My own experience with college applications
As your teen eye-rolls in your direction yet again, you wonder – how can I help this child apply to college? Should I attempt to do this on my own? Or should I hire someone to help with college applications?
In this article, I will review the benefits of getting help with the college application process.
I personally lived through college application “hell” in 2011 when my son and stepson, both juniors in high school, were applying to college. How hard could this be? I myself had applied to TWO (crazy, right?!) schools on my own. I was accepted to Northeastern and Harvard, and graduated from Harvard. Later obtaining a law degree, by 2011 I had been practicing civil litigation for nearly 20 years.
I could do this.
I soon found out how involved college applications had become, and quickly realized that I had a lot to learn. And learn I did! Things had changed considerably since I applied to college. And, if I was having this much to learn, I knew other parents were going through the same thing and would need help with college applications. By this time, I was itching for a new career direction. The perpetual student that I am, I signed up and earned my certificate from UCLA in College Counseling. Six courses and a practicum/internship later, I was certified and opened the doors to Grays Hall College Counseling. I was ready to help other parents through the college application process.
By the way, the boys did great! My son graduated from University of Michigan and stepson from Pratt Institute in 2016. In 2019, my daughter graduated from Miami University (OH) and stepdaughter from University of San Francisco in 2019.
So why get help with the college application process?
As parents, we want to give our children the best advantages, the best tools to succeed. Not all of us have the time to become experts in all that there is to know about college applications. We don’t know what we don’t know, and the last thing we want to do is mess up our children’s futures. Turning to experts when it comes to the entire college application process is often the right decision. It’s ok to get help with college applications. I have now been doing this for 12 years, and I can tell you that I have come across so many different scenarios, so many different types of students. I feel totally comfortable helping people who wants to avail themselves of my services.
Working with an IEC (Independent Educational Consultant) allows you, the parent, to stop feeling the pressure to know it all. And it allows you to stop nagging. Instead, you get to be the cheerleader, your child’s chief supporter. As an IEC, I am there to guide students and their families through the entire process, while keeping everyone as calm as possible.
Another benefit to working with an IEC is that they typically use great organizational platforms. All the information your student needs is in one place. That includes the college list, the deadlines, the requirements for each application and the essay prompts. Some of the platforms used by IECs also include amazing resources for college research and historical data.
What should be covered by a college counselor?
When you are looking for help with college applications, you will find many forms of services/packages offered. It really depends on what your needs are. You can find “1:1 counseling” where the counselor meets individually with your student. Be sure to check out what the “package” includes. Some will limit the number of meetings they will have with your student, the number of applications and essays they will review. The 1:1 package is the most comprehensive and personal service offering.
Many IECs will also offer group coaching programs that typically cost less than the 1:1 counseling. Group coaching sessions are usually recorded, and can be accessed until the coaching program expires. The counselor meets with a group of students at the same time. The group group coaching platform includes worksheets, links and helpful tools. There may be an option to have some 1:1 time with the counselor. At Grays Hall College Counseling, I offer regular “office hours” where the students can join me online to work or ask me questions. I feel it’s so important to be there to help with college applications.
Then, there are full online courses for the “do-it-yourself” types. These courses are all pre-recorded, and will usually offer the same resources as the group coaching. These are ideal for families who retained the services of an IEC to work individually with their older child. They feel comfortable having the younger siblings use an online program.
Any of the above programs should include the following topics:
College application list building
The first big task that should be part of any help with college applications is to build the college list. This list must include schools that have the majors your student is interested in. Also, these should be schools that the student would be more than happy to attend. And the list should be balanced, meaning it will have likely, possible, and reach schools. The number of colleges on the final list will vary; my clients have an average of 8 to 16 schools.
You will want to have some guidance on how to properly investigate a college. This includes what to look for on the website (majors offered, student life, vibe/philosophy of the school, etc). At Grays Hall College Counseling, we offer a “How to Investigate Colleges” guide. We use CustomCollegePlan which offers amazing research resources with up-to-date admission data.
Testing advice – should you take the ACT or SAT?
Another way to help with college applications is to have a discussion about the testing landscape. Are the schools test optional, test required or test blind? The tests at issue are the SAT or ACT. After COVID hit, many schools stopped requiring test scores. The pandemic caused test centers to close. As time has gone by and test centers reopened, many schools chose to remain test optional.
The University of California and California State University systems are test blind. Test blind means they will NOT consider scores in the admission process. Gradually, schools have re-instituted the testing requirement, including several of the Ivies. You will want to have someone to help you sift through all of this, and provide specific advice for your student. I currently advise my juniors to test, unless there are other issues at play. By testing, students have more options.
Even if the IEC you work with does not offer test prep, it’s so helpful when they can make recommendations. The IEC should also offer recommendations about the strategy behind whether the student should submit test scores to test-optional schools.
Extracurricular activities with an eye towards college applications
Extracurricular activities are an important part of help with college applications. Schools love to see what your student has been up to, what are the interests pursued, with community service an important component. You will want to have someone helping with recommendations to make sure the applicant has plenty to talk about in the activities list. Maybe your student is an athlete – are they being recruited? Do they want to play at the university level? There are IECs who work exclusively with student-athletes and many who work with them as well as the non-sporty applicant.
Mechanics of the various college applications
Your student will need guidance on the various application platforms. The most common application is, aptly named, the Common Application “Common App,” used by over 1000 institutions of higher education. Students can actually start working on their Common App well before the August 1 “new year” date for the following fall. Then, there are state schools that have their own application platforms like the University of California, California State University, and Texas (Apply Texas) systems. Your selected IEC should be familiar with your local state applications. It’s crucial to get help with all these different college applications.
In addition to the applications themselves, many high schools use an intermediary platform to upload documents to Common App. These documents include transcripts, school reports and letters of recommendation. You will want someone who is adept at navigating through these middlemen systems. The high school platforms include Naviance and SchooLinks, which are instrumental in submitting and completing applications.
It’s important for the applicant to understand about the different letters of recommendation needed for applications. Your student should get advice well in advance of the fall of their senior year.
Another big component of the Common App and many other applications is the “activities list.” You will want your student to be advised on how to best summarize each activity within the 150 character limit. No easy feat!
A big question: when should you submit? Early Action? Early Decision? Regular Decision? What on earth is Rolling Admission? And what about Restrictive Early Action? There are particular strategies involved and consequences to consider. By the way, these and other terms are defined at the end of this article if you are curious…
College Application Essays
Ahhhh the dreaded “Personal Statement”. The bane of every high schooler’s existence.
But it doesn’t have to be. It’s just that it’s a different type of essay from the ones your student has been writing in high school. This is an essay that allows applicants to share a slice of themselves, to show the admissions officer something “new” about them, something that is not elsewhere on their application. It’s a “personal” statement. Many students worry because they feel that there is nothing special about them. They need to realize that they ARE special, because they are who they are. Period.
It’s ok if they haven’t saved a child from a burning building. You want to make sure that the IEC you work with provides information, resources, and support to help your student write about something personal, about THEM. You want an IEC who is familiar with what admissions officers are looking for in these essays. This is a very important part of any help you may be seeking with college applications.
And parents, be mindful that the personal statement is not meant to be a cover letter or a mini-résumé. There are other places in the application for that information. Rather, it’s a way for your student to share something unique about them.
In addition to the personal statement, many applicants will have to write supplemental essays which are prompts from the individual college. There is a particular way to approach these as well. An expert can show the student how to approach the various types of supplemental essays.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Financial aid includes need-based aid and merit-based scholarships. Yes, yet another language for you to learn! Having the guidance from an educational consultant will definitely alleviate the stress involved. Your consultant should remind you of which forms you need to submit. These forms include FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), CSS Profile (another financial aid form). Your IEC should also be able to help find school-based and outside scholarships.
So many families dismiss submitting FAFSA outright, thinking their income is too high. It’s important to have this discussion with your IEC. I recommend that everyone submit FAFSA to open your student up to the possibility of several financial advantages through the federal government.
Support after submitting college applications
After the applications go out, you should still be getting support in the form of reminders for the students to set up their portals. Each school a student applies to will email instructions on how to set up the “applicant portal.” The portal is where the student can monitor the status of the application, including if any documents or information are missing.
Then, if the student applied Early Action (EA), the result can be an outright denial, an acceptance or a deferral. Just recently, I’ve seen a college actually decide to waitlist EA applicants instead of deferring. Having someone there to help you and your student navigate through these “waves” after submission will be so helpful. You will need help knowing what your student can do if deferred or waitlisted.
What to look for when seeking help with college applications
Many of you will find the IEC for your student through word of mouth, truly the best testimonial! Nonetheless, having read this article, now you know what to keep in mind. Make sure to ask questions!
As you go through your search looking for someone to help with college applications, one of the most important things I can recommend: INVOLVE THE STUDENT!
It’s so important for the student to feel invested in the process, and most importantly, to feel a connection with the IEC if it’s a 1:1 package. Even if it’s group coaching or even a DIY online course, you still want to include your child in the decision. Students need to understand that this is for them. We are all here to help them obtain the best results. For me at Grays Hall College Counseling, that means students having options at the end of this: admissions to schools they would be more than happy to attend.
When you are doing your investigation, be sure to consider the IEC’s experience. How long have they being doing this? If your student has some particular needs, make sure the IEC is equipped to properly advise and support.
Is the IEC/company part of any organizations? NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling), HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) are very common. All three are full of amazing resources for IECs and for families as well! Note that HECA and IECA are similar. Although many IECs belong to both, it’s perfectly fine to pick one of the two – I belong to HECA.
You can also look to see if the IEC is certified. I got my College Counseling certificate from UCLA in 2012 – this certification means they took courses and a practicum/internship.
Don’t despair – help is out there!
You don’t have to go through this alone.
The beauty of hiring someone to help with college applications is that you don’t have to search all over the internet to find what you don’t know. You and your student can rely on an expert, an IEC, who has been there and done that many times.
I hope this article has been helpful. It’s meant to give you a much better idea of what you and your student may need to help you all through the college application process.
I would love to hear your comments, and answer your questions. Visit my website to check out
Some fun college application acronyms & terms to know and share (and impress your friends with!)
IEC – Independent Educational Consultant – me 😀 – often also called a college counselor.
Testing
SAT – Scholastic Assessment Test – one of the 2 standardized tests for college admission – administered by College Board.
ACT – American College Testing – the other of the 2 standardized tests for college admission.
AP – Advanced Placement – a program for high school students to take college-level classes, available in most US high schools (also College Board).
IB – International Baccalaureate – high school students across the country and across the world take IB courses and exams to challenge themselves (similar to AP but not available in all high schools).
Application Types
EA – Early Action – an early admission process whereby you submit your application early and you receive an admission decision early, but still have until the commitment date (typically May 1) to decide (and you can apply to as many schools EA as you wish.
ED (I and II) – Early Decision – you submit your application early and find out early, only it’s BINDING; if you are accepted you are committed to attend. EDI is usually November 1, and if you did not get accepted you can apply EDII to another school (also binding) in early January. You can only apply to one school ED at a time.
REA – Restrictive Early Action – schools that offer this are usually private and have specific rules about it but generally it means that you can only apply to this school Early Action, but can apply to other state schools Early Action. This requires you to read the school’s REA policy VERY carefully.
RD – Regular Decision – you apply by the deadline, and will get your admission decision on either a specific date or time frame, along with all other RD applicants.
Rolling Admissions – once you submit your application, you can expect to hear back within weeks – as the applications roll in, they review them and roll out their decisions.
Decisions other than Admit
Deferral/Deferred – If you are deferred, this means you applied Early Action, and instead of accepting you straight away, you are being re-evaluated with the Regular Decision applications.
Waitlist – If you are waitlisted, this means that you need to select another school to commit to by May 1 (the commitment deposit is usually fairly modest) – and if you are offered a spot off the waitlist, you will have to make a decision quickly to either accept or reject the offer. You will lose the modest deposit you made at the school you chose, but you will be going to your preferred school.
Financial Aid
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – this form should be submitted by all applicants.
CSS Profile – This is a College Board form that is required by some schools for financial aid.
Need-based Aid – financial aid based on student and family’s income and assets.
Merit-based aid – financial aid based on the student’s merit, including GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, i.e. based on the application as a whole.
A few more Random Acronyms
PIQ – Personal Insight Question – University of California essay questions – you select 4 out of the 8 prompts.
Naviance & SchooLinks – Platforms used by high schools through which they upload transcripts, school reports, midyear reports (1st semester senior year grades) and letters of recommendation.
Common App – Common Application which is the application platform used by over 1000 institutions of higher learning.
And, don’t hesitate to ask a question or leave a comment – I’m happy to help!