What are the steps to get you into college?
One of the great myths about college admission is that the process is merely a matter of doing your best in high school, getting good scores on some tests, writing a decent essay, and then simply submitting your application to the admissions office. Then you just sit back and pray that a college admissions officer will let you in.
But that’s not really how it works.
If you want a college to love you, you have to love the college first.
How do you get a college to notice you and fall in love? It’s like a dance, and the steps are always the same.
First, let them know you’re interested
Sign up to receive their information. Go to the college website and leave a trace. Register for their web portals, and sign up for their email lists. An admissions officer will never know that you have your eye on their school…unless you give them a sign.
Second, fill out their dance cards.
Any time an admissions officer asks you to fill out a card, do it. Even if you have filled out the same card for the same person a hundred times. You get credit for every bit of contact you have with that admissions officer. In today’s high-tech world, admissions offices across the land keep careful track of your contacts with their admissions people. And every contact is a brownie point in the application process. And who doesn’t need more brownie points?
Third, accept their invitations.
If a college invites you to meet their representative someplace—at your school, at a Starbucks when they visit your town, at a college fair—put on your dancing shoes and show up. Even if you’re not the best dancer in the room, you get major points for just showing up. Especially if an admissions officer visits your school. You cannot afford to waste the opportunity to meet and take another turn around the dance floor—you need those brownie points.
Even if you have to miss your calculus class. Even if you have to skip volleyball practice. Even if your feet hurt. You’ve got to dance if you want that admissions officer to remember your name. To know how much you care, and to know how badly you want the keys to the gate.
Fourth, go visit.
Explore what your life might be like if you agree to keep dancing with this college for the next four years. Nothing—I repeat, nothing—will declare your enthusiasm as much as a personal visit, where you can dance for a few hours (or better, a day or two) to see whether this college really is everything that the admissions officer promised.
So when is the best time to visit? Anytime you can. It’s nice to go when school is in session because it gives you a better sense of what your life might be like if you decide to go exclusive with this dance partner. But you’ll make a suitable impression no matter when you go or how long you stay.
Fifth, meet the rest of the crew.
Talk to the rest of the admissions officer’s team: The faculty. The staff. The coaches. The gardener, even. If you were to accept your this college’s hand, you would suddenly find yourself in this new world, populated by lots of new folks. So when you do visit, don’t simply spend all your time in the visitors’ center! Even if you can’t connect with the family during your visit, use email, the phone, the web. You won’t know whether you really want to commit until you chat with the rest of the clan.
Sixth, spend the night.
Really. Many schools have current students who volunteer to host prospective students overnight in the dorms. You might see some of the institution’s dirty laundry (better to get over the shock before you commit), and some of the polish of the glossy brochures your admissions officer plied you with might lose its luster. But spending the night will give you the opportunity to experience, however briefly, what life at that college is really like.
Seventh, stay in touch.
Don’t forget to thank your admissions officer. Sprinkle the praise and your delight in the attention you have been receiving. Mention the specific characteristics of the college that thrill you the most. Tell how appreciative you are. Despite the lightness of the metaphor, the admissions dance is an extremely important aspect of the entire process.
Take the time to build a relationship with the admissions officers of the colleges that interest you. Admissions offices do keep careful track of your calls, emails, visits, interviews—every single point of contact between you and the admissions representative.
Eighth, don’t step on toes.
It is possible to overdo this. You don’t want to be annoying. Sometimes an admissions officer will not be as receptive. This is particularly the case at large state universities and also at the most selective schools, including Stanford and the Ivy League. These admissions officers just have too many inquiries to respond to everyone. Plus, since they are so highly sought-after, they can be very, very choosy with their applicants.
In these cases, just let them know you’re interested, fill out the (dance) cards, attend the college fairs, and pay a visit. But don’t take it personally if they don’t want to engage in a lengthy phone conversation with you. These admissions officers are simply in very high demand.
Think about it.
I the situation were reversed, who would you choose? Someone who simply sends you a typed application, listing all their credentials, their qualifications, and their hopes and dreams? Someone who sits back, passively waiting for you to choose them from among the thousands of others who have also submitted applications?
Or someone who not only completes the application but who goes the extra mile?
Colleges want to accept students who express their strong interest and enthusiasm for their institutions.
So get out your dancing shoes, and don’t be afraid to dance. It may lead to something extraordinary.
Need some dance lessons?
Maybe you are not sure about all this. Maybe you’re not even sure with whom you want to dance, much less how to master all the steps.
The expert admissions counselors at Great College Advice can help you be light on your toes throughout the complicated college admissions process. We would enjoy the opportunity to chat with you, take you for a spin around the dance floor, and help you figure out how best to master the steps to get admitted to college.
Just reach out. Contact us today.
