I’ve heard lots of people pay a fortune for college consultants who were former Admissions Officers but I’m looking for something much cheaper (can’t afford an AO). Did any of you seek out current college students to talk to for advice? If so, why/what were you looking for, how did you find them, and did they answer your questions/give the advice you were looking for?
I think students can contact the admissions office of schools that they are interested in. Ask if it’s possible to speak with a current student about the school.
My kid, when admitted to schools, was able to speak with both alumni and current students. It really helped to see what a school could offer and was a bit of a vibe check.
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Reading the previous “Class of…” admissions results on CC might give some clues in terms of what recent admits think got them over the finish line (essays? LORs?, ECs?). Doesn’t mean they are right, but the stories make for interesting reads.
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I think it helps to learn more about the school, etc. so you get a feel if the school is right for you.
In sidebar chit chat, you can ask how they approached an application - sure - but just because they got in - that does not mean their app was top snuff.
If you are using this as a basis to get a competitive edge with the school itself…then no.
Some schools use student interviewers - that was Rice - and that was a part of the application - and it’s another place to ask questions - but these interviews are often evaluative.
So I do think it’s great to seek out a student for the right reason - you want to know beyond the website or paper brochure, to learn about the things that interest you in a first person account.
But will this give you an admission edge beyond maybe being able to frame an essay…I don’t see how.
Most schools have student ambassadors - so you can ask admission to speak to one that’s in your general subject area. And if that doesn’t work, you can call a department of interest, and ask if they have a student you can speak with.
Good luck.
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Honestly, I think you’re in the right place for great advice. Ask away!
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This is the role of the current college students. They provide more personalized information to the perspective students/applicants. I invite my former students in college to talk to my current high school students for this reason.
An applicant can try to find current students from certain college that are highly similar to themselves. The student ambassadors may be willing to help locating them. then they can ask for more information and decide if it’s a good fit.
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Thank you for all the advice, everyone! I gathered students were the most helpful in getting a feel for a school to decide if it’s worth applying/attending. Definitely makes sense that its a richer perspective than what you can find on a website.
Seems like it hasn’t been super helpful in getting an edge. I wanted to ask specifically about essay editing though. Did anyone use student essay editors and was it helpful? I can imagine merely the practice of writing so many would make them somewhat helpful.
Finding support with essays can really help to reduce the pushback a student gives the parent over deadlines that are… well, deadlines - set by the school!
Essay editors, even at a basic level of pushing the student to meet deadlines over a consistent course of weeks, is family-saving.
If used honestly, they can give feedback on essay ideas; read drafts for general punctuation and ask questions about clarity, and be a key component in getting the essay portion done.
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Another thing that was helpful to my student, before all else, was to deep click on potential school websites and see what they presented, who they were, what they are doing.
Start with the schools that seem most interesting, first. After awhile, the school website research can blend together.
This information was helpful in providing a place to start in the essay writing for each school.
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Rather than students, I suggest using the free essay readers here at CC. They read many more essays and have more experience with them than a student would.
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I’ll add another vote for using all the free resources here at CC.
The one thing I would underscore is that because all this is free, they are not trying to sell anything to you, including themselves. So you are more likely to get advice they think you need to hear, as opposed to want to hear.
But of course that is actually what you should want anyway! And as long as you approach all this with an open mind, you will really get fantastic advice here.
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With regards to the title of the thread, I’d say that speaking to a current college student does help - when a student is admitted. My kid met some students who were quite open about the pros/cons of a school, which gave much-needed perspective and helped with the ultimate decision.
As far as essays - we didn’t use cc’s free essay reading service but it would be a great resource for your kid! Free, without selling a service, sounds like what you’re looking for.
And finally, in terms of “edge,” your best bet is to: 1) really know the schools your kid wants to apply to via research/recommendations; 2) research online from both official and non-school web sites what those schools are about; 3) create an activities summary and essays that show why your kid is a strong admit for that school’s culture. They are assembling a class; your kid’s objective is to show what impact/growth they’ll bring to their cohort. So many applications don’t convey this information; your kid’s app will have an edge if they do.
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