Category Archives: college planning

college planning, mom approved tips

How to Make the Most Out of Your Education

 

educationEducation is important, from your early days in kindergarten all the way to the study you pursue later in life. Everyone is different though, and everyone studies for different reasons and different goals. No matter what your ultimate pursuit is though, there are a number of ways to make sure you really are getting the most out of your education.

Choose Pathways

Sometimes the slow path is the best path. People think trying to cram as many subjects into a three-year degree is the best way to go, but this type of workload and stress may actually be hindering your education. There are a variety of other flexible pathways available today, including colleges like Evocca, as well as TAFE courses and distance learning that can develop basic skills. By starting here, you can build up your knowledge gradually in your own time.

Think Long Term

Long term goals are what everyone should have in mind when it comes to their education. What are you going to get out of this? Where will you be able to apply this knowledge? To get the most from your education, sit down and pull apart what you’re studying and compare it, point to point, with what you want to do. By doing this you will be able to more clearly see what other subjects you need to add, or what might actually be irrelevant to what you want to learn. Some subjects will always be boring, but if they are more likely to help you in the long term, do them now.

Be Practical

Yes, working towards a diploma or a degree is going to give you the qualifications you need for a career, but it rarely gives you the practical experience to push you even further ahead. Many courses now make work experience a requirement, but not all of them. You have to put yourself out there if you want to show that you’re serious about a career. Volunteer on weekends for whatever is available, whether it be admin, as a coordinator, or a coffee runner. Every piece of life and industry experience counts when it comes to getting the most from your education and furthering your career prospects.

Self Educate

The best way to discover answers is to always be questioning, researching and recording. If you don’t question you don’t learn. Read widely when you can, and not just the books or journals that have been recommended by your tutor. Do internet searches, find educational institutes, locations or industry professionals on the subject you’re studying and further your knowledge that way. You have to be willing to always take it that one step further.

Society today is becoming more educated every year. Because of this, job prospects and industry expectations are at a high, and are therefore becoming hugely competitive. Really taking an analytical approach to your education, balancing it with experience and pushing yourself to always be learning from someone or something, is what is ultimately going to get you ahead.

Have you made the most of your education? If not, what areas do you think you could have improved on? Discuss your answers below.

admissions, college guidance, college planning, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet

 

a rose by any other nameThose famous words from Shakespeare in his play Romeo and Juliet (a rose by any other name would smell as sweet) aren’t just about romance. They can be applied to college—yes college. Go to any parents meeting (especially with senior parents) and the name dropping is everywhere. “My son got accepted to Stanford. My daughter is applying to Harvard. My son has been offered a scholarship to Princeton. It’s impossible to avoid it and it’s impossible to not let a little jealously and insecurity cross your mind as you hear about other children’s accomplishments.

But wait. Does it really matter WHERE your son goes to college? Some would argue with me. Is a big name college like Harvard or Yale able to offer a better education than say Mary Hardin Baylor (a small liberal arts college in Texas)? Is an Ivy League college going to ensure your son or daughter a starting salary above those who graduate from the University of Texas or Colorado State? Some would say yes.

Personally, as I’ve said multiple times: where your son or daughter goes to college is not as important as how they choose to take advantage of the education. When my daughter was in Boston, she knew many Harvard students that simply skated by in their classes and told her “the hardest thing about Harvard is getting in.” She took classes offering her hands-on experience in the business community and a senior level course that gave them actual real-life marketing experience helping startup companies. And this was from a small liberal arts college.

Bottom line: it’s not about the name, it’s about the amount of effort your son or daughter puts into the education. Your son can go to a big name college and if he doesn’t apply himself, the education is a waste of your money. With college, as in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

Read Wendy’s post: Savvy Shoppers Have an Advantage in the College Process

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

career colleges, careers, college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

Stay Employed With These College Majors

 

college majorsLook to the future and what do you see? Flying cars? Steampunk kids riding hoverboards? Downtrodden dystopias with Harrison Ford-alikes running around in long brown overcoats?

Well, while these visions of the future might never happen, one thing is certain – some jobs will be obsolete, so you have to make your education count.

It’s a tough call to make. But some jobs will always be vital, no matter what era we live in.

So here are a few future-proof college majors for you to study, whether we move into a glistening or a downbeat future.

The children are our future

Despite declining birth rates in the western world, the need to look after and understand the needs of children is greater than ever.

But that doesn’t exclusively lead you towards childcare. For high wages and the chance to work out your brainbox, try studying for a degree in child psychology. Relative to other medical fields, psychology itself is in its relative infancy, making the possibilities for unique advancement high.

Knowing the inner workings of a child’s mind will never go out of style.

Digital love

You can see the impact of the internet on businesses already. As high street stores close their doors and indie retailers struggle to stay afloat, internet giants like Amazon dominate the marketplace.

The future is now in the digital world. As the tech for the internet unfurls before us, the reality is clear – the net is going nowhere.

As such, there are now countless avenues of study for a life in the digital world. Web development, computer programming, app design, game design – the list goes on. Some colleges even offer the chance to study the cultural impact of the web on society.

Not only is the world of the web putting convenience at our fingertips – it’s giving us the jobs of the future.

Get arty

We’ve all dreamed of it in some form or another – wearing a beret on the south bank of the Seine, Paris, you pen your latest novel, pursing a cigarette between your lips and living the life of the moody artiste.

But the successful artist – be they pretentious poet, literary heavyweight, beard-stroking filmmaker or agent provocateur raconteur – is usually one in a million. Yet however precarious a career as an artist might be, it will never go out of date. While the modes of distribution might change, the need for art won’t.

A degree in fine art, illustration or any other creative subject, won’t guarantee you a job straight off the bat. However, many people learn to combine a side job with their artistic aspirations. Creation may not pay amazingly – but it’ll never age away.

college guidance, college planning, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: My Daughter Chose a College by Location

1 Comment

 

college locationDoes location matter when it comes to choosing a college? For some students, it’s all about the location. For others, the location plays a key role in narrowing down the college list. My daughter chose a college by location: Boston. It was the number one factor on her college list.

Where did we start?

We started our search by creating a list of colleges in the Boston area. Because Boston is a college town with more than 100 colleges and universities to choose from we had a very long list—some in the city itself and some in the surrounding suburbs. We used the College Board’s site to start the search by location. Then we added other criteria like majors, college size, financial aid, along with other important statistics like graduation rates and student debt figures.

How did she choose?

Once we had the list, she did her research by delving deeper into the college culture, student population and acceptance rate. She chose some in the city and some in the surrounding suburban areas. Each of these choices met the other important criteria: majors available, merit aid awards, and graduation rates.

What did we learn?

We learned that it’s perfectly acceptable to choose a college based on location, as long as you delve deeper into the college and what it offers. We didn’t use location as the sole deciding factor, but colleges who were not in the desired area did not make the list. We found the perfect college for her in the suburbs of Boston—offering the major she wanted, the college size, and the merit aid she needed to avoid high student loan debt.

If your student seems to make an illogical college choice based solely on location, remember that you can work with it if you do your research and add the other important criteria.

Read Wendy’s Post: 3 Ways to Consider College Location

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

college guidance, college planning, college prep, websites

Campus Steps: A Free Resource for Students and Parents

 

campus stepsCampus Steps, the first free platform for students, parents and counselors to connect, communicate and navigate the road to higher education, launched recently. The company is being incubated by Campus Explorer, a leader in college recruitment technology in partnership with developers from Learning Core, which provides integrated school communication and content delivery systems.

Campus Steps addresses the nation’s broken college preparedness system. Nearly 75 percent of high schools lack online counseling technology solutions that can fundamentally improve the success of college and vocational school-bound students. For every 477 students, there is just one counselor and the average student receives less than 30 minutes of college counseling over their entire high school career. According to the American Psychological Association, high school students are now considered the most stressed-out age group with 80 percent of their stress related to workload.

“Students lack the critical support they need to find the right college or vocational school,” said Mark Eastwood, general manager, Campus Steps. “Campus Steps brings transparency and empowerment to the college admissions process. Just as adults use Linkedin to manage their professional profiles, our goal is for students to use Campus Steps to manage and track their academic profiles.”

Campus Steps hosts multiple online and mobile ready apps to easily allow a student to keep tabs of their academics, search colleges, apply for colleges and communicate with their counselor via text or email. The platform matches students to colleges based on a database of more than 8,500 public and private four-year universities, community colleges and trade/vocational schools, regardless of their academic level, socioeconomic background or location.

Key apps for students include:

  • High School Resume – Students track academic info and accomplishments with a mobile friendly, easy to use tool. The Resume Score shows where a student stands compared to the national average.
  • College Matching – Discover new colleges with the personalized matching technology.
  • My College Goals Manager – Students create a college goal list and manage their application process all in one place.
  • Student Resources – Articles, resources and guides answer all college related questions.

Campus Steps also helps counselors better manage their workflow through setting appointments, automated messages and tracking their students’ college search and application plans.

About Campus Steps

Campus Steps is the first free platform with powerful apps for students, parents, and counselors to connect, communicate and navigate the road to higher education. The platform currently has 150,000 users and democratizes access to higher education, regardless of a student’s academic level, socioeconomic background or location. Based in Santa Monica, Calif., the company is being incubated by Campus Explorer, a leader in college recruitment technology in partnership with developers from Learning Core, which provides integrated school communication and content delivery systems. For more information, visit www.CampusSteps.com. Follow us on Facebook @CampusSteps and Twitter @CampusSteps.

college planning, college prep, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: College Prep in Middle School

 

college prep in middle schoolMost parents don’t begin to think about college prep until junior or senior year of high school. But the problem with that strategy is that by that time you will be at the end of the line. While I’m certainly not a proponent of ramming the thought of college down your middle schooler’s throat, I do believe there are some tasks you should do for college prep in middle school.

I recently wrote an article for TeenLife on “How to Prepare for College Before High School”. Here’s an excerpt from the aticle:

In a Forbes article about preparing for college, Director of Admissions MaeBrown said, “Start preparing for college at grade six. ”That’s when parents and students should increase the focus on the final goal after high school graduation: college.

Start planning academics

Middle school students should begin planning their academic path that will carry into high school. Meet with the school counselor and discuss the courses that can be taken in middle school to prepare for high school, especially in the math and science categories. Many middle schools offer classes that were traditionally reserved for high school students. These math classes are required to take more advanced math classes in high school and to take science classes like chemistry and physics. In addition to taking math every year in middle school, your child should take:

  • English: Every year.
  • History (including geography) and science: As many classes as possible.
  • Foreign language: Many colleges require at least two years of a language, which your child can begin in middle school.

Because college work and many jobs now require computer skills, your child should also try to take advantage of any computer science classes offered in middle and high school. He’ll gain new skills and may discover a career path.

Read, read, read

Establish an environment at home that encourages reading. Students can start adding to their vocabulary by reading diversely. Tweens should be reading all types of books, articles, blogs and news articles. This increases their vocabulary, which is a strong component in essay writing and standardized tests. While you’re at it, why not make vocabulary building a family game by learning a word a day? There are lots of free subscription services that will email a word of the day.

Partner with your child’s educators

Middle school is the time parents tend to be less involved, but it’s the very time your child needs encouragement and guidance. Meet your child’s teachers, if you haven’t already done so, and make it clear that you want to be kept up to date about any changes in your child’s work or behavior.

Go over your child’s standardized test results with the counselor to identify strengths and weaknesses. Talk to the counselor about your child’s interests to see if there are electives and extracurricular activities that will help him develop his talents. If your child needs extra help or more challenging assignments in a subject, talk to the counselor about how to arrange it.

Start working on extracurriculars

A key ingredient in the college application is extracurriculars. Begin looking at areas that interest your child in middle school. Try out some volunteering, connect with a mentor for an internship, and explore hobbies and interests. If your child enters high school committed to one activity, it will be much easier to carry that through the next four years.

Read Wendy’s post: 3 Ways to Prep Middleschoolers for College Prep

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

admissions, college guidance, college planning, Guest Posts

Mom-Approved Tips: Be Wise-Apply to Backup Schools

 

Being admitted into your first choice school is a challenge and not a guarantee. No matter how positive you are about your application, no matter how hard you’ve worked to be an ideal applicant, it is important not to assume that gaining admission to your top choice for college is a sure thing. But don’t get dejected or cynical! Here are three ways to increase your chances of being accepted by applying to backup schools.

backup schools
Photo Courtesy of Andre Lüd

Why You Should Apply to Backup Colleges

Rather than be overly confident or too doubtful during the college application process, try to balance your reason with your desire by applying to more than one school. The responsible way to deal with the possibility of being rejected from your first choice is to apply to backup schools. Applying to more colleges and keeping your options open will only increase your chances of being accepted somewhere. Since it is possible that you’ll get in to a backup school over your ideal school, it’s a good idea to take the time to consider several colleges that you’re interested in attending.

The Number of Colleges You Apply to Matters:

Application fees can be costly, but it’s a good idea to invest your time and funds on more than just a few applications. For most students, anywhere from 5-7 applications is a good number. If you under-apply, you run the risk of not getting in anywhere; if you over-apply, you may get overwhelmed and unable to complete the whole process.

Although quantity is vital in increasing your chances of getting in, the quality of your applications also affect your chances of being accepted. Many state schools have one application portal for every school location, which makes applying to more than one school easier. Regardless of whether you’re interested in public or private, try to apply to a manageable number of colleges without overexerting your energy.

Applying to the “Right” Colleges for You

When choosing backup schools to apply to, think thoroughly about major options, location, tuition fees, and each school’s unique application process. If you’re undecided about your major or open to changing it in the future, apply to schools that have many strong programs.

Even if you’re not adventurous, try to picture yourself living in more than one college town. Consider affordability and look for schools that have good scholarship or work study programs. Research what schools like in an applicant and how they accept students to see if you’re their ideal candidate. For instance, if you’re a poor test taker but have a high GPA or write great application essays, apply to colleges that rely more heavily on the latter.

Photo Courtesy of Minh
Photo Courtesy of Minh

Bottom line: widen your educational horizons by keeping an open mind. When you apply to several schools, you give yourself the opportunity to have a variety of options or the chance to be surprised by your acceptances. It’s likely that the “right” college for you picks you rather than you pick it.

Due to intense competition and circumstances beyond your control, you may not get in to the college of your choice or be able to afford it. If you’re serious about higher education and gaining a degree, then be wise and apply to backup schools. If you want to make the best of your college experience, be open and pro-active during your application process.

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Javaher Nooryani is a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. She has a BA in American Literature & Culture from UCLA and a Masters in English & American Literature from NYU. As a former private tutor and college prep advisor, Javaher is passionate about higher education and is happy to share her knowledge on CollegeFocus, a website that helps students deal with the challenges of college. You can follow CollegeFocus on Twitter and Facebook.

admissions, college guidance, college planning

Wednesday’s Parent: EA and ED–Just Get It Over With (and other reasons)

 

early decisionToday’s topic: applying EA (early action) and ED (early decision). It’s the first week of November and those applications will be arriving at the colleges. Granted, it’s a quick process to complete once school begins in the fall, but there are some good reasons to take advantage of these options.

Your application arrives with fewer applicants (you stand out)

It stands to reason that the bulk of the students will be applying regular decision, which falls in early January. If you apply EA or ED, your application will be at the top of the stack.

My colleague and good friend, Paul Hemphill, talks about the choice to apply early, in Applying to college: How early? Which “early”? “Applying early,” claim the authors of The Early Admissions Game, “provides a significant admissions advantage, approximately equivalent to the effect of a jump of 100 points in SAT-1 score.”

You get to cross that task off your list (and relax)

When the holidays arrive, your applications are complete and you can load up on all the sweets and turkey your heart desires. You can relax during the break and know that you are ahead of the game.

You get your acceptances early (and it’s done!)

ED decisions usually arrive in December. EA decisions arrive in January or February. You don’t have to wait until April when all the other offers of admission arrive. If you are applying EA, you have more time to make your final decision.

You can focus all your energy on scholarships (it’s all about the FREE money)

Now that you know you’re accepted, you can focus your time and energy over the next few months on searching for scholarships. You will need to pay for that education. And there’s nothing better than FREE money to pay for that huge price tag.

You can focus on your academics (don’t fall prey to senioritis)

You’re in—but that doesn’t mean you can skate through senior year. Colleges have been known to pull offers of admission. Final transcripts are important so use the extra time you have to bump up that GPA.

Read Wendy’s Post: Choosing an Admission Program is Like Buying a Mattress

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

admissions, college planning, essays, Uncategorized

5 Things Admissions Officers Look For in the Application Essay

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essayWithin your college application, your personal statement is your one opportunity for the admissions officer to “meet you”, to visualize the person behind the numbers. While no essay can save an unqualified application, an outstanding essay can push an otherwise mediocre application into the “yes” pile.

However, writing a good application essay is hard. Many students write essays that are too cliché or too shallow; others write essays that are impersonal and uninformative; some are even unfortunate enough to write essays that cause their own rejection.

This isn’t surprising. The application essay is drastically different from the typical high school assignment—deeply personal, rather than merely informative.

Well, let me give you a glimpse through the eyes of an admissions officer. Working for the admissions office of a university with single-digit admission rates, I have reviewed numerous applications and “graded” a wide variety of application essays. Here are five things a college admissions officer looks for:

1. Can the applicant write?

The first thing the application essay does is to prove that you can write well. In college, you are going to write, write, write and write—and the application essay allows the admission officer to judge whether you will be able to cope.

On a structural level, your essay should be well organized and coherent. It should have a well-thought-out idea development and be properly paragraphed.

Your writing should be engaging and expressive. A big part of this depends on your personal style, but in general, you should use the active voice and vary your sentence structures. A note though: essays on both ends of the extreme usually don’t work—essays which are too gimmicky and stylized, or too academic, rigid and formal.

Lastly, of course, your essay should be free of grammar and spelling mistakes.

2. What does the essay say about the applicant?

This seems like an obvious point, but many applicants end up writing essays that do not actually shed much light on themselves. No matter how beautiful your descriptions are, or how emotionally moving your content is, if you do not relate these thoughts back to yourself as an individual, your essay will be ineffective.

A strong application essay allows us to visualize the applicant behind the numbers, and to know exactly what type of person you are. The essay should make us feel that we have gotten to know you on a personal level, as if we have met you face-to-face.

3. Are there deep, personal reflections?

To allow the admissions officer to get to know you, your writing needs to include reflections that are deep and personal. Without these reflections, an essay will seem shallow or even generic. Conversely, mature reflections will bring personality and depth to a topic that might seem commonplace at first (for example, community service).

To put it another way, the most important thing in the essay is not the “what”, but the “why”. We have the “what” from the list of your extracurriculars, scores and awards. We now want to know the “why”, the motivations that drive you.

This is also why it is a bad idea to try to cover too much in your essay. To put it yet another way, while the other sections of your application focuses on describing the breadth of your activities, in your personal statement, you should aim to reveal depth in one area.

4. What will the applicant bring to the community?

So what should you highlight about yourself? Well, the admission officer wants to discover what you can contribute to the college. If your application allows the reader to visualize you as an active, contributing and successful member of the community, you are in.

This does not mean that you need to be mind-blowingly unique. The qualities you can most effectively highlight are the genuine ones. A good essay requires a good deal of introspection, to arrive at a keen self-knowledge of what your strong points are, and how to best portray them.

On the flip side, you should avoid topics (and writing tone) that portrays you in a negative light. Be careful of writing about failures that highlight negative characteristics. Stay away from more controversial and potentially offensive topics. Avoid sounding naïve, lacking in self-awareness, or patronizing (a major problem, especially in essays about community service).

5. Do the qualities represented in the essay resonate with the rest of the application?

The advice goes that you should not rehash the rest of your application in your essay. For example, if you have already included multiple debate activities and awards, your essay should not be about debate.

The caveat to this is that while the specific activities should vary, there should be a consistent portrayal of personal qualities. If your essay represents you as a boundary-pushing activist, but the other parts of your application portrays you as respectful and soft-spoken, flags will be raised.

An application is a lens into a single person, so consistency is important. You should thus consider your application holistically, and put some thought into how you want to represent yourself, and what characteristics you want to highlight. Good luck!

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Today’s Guest Blogger 

David works for the admission office of a university with a single-digit acceptance rate. In his spare time, he provides expert coaching to students on their college application essays. Visit his website, www.essayscoach.com to learn more about how to write outstanding essays.

admissions, college planning, mom approved tips, organization

Mom-Approved Tips: 7 Most Common Organizational Mistakes During the College Application Process

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college prepGaining admission to your college of choice is going to take some time and effort. However, with so much else happening in your life, making sure that you stay on top of the college application process can be a challenge. Avoid these seven common pitfalls so that you can beat the last minute rush.

1. Not Having a Plan

Basic as this may sound, you need to know when your deadlines are and when you are going to make time to complete each step of the application process. OK, so you know that you need to write your essays. When are you going to brainstorm? When are you going to create an outline? Don’t simply write down that you need to have it completed “no later than” a particular date. Dedicate time within your schedule to get these things accomplished and stick to it.

2. Assuming That You Have All the Information You Need

As you complete the application process, you’ll probably need to look up some information that you may not have readily available. What is the physical address of your employer or place of volunteer service? Do they want your immediate supervisor’s phone number or should you use the phone number of a central office that can verify your information? What was the name of that youth director — who no longer attends your church — who coordinated your service trip to Guatemala? It may take a few phone calls and some time for people to get back to you, so start now.

3. Not Knowing All of the Steps

Strong as your reading comprehension skills may be, read through the application again and make sure that you understand all of the steps you need to complete it. If you overlook a step and wait until the last minute, you may not be able to submit your application because pieces are missing. Double-checking now can save you a lot of stress in the long run.

4. Not Asking for Recommendations Early

As stated above, it may take you some time to get into contact with people. Also, they’re going to need to find time in their busy schedules to write a recommendation for you. Moreover, the people you want to write your recommendation are probably going to get quite a few requests and not be able to accept them all. Improve your odds by asking early. Expecting that a person will help you and expecting them to help you at the last minute could leave you a recommendation short.

5. Procrastinating on the Essays

This is probably the most famous of the mistakes that applicants make in the college admissions process. Don’t fall into this stereotype or this trap. Exciting as it might be to complete your essays just in the nick of time, quality will suffer. Good essays take time.

6. Thinking Everything Will Go Smoothly

It won’t. You might get turned down by a potential recommender. You might get saddled with an extra project the same week you planned to write your essays. The very day you had hoped to work on gathering information might be the day that you come down with the flu. Life will continue to happen as you progress through the application process, so create a cushion in your schedule for when things don’t go according to plan.

7. Not Reaching Out

Bring everyone possible in on your goal: family, friends, guidance counselors, supervisors, etc. Let the people in your life know where you’re at in the process and seek help immediately if you feel lost or get behind. The longer you wait, the worse it will be when you finally do reach out to others. There’s nothing wrong with saying that you don’t understand a certain step in the process or don’t know how to complete a step. Finally, discussing the process and the personal milestones you have set will help keep you focused and on track.

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Today’s Guest Blogger 
Ryan Hickey is the Managing Editor of Peterson’s & EssayEdge and is an expert in many aspects of college, graduate, and professional admissions. A graduate of Yale University, Ryan has worked in various admissions capacities for nearly a decade, including writing test-prep material for the SAT, AP exams, and TOEFL, editing essays and personal statements, and consulting directly with applicants.