Avoid these issues during your admissions journey. https://insights.collegeconfidential.com/7-college-application-mistakes
I was amused by the first of these: “Taking Advice from Those Who Haven’t Been Through the Process in Ages”
Some of us regular participants on CC have been through the process as parents very recently, but have not been through the process as students in quite a long time.
4, this is opportunity to inform students and their families of the critical next step, the Net Price Calculator. Many are unaware that Net Price Calculators exist. They incorrectly believe that FAFSA EFC is all they need to worry about. Needing aid and yet not using the particular college's Net Price Calculator before applying is a common mistake. I would also add one sentence with the usual caveats about using Net Price Calculators in the context of complex finances.
3, I absolutely agree that college visits are important in getting a feel or what the campus and community are like but it should NOT be on a list of college **applicaton** mistakes. Accepting an offer without visiting might be a mistake but that is after an acceptance is received. To be clear, I agree that visiting a college before applying is beneficial and sensible, but I don't agree that not visiting is a mistake, despite how close/feasible it may be.
I think #3 should be visiting your reach schools. I think it is very difficult for an 18yo to love their match/safety schools after they visit their reaches. If you get in, then you can visit. Doing the HMYCP tour spring break your junior year is a waste of time and money.
My mantra: Virtual tours before applying. Actual visits to those under serious consideration after your kid gets in. Save Money, Save Time and Keep it real.
I agree visiting reach schools are problematic in that it’s hard to get excited about the state school you can afford when you’ve seen the best there is out there. That said, my daughter could not get a handle on what she was looking for in a campus until she took 3-4 campus tours. With admission decisions due the month after acceptance, it would be hard to visit her 7 schools in one month. I will say there were some things she did not like about her reach schools too that she could not have determined without the energy of being on campus.
Visit after you get in it takes the stress of what if away!
@DadTwoGirls “Taking advice from other 17 year olds” should be on the list.
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For us, our biggest mistake was not looking into the options for merit scholarships sooner. A lot of the really amazing merit scholarships (Stamps, Robertson,
Jefferson…) have application deadlines well before the regular decision application deadlines for the college itself (some require EA decisions). As I indicated above, we really didn’t start to finalize a list until after college visits late this summer. The RD deadlines ranged form Nov 30 to Feb 1, so she tackled each once as it came, not realizing she was missing out on the opportunity to apply for some full-ride plus scholarships. She may not have been selected but she has a 36 ACT and decent stats and would have at least gotten a look.
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I suspect the author and admissions “expert” hasn’t either.
“Taking advice” in the title is a lot different than “ let(ting) others make the decision” in the text.
7 was interesting. I can’t even fathom calling a Adcom to “aggressively challenge” an admission denial. If I was on the receiving end of that call, it would be a very short one.
Visiting a school within a reasonable distance indicates interest. When Adcoms are reading through applications, all things being equal, I think it is valid to give higher weight to an applicant who has visited campus over one who has not.
7 may be unpleasant for the AO, and bad behavior overall, but what actual harm will it cause the student? Will the AO reject them again? If the student asks nicely and politely, will the AO reconsider?
It is not a “mistake” on the part of the student that will mess up their application. It is bad behavior, but entitled individuals won’t stop behaving entitled in cases in which there are no negative repercussions for their bad behavior.
“Aggressively Questioning Admission Officers About Denials” is entitled and a waste of time and energy, but hardly a “mistake” that will harm an application.
@XtremeBlaze777 — Yeah, that makes total sense. I applied to 12 colleges, and don’t really have the time nor financial means to visit a number of them. I feel, then, that waiting to hear back from the options is a good first step.
I think the key word in #7 is “aggressively”. It’s definitely can’t hurt to get constructive input which can perhaps help down the road. Besides, no matter how aggressive and entitled a person appears regarding a denial, they have still been denied so there is nothing to lose, however, I have heard stores of people getting denied and pleading their case got them admitted.