Sending a sneaker with the note, “Now that I’ve got my foot in the door…” won’t help your college application.
Sending presents to the admissions counselor won’t work.
What about mailing cookies with your app?
“I’d sure like to say yes because I’m a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, but they don’t really help students,” says Stacy Ledermann, director of freshman admissions at St. John Fisher College.
Moral of the story: “When it comes right down to it, the gimmick isn’t going to replace their overall test scores or grade point average,” Ledermann says.
Yep, that’s right: No amount of clubs joined, essays pontificated or cookies baked will impress admissions reps as much as your good old academic record and SAT or ACT scores.
At Marygrove College in Detroit, your high school transcript and ACT score are paramount. But there’s another thing that counts: the overall impression you give an admissions counselor.
“It’s intangible, but it’s weighed more heavily than anything else,” says John Ambrose, director of undergraduate admissions at Marygrove.
Picking a college
Ambrose recommends researching no fewer than 12 colleges. That list should include schools in several different genres. Here is a brief list of college types to consider:
• Close-to-home college
• College-town campus
• Commuter campus
• Community or junior college
• Far-away school
• Foreign college or university
• Hispanic Serving Institution
• Historically black college or university
• Honors college
• Large or small state university or college
• Large or small private university or college
• Learning disabilities specialized college
• Liberal arts college
• Online degree program
• Religiously affiliated college
• Sports-centric school
• Trade school
• Urban campus
Apply
Once you’ve picked a few colleges, it’s time to apply! Even though you researched a dozen or so colleges, you should limit the number to which you apply—six, tops.
“The FAFSA allows students to list up to six (schools) on their initial application, so that’s a good guide,” Ledermann says.
The idea is to do enough research about whether or not you’d be a good fit for the school before you apply.
Get your applications in as soon as possible. Not only will it lessen your stress later in the school year, but it could also help your chances of admission.
“Here at Fisher, it’s always to the student’s advantage to apply early in the process,” Ledermann says. “Once you get into students applying in February and March, you’ll be missing out on invitations to programs and for scholarships. Once you get beyond a certain point, we’re beginning to find that our classes are filling.”
The pieces of your application
“The number-one factor when we make decisions is the (high school) curriculum,” says Denny Nicholson, director of admissions at Le Moyne College.
Nicholson says colleges take into account the courses that are offered at your high school, so you’re not out of luck if your school’s honors-level pickings are slim.
Le Moyne’s second-most decisive admissions factor is a student’s GPA. Then, there’s your writing sample, personal interview, letter of recommendation and overall impression.
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