So given the subjective nature of the process, it isn’t entirely unreasonable to ask–over and over–what looks good on a college application?

So what looks good on a college application?

It’s not what you do, but how well you do it

Many parents believe there is some secret checklist that one follows to get into selective colleges:  

• community service,
• academic research, 
• leadership,
• sports,
• the arts,
• an internship.

But colleges care much less about the actual activity you pursue than the impact you make and the level of achievement you are able to reach. 

Athletics and college admissions

While it’s nice to play a sport–and American culture certainly emphasizes sports in our schools–the more selective colleges won’t care that much unless you are good enough to play for them and help them win the conference title.  Of course there are other benefits to sports other than the college application process, but if you want the sport to “look good” on the college application, you have to play well enough to get onto the college or university team.

Volunteering and college admissions

The situation is similar with community service.  Many people ask us how many hours of volunteer work look good on a college application. But it’s not about the number of hours. It’s about the impact.  For example, a student who spends 4 hours every Saturday for four years shelving books at the local library performs an important service to the community.  However, the impact is minimal:  if that student didn’t shelve the books, someone else would–eventually.  If, on the other hand, the student worked only a few hours a week over the summer to develop a new reading program for kindergartners and helped the library to write a successful grant proposal to fund it, the impact on the community would be much greater.  And imagine the two different recommendations the head librarian might write for these two students:  one was loyal and dependable and responsible, while the other was creative, innovative, and was able to envision a project and move it toward realization. It’s not the time you put in but the results you achieve.

Internships and college admissions

Similarly, internships are not about the time one spends or the prestige of the company.  It’s about what you do during your time on the job. It can be very useful for a young person to do a job shadow for a couple of weeks to learn about life as an engineer or a marketing director or sales manager. But that is a very passive sort of internship:  the student follows the principal around, attends meetings, and gets a feel for the world of work.  But what is that young person accomplishing? In some instances (though relatively rare), a high school intern is given a specific project to complete while on the job, and may also get some good supervision and access to various tools and systems that the young person can utilize to add value to the company. What colleges are looking for on the college application is your contribution, your agency, your impact on the organization. Most internships, to be frank, are of little value on the college application because most companies don’t have the wherewithal to conceptualize a meaningful experience for a high school intern–especially if the intern is going to be there only for a couple of weeks.  

Jobs on the college application

Having a job while in high school can look great on the college application. But here again, not every job is of equal impact. The student who slings ice cream a few evenings a week makes some good money and learns the value of punctuality, responsibility, loyalty, and adhering to the rules and regulations of the ice cream shop. However, the student who works very hard, goes above and beyond to build the confidence of the business owner may be promoted.

We once worked with a young woman who worked at In-N-Out Burger 20 hours a week all the way through high school. By the time she was a junior, she had been promoted to assistant manager and regularly opened or closed the store, handled all the money and receipts, and was trusted by the owner of the franchise to manage entire shifts on her own. Unsurprisingly, this young woman got a full tuition scholarship–in large part because of the outstanding letter of recommendation the franchise owner wrote on her behalf.  She clearly had a huge impact on this person’s business, and he was glad to tell the world what a responsible, considerate, diligent, and dependable human this young woman had become. So if you do get a job, and you want it to look good on a college application, look for ways to contribute above and beyond the expectations.

A case study of what looks good on a college application

Not too long ago we were working with a young man whose father insisted that he get a job. The father really loved the world of cycling, and he helped his son get an after school job at the local bicycle shop.  The young man was not very enthusiastic, but he was tasked with assembling bikes. By his own admission, he wasn’t very good at it, nor did he like it much.  But he showed up, day after day, and his coworkers liked him and engaged him in conversation. During these conversations in the shop, the owner learned that the young man was a computer whiz and enjoyed playing around with all sorts of programming software and had taken a computer science course in high school.  The owner then took him aside and showed him the inventory software they were using, and explained that nobody else in the shop could figure out how to work certain aspects of the software, and the inventory and sales data and reports weren’t matching up correctly. 

So the young man offered to help. And by the time he was done, he had completely reworked the software for the bike shop and created systems that the owner and other workers could use in a way that improved accuracy and efficiency–and profitability! And, incidentally, he never assembled another bicycle.  

Simply by showing up regularly, showing responsibility and a willingness to help, this young man made a tangible and useful contribution to the business he worked for.  When he put this job on the application, he could say much more about his work at the bike shop than reporting the number of hours worked and bicycles assembled. And his boss?  Just think of that glowing recommendation that was submitted along with the college application. 

Start ups can look good on a college application

The web is full of instances in which high school students started up new ventures, whether for profit or not-for-profit. These can definitely look good on a college application. Usually.

We worked with a young man who started up his own medical equipment donation organization–collecting supplies in the US and delivering them to clinics in Tanzania. Another young woman solicited donations to create back-to-school backpacks for elementary school students in low income neighborhoods. And another young man started up his own lawn care business that employed two other kids and made tens of thousands of dollars in a summer.  Yet another young man was written up in the New York Times because he refused to hear the word “no” when officials at this school said he could not create a film festival (he did it anyway). 

These are enterprises that the student conceived, planned, and executed themselves. Their motivations were sometimes different.  The young woman did her activity expressly to look good on her college application.  The young man with the lawn business need to pay for his car insurance, gas, and new tires.  What mattered, however, is that the students were firmly in charge of the programs they began, and had to resolve problems, react to setbacks, and interact with all manner of other people–almost exclusively adults–to achieve their aims. 

Less impressive start ups

Some start ups are less impressive, especially when it becomes apparent that parents are heavily involved in the success of the business, or provided the necessary seed capital to get it going (our lawn mowing student had to take out a loan from his dad to buy a mower), or otherwise provided too much support to make the venture go. Sometimes it’s hard to discern, from the outside, whether the venture is truly the brainchild of the child or the parent. But admissions officers have clues, most of which have to do with family income, social class, and privilege.  Kids whose ventures lie well outside the experience of the parents are most likely to be seen as creations of their own efforts–and not a result of parental guidance (or interference!). 

College admissions folks have become just a bit wary of the high number of start-up ventures that kids pursue.  It’s so easy in the US to set up a company or a non-profit company. The barriers to establishing a venture are pretty low. Here, as with any other activity, what’s important is not the establishment of the start up but the other metrics of success that the student is able to show: number of shipping containers delivered, number of kids who received backpacks, or the number of lawns mown and dollars earned.  Some ventures are able to show this sort of success, while others look good on paper, but don’t have the results to back up the claims.  

Intellectual curiosity is what looks good on a college application

These days, many kids are pursuing academic research as part of their college applications. They want to show that they have true intellectual interests and the skills and abilities to craft their own research. There are even programs out there for which families can pay to get the personalized guidance in developing and executing an academic research project. Other students make contact with academic researchers at local universities (or sometimes at far away universities) and develop research project with professors.  

Here again, however, not all academic research is treated equally in the college admissions process.  What’s important here–as in everything–is the impact, the substances, the quality of the research–and not the amount of time put in. It’s also not about the “prestige” of the university, the professor, or the department for which one works. In some cases, what is reported as “research” is nothing more than the student working in a lab cleaning test tubes or preparing samples.  It is not substantive work. 

In other cases, however, students are given quite a bit of responsibility within a structured laboratory environment, and they can actually contribute to the success of the research project. 

Sometimes the student is able to publish the results of the academic work they did, either as a co-author on a published research paper, or as a student author in publications like The Concord Review. 

Research is not just for science, either.  We’ve worked with students who have performed substantive historical research.  In one case it was with a professor, and in other cases it was with the guidance of a graduate student. One ended up being recognized in the publication the professor later published, while the other submitted his lengthy research paper for publication on his own. 

Reading looks good on a college application

Read. A lot. We can’t emphasize this enough. Reading not only will help your test scores improve, but it will both be a demonstration of your intellectual curiosity.  We are often dismayed when we ask high school students what they are reading.  Very seldom are they reading outside the school curriculum.

It is particularly disheartening when a student who swear she wants to do academic research is not reading in their professed field of interest. We have met kids who swear they are interested in neuroscience who have not ever read an article or book on the subject.  Or kids who want me to help them find a research project in biomedical engineering who cannot share anything they have read about it. 

Reading shows intellectual curiosity

But when a student tells us they are intellectually interested in something like military aircraft, and can point to the bookshelf full of books about Japanese kamikazes, the Red Baron, the history of commercial aircraft, air battles over Europe, and the use of rockets in warfare, we are impressed. And so were college leaders.  After this young man was interviewed by the Vice President of Enrollment for a college to which he was applying, the Vice President called to say how impressed he was. The young man’s enthusiasm and knowledge for his little hobby was contagious.  Needless to say, that college accepted him with a huge scholarship. 

The fact is that colleges want to accept learners, and learners are not just people who get good grades in school.  They are not just people who sign up for summer programs or do “academic research” with the guidance of a professor or graduate student. 

Learners are people who read, who teach themselves things.  They are people who have curiosities about the world, and then set out to satisfy that curiosity–whatever it is. Yes, watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts can be informative.

But exploring the world’s libraries is really where we can find the repository of human intellectual inquiry. If you can’t find your library card or haven’t used it since you were reading Hop on Pop, now is the time. 

Do summer programs  look good on a college application?

Sometimes. 

The thing about the vast majority of summer programs is that they are relatively passive.  Someone else sets the syllabus. Someone else defines the parameters of inquiry. Someone else scaffolds the learning in ways that are digestible for younger learners (who have the attention span of a YouTube video rather than a 300-page book). And if there is a performance or assessment at the end of the experience, someone else has decided what that shall be, too. 

Summer programs can be a great way to advance your knowledge of a subject or get a taste of life or introduce you to an entirely new domain of knowledge. 

But, to return to the points above–isn’t that what the library is for?

The other thing about summer programs is that they tend to be expensive. In this way, they are beyond the reach of many, many students and their families.  And in some cases, the summer programs are great moneymakers for the colleges that offer them.  The Summer at Brown program is full of interesting intellectual offerings.  But thing of the profits Brown is spinning every summer.  The overwhelming majority of participants in the Summer at Brown program will have absolutely no chance of getting into Brown, while the kid who spend his summer reading histories of Civil War battles from the confines of his back yard may have a better chance of acceptance. 

Intellectual curiosity on the college application

What’s my point?  Intellectual curiosity comes from within. You can purchase ready-made programs to learn, and it can be helpful to learn in this way (after all, this is what college is all about–enter a classroom, learn from an expert, and perform an assessment to show you have enhanced your knowledge).  But the most selective colleges in the land are seeking young people whose intellectual curiosity is self-driven, not externally driven.  The self-motivated intellect is more desired–because those students are most likely to take best advantage of the resources at a place like Brown–rather than the kid whose parents paid a pretty penny for them to spend two-weeks on the Brown campus safely inside a college classroom learning whatever some graduate student cooked up on the syllabus. 

All this said, there are some summer programs that are very valuable and difficult to get into.  Examples include the Iowa Young Writers Studio, the Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS), and MIT’s MITES program and Research Science Institute (RSI).  And these programs may not even cost anything at all–but are offered on a competitive basis to the best of the best. 

Need help with that college application (and what looks good on it)?

The team at Great College Advice can help guide you in making choices about how to spend your time and how to ignite those inner curiosities.  If you want chat with a counselor to learn more about how we help young people craft interesting lives–and good college applications–give us a call or contact us via our website.  We look forward to the conversation. 

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

The post What Looks Good on a College Application? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Thanksgiving is not the best time for college tours

During the week of Thanksgiving, colleges are often open, but the students have already ventured home to be with their families. College admissions officers, too, are very often out of the office entirely–finally getting a few days to spend with their families during a grueling travel season. Rarely do colleges even offer tours and information sessions during Thanksgiving week. You may be able to meet with someone in the admissions office, but it will be difficult to get a feel for the college culture without students present. On many campuses, all dining facilities and campus amenities will be completely shut down as staff are given a few days off for the holidays.

So we recommend you forget Thanksgiving as a viable time to visit a campus, unless all you want to do is look at a bunch of locked and empty buildings.  Not a super helpful time to get to know a school and its’ community.

The winter holiday is not the best time for college tours

Winter holiday break is just as bad, if not worse. When students leave campus, many offices also close up.  Dorms are locked up tightly while students are away.  The library may be on limited hours if it is open at all.  Faculty leave town and go on their own vacations.

Most colleges may be completely closed from December 23rd to January 2nd. If you venture to a college that third week in December, a few admission counselors may still be in their offices, but they will more than likely be knee-deep in reading applications. So here again, unless all you want to do is see a bunch of locked and empty buildings, the winter holiday is not a great time for college tours.

What about summer for a college tour?

For many families, summer is the best time for a college tour.  This is when students are no longer wrapped up in the demands of the academic year and time is a bit more flexible.  While summer is not a perfect time to visit a college campus, it is better than Thanksgiving or the winter holidays. Some colleges and universities do have summer sessions, and most will have some sort of activities going on–even if they are not set up for their regular student bodies.  Offices are generally open, as are most facilities.  During the summer, you may not see the campus operating as it does during the academic year, but at least the admissions office is set up to show you the best of what the campus has to offer.  While you’ll find it harder to have conversations with current students, at least you’ll get an idea of the what the campus feels like when there are actual humans around.

So when is the best time for a campus visit?

Unfortunately, the best time to visit a college campus is during the school year. This is when you will see the college or university in actual operation.  Students will be going to class, all the facilities will be open–and bustling–and you’ll get a better idea of not just geography of the campus, but the people who animate it.

Try to pick a time, such as a February or March break, but be careful not to overlap with the college’s spring break if possible (once again, the college just won’t look or feel the same when the students are not around). Make sure you do your research and look at the school’s campus tour calendar. Most colleges have sign-ups online.

For more tips, read our previous blog post:  Planning the Perfect Campus Visit.

The post Holiday Breaks – Not the Best Time for College Tours first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

As you plan the general goals of your campus visits, plan the logistics, take the tour, listen to the information session, and investigate the campus surroundings, keep in mind these few tips for making the visit as productive, successful, and fun as possible.

Parent Tips for Campus Visits

Don’t ask too many questions, either in the information session or during the campus tour. Even if your kid is silent, try to restrain yourself. Silence does not indicate that your child is comatose. I can guarantee that even the most taciturn teen is taking it all in, trying to incorporate new ideas about their own future, some of which are really exciting, and some of which may be sort of terrifying.

Don’t try to fill the silence by embarrassing or annoying your child. I can’t tell you how many tours I’ve taken on which students and their parents have traded eye-rolls, verbal jabs, elbows to the ribs. This is a stressful time for everyone, so don’t your parental instincts interfere with your child’s experience.

Do help your student to brainstorm the questions he or she has about this college and its campus before the visit starts. What information do you already know about this campus, and what questions remain? What things are important to see during the visit—facilities that may be important for your child? Encourage the student to ask the questions by helping to formulate the right questions in advance.

Do seek answers to your own parental questions. If you have particular questions about financial aid, for example, that remain unanswered in a general information session, you may want to call the financial aid office and seek their counsel. Similarly, if you want to learn more about a particular sports program, an academic offering, or more details about the curriculum, make sure that you check the college website thoroughly.

Colleges have become pretty adept at putting tons and tons of information online. If you can’t find what you seek, by all means pick up the phone. Better, if it’s a question that you and your child share, encourage the student to do the communicating. Empower the student to take charge of gathering the information that will help him or her find the right college match.

Don’t even think about accompanying your student to the interview with the admissions officer. Just asking the question could be a red flag for admissions officers who really don’t want to have to deal with overbearing, bossy, and domineering parents. Assume that you are uninvited, and be surprised (and pleased) when the admissions officer engages you in some conversation before or after the interview. If such a conversation does take place, don’t talk about anything beyond pleasantries. The worst thing you can ask is, “what are my kid’s chances?” Not only will they not answer that question, but they may be a bit annoyed that you even ask it. So don’t.

Student Tips for Campus Visits

Do take charge of the visit. Don’t be passive. Don’t let mom and dad do it all for you. Look at the maps and figure out where you are and where you’re doing. Take the lead as you wander around campus. Know what you want to learn during the visit, and know how you are going to learn it. At this stage of your transition from high school to college, every parent is a bundle of nerves, and they hate a power vacuum. When parents sense that their student is disengaged, they engage more forcefully. So don’t give them the chance. Do your homework, be involved in planning the visit, and take charge of the visit once underway.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is a big decision, and you are going to make it based on the information you have gathered. This is not the same as asking a question about proof in geometry class or about mitosis in biology. This is about your future. Everyone (including your parents) knows that you have about a zillion questions rolling around in your brain during a college visit. So ask a few, especially those that you think that a tour guide or an admissions officer can ask. If you can’t figure out how to formulate your own questions, perhaps memorize one or two from this list.

Don’t be afraid to talk to other students on campus, and to ask them what they like about their school. In most cases, students on campus love their choice of college and will be only too happy to share their thoughts with you. You can also ask them what they don’t like—for no place is nirvana. Usually, they will readily tell you. Of course, the answers they give will be based on their own, personal experience of that campus, and cannot be said to represent the entire student body. But if you ask several students the same question or questions, you may find a pattern that will help you confirm (or disconfirm) your own impressions.

Do focus on academic factors at least as much—if not more—than social, environmental, and geographical factors. Remember, you are choosing a school, not a vacation resort. You will spend a great deal of time in class, studying for exams, preparing lab reports, and writing papers. And you will spend a lot of time interacting (or not) with professors.

So try to gather relevant information about the academic program. Tour guides will all say that “professors are accessible” and the “average class size is low.” Dig beneath those platitudes, especially when you talk to other students on campus. Are professor-student interactions limited to office hours? Do academic departments host activities open to all students?

Do guest lecturers come to the campus, or is there not enough of a scholarly audience (or budget) to attract them? Do professors offer open lectures frequently about their research or other timely and interesting topics? How active are academic societies on campus? Do the honorary societies merely hand out certificates, or do they sponsor academic activities? How often do individual professors or departments host meals or other social events for students?

Prepare for Campus Visits

Campus visits contain some of the most important moments in the entire college selection and application process. You need to prepare. You need to be aware. And you need to know what things are important to you—and which are not. As with every other aspect of the college search process, the focus should be on you: your abilities, your preferences, your desires, your needs, your aspirations. The primary question in your mind should be, does this campus fit me?

The more you are able to keep yourself at the center of the visit, the more productive and helpful your campus visit will be.

Great College Advice

The post Tips for Successful Campus Visit For Parents and Students first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

• Explain why you want to study your chosen field and why it’s right for you
• Detail any volunteer or work experience in that area (not just any experience)
• Share your career plans in as much detail as possible
• Look at the university’s course content and identify what interests you (and why)
• Give evidence of skills and achievements to date that relate to your area of study and career plans

So how does this work with the Common App and its main essay?  That essay remains a part of the application, but each UK university has this supplemental question, which is equivalent to the UCAS personal statement.  Students using the Common Application will have the greatest success if they follow the recommendations above and focus very clearly on their academics.

Educational Consultant

The post There is Still Time to Apply to Universities in the UK first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post Get Into the Best Colleges For You first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:

Here on the campus of the University of Southern California, the actual campus footprint is pretty small. So this is a relatively dense university, where the buildings are relatively large and they’re relatively close together. There are some green spaces on campus that are quite attractive. But I just want to point out this big, tall building in the back. That’s a classroom building, primarily, many stories high. And then if you come around here, this is one of the libraries. And you can see one of the dormitories here; we were joking that it looks a little bit like a Holiday Inn or a Days Inn. Multistory buildings to house a large student population.

The Facilities

I think that the important thing to think about when you’re deciding about whether to attend a large or a small school is you do want to think about what that means in terms of facilities. And the kinds of places where you’ll be taking your classes. At a small school like Occidental College which is not far from here, you’re going to have much smaller buildings. And much smaller classrooms, of course. And the dormitories are not going to be as large, they’re going to be a little bit more intimate.

Location, Location, Location

But I think the other thing to think about in terms of going to school in a city is that Los Angeles. Especially, is really not a city as many might think of in other parts of the country, or certainly abroad. It doesn’t really have a center. There is a downtown which is very nearby. But Los Angeles is really an amalgamation of very different communities. So you have Pasadena where you have Caltech. Which has its own town life; you have the Claremont Colleges that are in Claremont, California, much more suburban, still part of the urban are here. And then you have really nice places to go and hang out like Santa Monica. Which has, again, its own neighborhood feel.
You do end up staying on campus most of the time, no matter which campus you choose to attend.

Whether it’s a big campus of 18,000 undergraduates and 23,000 or so graduate students, or if you’re going to a small liberal arts college like Occidental. Either way, you’re going to be spending a lot of time on that campus. So as you’re making a decision about where to attend, you’re going to think about what kind of facilities. What kind of community, what kind of intimacy. And what kind of neighborhood you really want to spend your time in for those four years.

I will make one caveat, however: remind yourself that really, you’re in school only about 30 weeks out of 52 weeks a year. So 22 weeks they’re basically going to kick you out. And make you go home or get an internship or live somewhere else. You really are only thinking of just a little bit more than half of the year will you be on a campus. So clearly Southern California, awesome, this is January, beautiful weather. If that’s what you want in a January, that’s really cool. But remind yourself that it’s really only 30 weeks out of 52 that you’ll be on the campus. Choose the kind of environment that’s right for you.

Great College Advice

The post Educational Consultant on Picking a School: Consider the Surroundings first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:
I’m here right now on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, and behind me is the library, there’s a big lawn over here, there are lots of kids hanging out, it’s a beautiful spring day just before finals, everybody’s relaxing. It’s also Friday, and so there are trucks lined up all up and down some of these avenues serving things like hoagies and wraps and crepes and there’s a “sugar bomb” truck or something. All kinds of places, getting ready for a Friday night here on some of the main drags. You can tell it’s kind of noisy, this is an urban environment so if you’re looking for a very active, fun, diverse campus in a city easily accessible by public transportation, this is a good place for you.

Great College Advice

The post Educational Consultant on Temple University: A Lively Atmosphere first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:

So, today I’m on the campus of Bowdoin College, it’s in Brunswick, Maine right along the coast. Beautiful day here, sunny, warm; it’s not always this way because it does get really cold here in the winter time. But I’m standing in front of Massachusetts Hall, it’s the oldest building on campus. It’s the original building. Used to be that all the faculty lived on the top floor. The students all lived on the bottom floor, and the classes were held on the second floor. Of course, Bowdoin’s a lot bigger now, it’s got about 1,800 students.

And I want to talk about some of those numbers. We just were in the information session, and we were talking about early decision. And the admissions officer in charge mentioned that 45% of the entering class is accepted in the early round. So 45% of the class, that’s a big number. So the normal assumption would be that if I wanted to go to Bowdoin, my odds would be much better if I applied early decision. Because 45% of the slots are given away in the early round and there are fewer applicants.

However, it’s also important to know two things:

Number 1, the athletes who are recruited to play on the 33 teams here at Bowdoin are mostly accepted in the early decision round. And 34% of the students here at Bowdoin are athletes. So that means that really, if you are not an athlete, there is not a big huge bump. Because only 10% of the non-athletes who come to Bowdoin are accepted in the early round.

Now what does that really mean for you?

Well, it means that you just don’t want to pay too much attention to the statistics. What you want to pay attention to is whether or not Bowdoin is really your first choice college. You also have to do a calculation of whether or not you are within the range of acceptability at Bowdoin. Because I don’t recommend that if you really aren’t going to be eligible to attend Bowdoin, don’t waste your early decision play on a school that is way above your ability based on the admissibility statistics.

But even if that’s the case, if Bowdoin is absolutely your number 1 choice and you really want to come here, then yes, apply early decision. Apply early decision. But those statistics about early decision and revolving around that, they are very complex, very confusing, and they probably don’t apply to your particular case. So just be careful when you’re thinking about early decision. Don’t make it a game, make it a decision about where you really want to attend a college or university.
 
Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post College Admissions Expert Speaks About Early Decision first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Here is how the prompt reads:

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
Once again, let’s dissect the vocabulary of this prompt to help guide you in your writing. We’ll look at the words in the order of their importance, rather than in the order of their appearance.

Transition

This is the pivot. The prompt is asking you to talk about a change from one state of being to another. Thus like most of the other prompts, you are fixing your essay in time. You are identifying something that marks the moment in which that change occurred.

Childhood to adulthood

The entire process of going off to college marks your entry to adulthood, in some sense. But colleges are not looking to admit emotional toddlers. They want to populate their campus with young adults. Thus they are assuming that you already have made the transition to adulthood, at least in many important respects. So in what ways are you now an adult? Conversely, in what ways are you no longer a child?

Accomplishment or event

In some ways, these two words go together, but in some ways, they are quite different. An accomplishment is some feat that you performed that would mark the transition. An event might be something that just happened to you, without any particular action or agency on your part. Either way, you are being asked to describe and discuss the “thing” that marked your transition. What was the catalyst that moved you from one state of being to the other?

Culture, community, or family

This part of the prompt asks you to further elaborate on the ways in which others now consider you to be an adult. In whose eyes are you now no longer a child? Who expects more from you, now that you have made this transition to adulthood? The reality is that some people probably still see you as a child. Heck, you might also still see yourself as a child sometimes. But in the context of this prompt, we assume that you have made strides toward adulthood. Who now regards you as and adult, and why?

Because it is fixed on a transition that takes place in time, you are being asked to relate a story. You want to recount this accomplishment or event that marks the transition, so you must construct a compelling narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.

However, it is not enough to tell the story. This prompt (like all the rest) asks you to analyze and evaluate that experience, that event, and that accomplishment in light of the definitions of childhood and adulthood.
As the writer, you have the opportunity to provide your reader with your own definitions. And as a young adult, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your maturity and to show your reader how you arrived at it.

VIEW THE COMPLETE SERIES OF POSTS ANALYZING THE COMMON APPLICATION PROMPTS

Writing About Failure
Writing About A Belief or Idea
Writing About A Place or Environment
Writing About the Transition to Adulthood
Writing About Your Background Story

The post How to Write the Perfect College Essay for the Common Application–Transition to Adulthood first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

As a professional, I always like to change things up. Fortunately for me, this year the Common Application decided to adopt entirely new prompts for the essay section.
Many college counselors moan and groan about these changes. Are they the best ones to let kids show off their innermost feelings and their outermost dreams? Will they allow students to freely express their thoughts, communicate their abilities, and articulate their ambitions?

These are interesting questions, but not the ones that will help students focus on what are now staring them in the face: the Common Application prompts as they are. No sense moaning. We have to deal with them.
So this is the first in a series of posts to help students sort out the meaning of the prompts and to offer some tips on how to address each one.
Today we start with the first prompt: The Background Story.

Here’s how it reads:

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

To help us along, I’ve highlighted the most important words in these two short sentences. I’m going to address each below—not in the order of their appearance—but in order of their importance.

Identity

This is the pivot of the prompt. However you address this prompt, you are being asked about your identity. You are asked to address the fundamental nature of how you see yourself as a person. Who are you?  What are you? What makes you, well, you? Admissions officers want to be able to say, “Hey, I understand who this kid is and where he came from, because the kid understands this about himself and is able to communicate it in a clear, compelling fashion.” So, this essay must address your identity, however, you define it.

Background

College admissions people know that some people have an interesting background that is the source of their identity. This background can be cultural, ethnic, familial, medical, physical, economic, or just about any other set of circumstances that defines who you are as a person.

Story

Some students have a story that helps define who they are. A story, by definition, is a narrative, an account of events in one’s life that may help to shape your identity. A background is something that is not really fixed in time: it’s a circumstance.  A story, on the other hand, exists in time and has a beginning, middle, and end. Do you have a story that helps to explain the way you see yourself, that has helped to form you as a person? If so, this is the story at the core of this prompt.

Incomplete

This word is also important. If your background or story does not really help to shape your identity, then perhaps your application is “complete” without this story. You should then be looking at other prompts for inspiration.
So to summarize, as you approach this prompt, you need to be able to clearly communicate your identity, and then you need to give the background or story that shapes that identity.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at the second prompt, which is all about something we all wish to avoid (in vain): failure.
 
VIEW THE COMPLETE SERIES OF POSTS ANALYZING THE COMMON APPLICATION PROMPTS

Writing About Failure
Writing About A Belief or Idea
Writing About A Place or Environment
Writing About the Transition to Adulthood
Writing About Your Background Story
 
 

The post How To Write A Perfect College Essay for the Common Application–Your Background Story first appeared on College Admission Counseling.