A Calm-n-Sense Approach To The College Process For Students And Parents Alike, by Helen Codron

What does April 1 mean to you? 

The perfect day to execute the prank you’ve been masterminding. 

Two weeks until taxes are due, maybe. 

Helen visiting her grand-dog Rae in Kansas City.

If you’re a college senior who’s aspiring to 4-year college, it’s the day all the waiting and wondering is finally over. Because by April 1, all colleges release their admissions decisions for next fall’s freshman class. 

If you’re one of those high school seniors, I hope you have options that excite and inspire you!

But this message isn’t for you. 

I’m writing to your younger siblings, friends, classmates, cousins, and the associated grown-ups who’ve been watching your college adventure unfold from the sidelines and are starting to wonder, and perhaps worry: How can I make sure I have college options that excite and inspire me?

I’ve been an independent college counselor for more than 15 years, and I have a few suggestions and thoughts to share:

To begin, embrace the idea that a “good” college is one where you’ll feel comfortable, be appropriately academically challenged, find your people, and have access to resources and opportunities that suit your interests and needs. 

If you allow yourself to believe that the only “good” colleges, the only colleges to which  you’ll be proud and happy to go, are the ones that admit fewer than 10% of applicants and are in the Top 20 on this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings, you’re setting yourself up for possible disappointment. (You can learn more about how U.S. News calculates its rankings here.)

Understand “what college admissions officers are looking for.” In general, the admissions officers who’ll be reading your application will be asking themselves: Is ---- (insert your name here) academically prepared to be successful here? What will ---- (insert your name here) contribute to our college community? Would I enjoy having ---- (insert your name here) as my roommate? classmate? dormmate? teammate? club co-member? What are the chances that ---- (insert your name here) will attend if they’re admitted?

Beyond that, each college determines the specific factors it considers in application review and the weight they’re given. The UCs, for example, use a holistic review process that evaluates applicants on up to 13 factors (UCLA uses 7 factors;  Berkeley uses 6). Non-academic experiences are heavily weighted, and applicants are given the opportunity to share this information in an Activities and Awards section and through the Personal Insight (short essay) Questions (PIQs). 

The PIQs offer important clues to the qualities all college admissions officers are looking for, including leadership, community engagement and impact, intellectual curiosity and drive, ability to overcome adversity, creativity, unique and highly developed talents and skills. 

Students for whom the UCs are a naturally good fit will see themselves in the PIQs right away. 

But if you don’t, don’t despair! You can use the questions as motivation and guidance to put yourself on a path towards becoming the sort of person all colleges will value: one who has a strong sense of self; dedicates themselves to several activities they’re enthusiastic about; engages meaningfully in the world around them; and figures out how to move through challenges and setbacks.

And that’s the answer to your question!

How can you make sure you have college options that excite and inspire you?

Live your high school life to the fullest! 

Make conscious, informed choices about the classes you take and the extracurricular activities you pursue. Despite what you might have heard, you do NOT have to play a varsity sport for four years or be a member of an organized community service group. In fact, because so many students do those things, those are arenas in which it’s difficult to distinguish yourself. So if soccer is your passion, for example, think creatively about how to expand and deepen your involvement beyond the field. Perhaps you’d like to volunteer or work as a private trainer or as a coach for a younger team; become a certified referee; organize a league for athletes with special needs. If there’s a cause or organization that speaks to you, spend enough time to establish relationships; understand the ins and outs of the issue; and formulate, propose and execute your own solution to a related challenge.

Courageously address your challenges. If you suffer from social anxiety, make it a goal to actively participate in a new club. If you have a learning difference, work to understand the study strategies that are effective for you. If you don’t (yet) have confidence as a writer, take Honors English. If you know you spend too much time on your phone, create limits for yourself and explore other pursuits you might enjoy with your new free time. 

If you’re naturally strong or gifted in a particular academic or extracurricular area, push yourself to expand your involvement in deeper and creative ways.

Look for ways to make your corner of the world a better place. 

Will all this require time and effort? YES! And as a result, your life will be more fun and meaningful for you now. And you’ll be able to look back at your high school experience—no matter what your college options are—and have the satisfaction, sense of peace, and confidence that come from knowing why you made the choices you did. You’ll have developed the self-knowledge, life habits and skills that will make you effective and successful in college—or wherever your next stop on your journey is.

The icing on the cake? You’ll be an interesting and accomplished person! Exactly the kind of person, in fact, that’s earned their place on a college campus.

By, Helen Codron

About Helen: Helen earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia and her master’s degree and secondary teaching credential from UCLA. She loves reading, mah jongg and Liberty jigsaw puzzles.

To read another SBFC blog from Helen, click HERE.