Getting in to Their First Choice

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.