Getting in to Their First Choice

For most parents, the college admissions process is daunting. It’s the first real opportunity for your kids to cast a decisive line toward the uncertain future, and yet they can seem decidedly uninterested.  Chances are, though, they are very interested, or at least a lot more than you might think. The B- in calculus you’re worried about? They’re probably worried about it too.

Minnesota’s most competitive colleges (and counselors at a few area prep schools) and asked for their advice on how students can increase their odds of getting in to their top picks.

The Application: Make It Riveting, Not Rote
The application is the single most important way in which students present themselves to the schools of their choice. Daniel Lugo, assistant dean of admissions at Carleton College in Northfield, uses the application to gauge a student’s aptitude for “academic rigor and intellectual curiosity.” When Kris Getting, director of admissions and financial aid at the University St. Thomas in St. Paul, reads a great application, she’s “learned enough about the student to know whether she’ll succeed academically and also if she will benefit from what the university offers.” So while you may feel that your child’s application speaks for itself, there’s likely room improvement. Here’s where to start.

• Encourage your kids to earn good grades in the most challenging and rigorous courses they can handle. Students shouldn’t be afraid to push themselves, even as they remain cognizant of their limits.

• Ask for recommendations from teachers who can address more than the student’s good grades. By this, we mean people who can speak to the applicant’s passion for learning, particularly in their area of interest.

• Students should explain in the application how they can contribute to the campus community. Both St. Thomas and Carleton like to see not only motivation to get involved, but also students who have demonstrated that their skills and ambitions match the school. Sue Berg, director of The International School of Minnesota, suggests students ask themselves “What makes me tick?” as a way to hone in on what they have in common with prospective campuses. 

The Essay: A Way to Say “Here’s Who I Am”
The application essay is quite possibly one of the most stressful parts of the admissions process. Admissions counselors enjoy reading essays (they really do!) because they offer a glimpse at the applicant that is often more telling than high-school grades or test scores. Mark Anderson, dean of admissions at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, calls the essay “a real opportunity to shine by sharing your personality.” Here’s what he looks for:

• A strong and clear voice. Readers want to get to know the essay writer—not his neighbor’s mom, Oprah Winfrey, or even F. Scott Fitzgerald—so the  best thing a student can do is write in his own words. And don’t solicit feedback from thirty people either. One or two trusted friends or family members will help the applicant stay truer to his own voice.

• A thoughtful, well-organized, and succinct piece of writing free of spelling and grammatical errors. Students would be wise to think twice before experimenting with poetry, fiction, or other non-expository forms of writing. If it’s not brilliant (a subjective assessment, of course), it’ll likely backfire.

• A sense of purpose. Sometimes the essay is the perfect time to answer the question, “Why do I want to go here?” To do this effectively, understand the school’s core values or mission statement. Admissions counselors love to see that a student has spent time thinking about whether he and the school are a good fit.

• Essay writers should NOT explain why they want to attend a different school than the one they’re supposed to be writing about. Sure, you laugh, but Anderson reads a few of these misguided essays every year.

The Interview: Gaining an Advocate
St. Olaf College in Northfield, firmly believes students should reach out to their top choice schools. Establishing contact, he says, “is like hiring a personal advocate” for your child’s candidacy. And since college admissions is a process of determining best fits for both the school and the student, it makes sense the two would want to interact. A connection can be achieved by an overnight campus visit  or, at the very least, a call to the admissions office. Here’s why it’s a good idea:

• Many schools keep records of every phone call, e-mail, and interview conducted with prospective students. A record of steady communication shows that the student is motivated and enthusiastic about the school and the admissions process. Never a bad thing. 

• The interviewer might also be the first one to read applications. And it’s always helpful if he or she can connect a face with the paperwork.

• Meetings with admissions counselors are good opportunities for students to explain any holes in their transcripts. Colleges and universities appreciate applicants who are able to honestly and intelligently reflect on past performances—good and bad. In other words, the interviewer wants to hear why your son wasn’t able to pull up his C+ in European History class or why he didn’t take accelerated math classes.

Extracurriculars: Work Them to the Fullest
Do not overlook the importance of extracurricular activities. They’re a good way to show a top choice school a little more of the person behind the transcript. Amy Polski Larson, senior associate director of admission at The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, says she likes to see students’ interests outside the classroom. Is the applicant a leader? A passionate golfer? A political activist? Students shouldn’t fret over whether they have enough activities to list. Chances are, they’re more involved than they think. Here’s how to find out:

• Sit down with your child and make a list of everything she has ever done, from Girl Scouts to little league, even cooking classes with her friends, to determine where she has put her time and interests all these years. Record any awards or significant achievements. From this list, she’ll be able to craft a surprising and illuminating portrait of her extracurricular involvement. (Trulove thinks mothers are particularly good helpers here.)

• Match out-of-the-classroom involvement with the goals or mission of the chosen school. For example, one of the core values at Gustavus is service, so your daughter would be wise to make a connection between this value and her years spent volunteering at the local food pantry and her summers umpiring for the community tee-ball program.

Early Decision: Your Ticket In?
Much has been made of early decision programs, those binding agreements in which applicants agree to attend a particular school if they are admitted well before the regular application deadline. (Early action is a similar agreement but is not binding.) While it is true an application will likely be given closer scrutiny if it is submitted for early decision or early action, different schools seem to view the program in different ways.

At Carleton, Lugo explains, they don’t really advertise their binding early decision program because they wholeheartedly believe in the regular application process and the months of research and reflection built into that schedule. They also think that will keep the application strategizing to a minimum and ensure that early decision applicants are students who are confident about choosing Carleton because they really want to go there, not because they think applying early decision will better their chances of getting in.
While Lugo admits that the odds of admission are slightly more favorable if a student applies early, he stresses it should be a “completely personal decision” and that an applicant is absolutely not penalized for submitting an application for the regular deadline. In fact, he says, he expects it.

St. Olaf, another school with a binding early decision program, views it a bit differently. Trulove says the program is for students who have done their homework and done it ahead of the masses. “They’ve done an overnight stay and met with St. Olaf students and faculty and are convinced this school is right for them,” he says.

In which case, Trulove encourages the early decision route, because if early admission is deferred, students have extra time to work on their application with the admissions counselor before it is considered again with the regular pool of applicants. He likens it to a good head start, but only for those who are absolutely sure St. Olaf is right for them.

Admissions: In a Nutshell
No matter where your child is at in the application process—drafting essays or scheduling preliminary campus visits—it’s important to remember that college admissions is, at the end of the day, a human process. It’s emotional, it’s inexact, and, at times, frustratingly imperfect. Use this to your advantage.

Melissa Soderberg, director of college counseling at The Breck School in Minneapolis, encourages students to determine their top choice schools not through preconceived notions, but rather by mining their intellectual passions and the real reasons for wanting a college education. This way, the process of gaining admission becomes one of mutually beneficial research and self-discovery.