Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online

Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online

It’s no secret that the college admissions process is long and mind-bogglingly complicated. If you’ve decided to seek independent help to guide you through the process, you’re not alone! In today’s digital world, one great option is working with a college prep advisor online. Once you’ve decided to go this direction, you may be left wondering how to talk to a college prep advisor online. It’s normal to be a bit nervous! In this post, we’ll break down online college counseling so that you know what to expect and can feel calm and confident going into it.

How does online college counseling work?

The way that online college counseling works can vary slightly from counselor to counselor, but most counselors use similar core methods. Most of the time, you’ll meet with your counselor regularly one-on-one via video conferencing (FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Meets are all popular options). During these meetings, your counselor may walk you through questionnaires or a set curriculum to help you understand the college options as well as what you personally are looking for. Your counselor will most likely use this information to help you build a list of schools and to help you develop a timeline for completing your applications.

Once you have your application plan in place, it’s time to put your nose to the grindstone and get to work! Many college prep advisors will also help you brainstorm and write your essays. Sometimes a college prep advisor may refer you to an essay coach who specializes in essays. In either case, you will most likely meet with your essay coach via video conferencing. Most essay coaches will have you draft and edit your essays in Google Docs or a similar cloud-based word processor. Only once your essays are complete will you copy-paste the text into the Common App, the University of California application, or whatever other application platform you’re using.

 

How to find a college prep advisor online

There are many ways to find a college prep advisor online. Like any other service, it’s a good idea to ask around. Have your friends or parents’ friends used a counselor they liked? SAT and ACT tutors often are in contact with college prep advisors, so if you know any test prep tutors, it might be a good idea to ask them for a recommendation.

Another option is to read college prep blogs. Often, college prep advisors will keep blogs (like this one!) where they showcase their expertise and perspectives about the college process. When you find someone whose ideas align with yours, that’s a good indication that that counselor might be a good fit for you.

College prep advisors also have a couple professional organizations. There’s the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA). Both of these organizations keep lists of college prep advisors on their websites in order to help you find someone to work with.

What to ask your online college advisor

Once you find your online college advisor, it’s time to figure out what to talk about. If you’re nervous about this, relax! This may be your first time going through the college application process, but your counselor has done this dozens or even hundreds of times. Let them lead the conversation. They will probably ask you about your goals, experiences, credentials, and values. Be prepared to talk about the experiences you’ve had so far and what you think you’d like to get out of your college education. But if you don’t know that either, don’t worry! Part of their job is to help you figure out where you’re going.

If you do have specific questions, don’t be afraid to bring those up! You may be wondering whether you should submit your test scores, how to audition or submit a portfolio, or how to reach out to athletic coaches, among many other questions. Write your questions down ahead of time so that you don’t forget during your sessions. But if you do forget or get sidetracked, don’t worry! You can always follow your session up with an email to ask any lingering questions.

Why talk to an online college counselor

Talking to a college prep advisor is a great way to make sure you’re navigating the crazy world of college admissions to your best ability. Specifically, talking to someone online can have many benefits over talking with someone in person. For one thing, working online saves you the time and stress of having to commute to an in-person location. It’s also likely that an advisor who is used to operating in the online space will be more responsive to online follow up questions or communications.

Beyond the convenience, however, it’s important to remember that college admissions is very much a national game. Even if you’re planning to stay close to home for college, you still may be competing against kids from across the country. For that reason, you really want someone with a broad, national perspective. Counselors can only develop that type of insight by working with students from across the country and even around the world. And only counselors who work online are afforded that kind of opportunity. So choosing an online college prep advisor, rather than an in-person one, can have important benefits throughout the process.

If you’re worried about how to talk to an online college prep advisor, don’t be! A big part of the college prep advisor’s job is helping high school students feel comfortable. Your advisor is going to walk you through the process. All you have to do is keep an open mind and communicate as best you can!

Need more advice on your college applications?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help young people achieve their educational ambitions. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

Should I Take a Gap Year?

take a gap year

As high school ends and college approaches, many students ask, “should I take a gap year?”. We believe that a gap year has many benefits, and colleges and universities are supportive of students who choose to take a gap year. This post provides practical advice on how to craft your gap year while staying on track for college.

Continue reading

How to Write an Email to College Admissions Counselors

How to write an email to college admissions officers

The college admissions process can be filled with uncertainty.  One source of information that can help reduce the uncertainty — in some respects — are college admissions counselors.  But do you know how to write an email to college admissions counselors? If you want to communicate with admissions, it’s best to think carefully about how you will communicate with the humans that populate those offices of admission.

Reasons to Write an Email to College Admissions Officers

Students may have different reasons to write an email to college admissions.  Some of the most common include:

  • A request for particular information about academic offerings, such as the viability of pursuing particular double majors, the availability of certain kinds of courses, or the process for creating a personalized major
  • An inquiry about your status on the waitlist
  • An expression of continuing interest after being deferred in the early admissions rounds
  • A request to connect with student leaders of particular organizations or groups
  • A question about financial aid eligibility
  • An inquiry about special scholarship programs
  • Confirmation of the receipt of all materials by admissions offices–if there is reason to believe there is a problem
  • Specific questions about research opportunities, alumni resources
  • Requests to connect with learning support services for people with physical or learning differences
  • Notes of thanks for something kind that an admissions officer did on your behalf

Sometimes, you may also be responding to an email that an admissions officer sent to you.  Further on in this article we’ll address how to write an email to a college admissions counselor if you find yourself in this situation.

The point is that you really do need a good reason to write to an admissions officer. Some students and parents have heard that it is important to demonstrate interest when applying to college.  It’s true:  you need to show some love to admissions offices to let them know you are really interested in attending.

However, you also want to avoid being annoying.  You want to demonstrate interest, but you don’t want to cross the invisible line that leaves the admissions office to think you are a nuisance.  You want to ask good questions, and you want to be respectful of the time of an admissions officer. You want to get the information you need in a way that conveys interest without becoming a nuisance.

Do Some Homework Before you Write an Email to College Admissions Counselors

So before you actually write that email, you need to make sure you’ve done all you can to ensure that you can write an effective email that will get you the response you need. Here are some things to think about and research before you write.

Look at the college’s website

Colleges and universities maintain comprehensive websites that contain information for staff, faculty, and students, in addition to providing information for prospective applicants.  Use the search function to try to find an answer to your question.  If you do find the answer, perhaps you can refashion your question in light of this information.  Can your question get even more specific? If it can, you will demonstrate that you have read the website carefully and need a human (the college admissions counselor) to help you find the answer.

Find the appropriate person.

The admissions website will usually (but not always) list the people in the admissions office.  In most cases, the admissions counselors are assigned different geographical areas (or “markets,” in business terminology) for which they are responsible for expanding the applicant pool–and addressing prospective applicants’ questions.  So take a few minutes to figure out which admissions counselor is assigned to your state, your city, or even just your school.  That is the person who may read your application first, and who is most interested in seeing your application.  Address your email to the right person.

How to Write an Email to College Admissions Counselors

Once you find the right person to address is your email, now you have to think about how to write it.  Consider these five essential elements.

1.  Consider the Subject Line

When an email appears in a person’s inbox, the subject line is an important indicator of the contents.  So use the subject line to ensure that your email gets opened.  You might want to use the words “prospective applicant” or “applicant for the class of 2025.” You could make it more specific:  “Question about financial aid from prospective applicant 2025.”  No matter how you formulate it, don’t neglect the subject line in capturing the attention of the admissions officer.

2. Address the Admissions Officer Respectfully

Address the admissions counselor respectfully.  Don’t say, “Hey, Mark!” Or worse:  “‘Sup, Mark.”  Use formal address.  Usually that means using the word “dear”, as in “Dear Mr. Montgomery.” Some young people have difficulty with that level of formality, so it might be acceptable to open the email with “Hello, Mr. Montgomery.”  You probably learned proper etiquette for writing a formal letter back in elementary or middle school.  Use that knowledge when addressing the admissions officer in a fairly formal tone.

3. Introduce Yourself When You Write an Email to College Admissions

Be sure to tell the admissions officer a bit about yourself, not so much to give them your life history but to be able to place you and remember you. You could start by saying something along the lines of, “My name is Mark Montgomery and I am applying to Colorado College in fall 2026.” You might give a few other essential facts, including the name of your high school and town, the major that most interests you (if that is relevant to your question), and–if you have it–your ID either for the Common App (known as a “CAID”) or your ID number for the particular school to which you are applying (this number is given to you after you apply…usually through a “portal” for the university that you will log into).

4. Be Concise as You Write an Email to College Admissions

Don’t get into long preliminary explanations:  get to the point immediately.  State your business. If you’re asking a question, ask it.  If you need information, ask for it specifically.  As you write the question, think about how the admissions officer might respond.  If you find that the question you ask would require a lengthly, complex response, consider writing the question that would require a simpler, more succinct answer.  You want the admissions officer to be efficient.  You want that person to offer up the answer you need without having to spend an hour crafting a complicated response.

5. Say Thank You and End with an Appropriate Closing

As your Momma always reminds you:  “say please and thank you!”.  Be sure to thank your addressee for their time and consideration.  Then sign off in the same formal way in which you began.  Closings like “Best regards” or “Yours truly” or “Sincerely” all may sounds terribly old fashioned.  But they’re a whole lot better than “Peace out” or “Later, dude.”  Better to err on the side of formality than breezy informality.

Follow with your first name, last name, and phone number. It’s unlikely you’ll receive a call instead of an email, but it’s a good idea to include it anyway.

Dos and Don’ts as You Write an Email to College Admissions Officers

To summarize, here is a list of things you should bear in mind when you write an email to admissions counselor.

Do

  1. Use a formal tone to demonstrate your respect and ability to speak to adults you do not know.
  2. Develop a helpful subject line to grab the reader’s attention.
  3. Edit your email carefully…no grammatical mistakes or syntax errors!
  4. Be concise: don’t use 10 words to say something you can say in 3.
  5. Be patient in receiving a response: admissions counselors get hundreds of emails a day, so don’t expect an answer immediately.

Don’t

  1. Use an unprofessional email address like “Cute_Puppy” or “Bubbalooney.”
  2. Be rude or disrespectful.
  3. Neglect to edit your email.  Really.  No mistakes.
  4. Mark your email as urgent (not worth annoying your recipient).
  5. Ask a long list of questions.
  6. Forget to say “please” and “thank you.”

 

Sample Emails to College Admissions Officers

If you’re still unsure about how to write an email to college admissions counselors, we offer these templates to help you. They demonstrate both the tone and the brevity of these communications.  Feel free to adapt these to your needs.

Sample Email to College Admissions #1

Hello, Ms. Taylor, 

My name is Divya Sharma, and I’m applying to Gotham College for the fall of 2024. I submitted my application and my SAT scores on December 15, but I notice in the Gotham portal that my SAT scores have not yet been received. 

Could you please confirm whether or not the college has received my score report? Thank you in advance for all your help. 

Regards, 

Divya Sharma
CAID 987654 

phone: 555-123-4567

 

Sample Email to College Admissions #2

Good morning, Mr. Rodriguez, 

My name is Martin Fillmore, and I’m in the process of applying to the University of Los Angeles. I am considering a major in Chemistry, but I also have a strong interests in both Economics and History. 

I am simply undecided about my major at this point. Can you tell me more about how academic advising works at ULA for undecided students like me? Thank you very much for your time and assistance. 

Best, 

Martin Fillmore
Mt. Pleasant HS, Hygiene, Colorado
telephone: 999-875-4321

 

Sample Email to College Admissions #3‍

Dear Dupont University Admissions Office, 

Hello, my name is Ben Harrison, and I was recently waitlisted for admission. I’m writing to ask if you can please tell me where I am on the waitlist. 

My first choice university is Dupont University, and I would love to know my chances of being accepted. 

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, 

Benjamin Harrison
Dupont U ID Number 45hp987
Telephone: 123-555-1234

 

Need More Advice About Your College Applications?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help young people achieve their educational ambitions. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.