Posts Tagged ‘college acceptance letter’

Getting the Acceptance Letter You’ve Always Wanted

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Determining how to get that acceptance letter in the mail isn’t the easiest task in the world, but it isn’t impossible either.  With dedication, hard work and planning, you can likely get into one of your college or university choices, especially if you throw a wide enough net.  The college admissions process can be tricky, and this is one of the reasons there is college counseling services, college admissions assistance and test prep tutoring.  There are also many good resources that you can turn to that will help guide you towards a better understanding of the college admissions process.  In this article, we will look at a couple of the books you may wish to consider.

Pick One-College Admissions: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step by Robin Mamlet

College guidebooks fall into many different categories, but the best usually pull on the expertise of people who have worked in the field and understand how the process works.  It isn’t fair to say that these books give “inside information,” as they usually don’t, but they do give as sizable amount of information on issues that you might glance over or ignore when considering schools.

This book is all about “picking the brains” of admissions officers.  Most students and parents probably feel as though the entire college admissions process is confusing and a little esoteric.  College Admissions: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step by Robin Mamlet does a solid job in demystifying the process.

Unlike many books, the nature of the advice in College Admissions is of such a comprehensive fashion that parents might want to consider reading this one early in their child’s high school career.  There are many tips that can only be used if plotted out years in advance.  If you are a planner and want to get into a great school, you should read this one.

Pick Two-How to Write Your College Application Essay by Kenneth Nourse

How to Write Your College Application Essay by Kenneth Nourse is a good book, but (and yes there is a but), it is very boring, perhaps distractingly so.  Yet, with that stated, author Kenneth Nourse knows his “stuff” and does a great job instructing students in the ins and outs of writing a good college application essay.  Here is the one drawback to choosing this book over other options; How to Write Your College Application Essay doesn’t really adequately cover how to make your essay shine above the rest.  It will be up to you to determine how to make yourself stand out to admissions officers when they are reading different admissions essays.

One of the best tricks for helping you stand out to a college admissions officer is to be memorable in a good way.  This means investing the time to think about how you are distinctive and why you are likely to be a good, or even great, graduate down the road.  If you have big plans, then consider sharing some of those plans in your admissions letter.  More importantly, outline some of the steps that you have taken or will be taking to make those dreams and goals into reality.  Being able to show and point to how you are goal oriented, driven and organized may achieve the goal of assisting you to stand out from the crowd.

Tips for Getting Off the College Waitlist

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

You expect a clear answer but then your dream school puts you on the college waitlist! While it may seem hopeless—there’s still plenty a little hope! You’ve got a chance to impress college admission one last time. You don’t necessarily need to just sit there and wait it out. Here’s a few tips from My College Guide for getting off the college waitlist and into your dream school!

Stuck on the college waitlist? What are your options?

cesarastudillo / César Astudillo

What Are Your Chances? – The waitlist is a way for a college to fill in the Freshman class with qualified candidates. It could be very technical: like if too many soccer players don’t accept an offer of admission, college admission may use the waitlist to fill in the blank with more soccer players from the waitlist.

Sometimes, it can just be down to numbers. You were close to making it in but fit the academic profile of numerous other students. In that case: you’ll end up in or out based on whether enough other students decline and where you are on the waitlist! Knowing where you are on the list (if your college shares that information) can help you make an informed decision about your next move.

Act Fast – So you received an offer to sit it out on the college waitlist. Don’t just hem and haw about it! You know whether or not you seriously want to attend this school. Let the college know either way. Send in your deposit and commit to attending. Keeping them hanging will seem like indifference on your part—and you want college admissions to be pulling for you (just make sure you have a back-up plan just in case)!

Call in a Favor – Do you have someone on your side? Politely ask your advocate if they can put in a good word and get the facts! If your coach, band director, or someone else important to your academic life, who is also well-connected to the college, can find out the facts for you (like your chances of admission)—why not nicely ask him or her?

Send a Letter – This is the only school you can see yourself at for the the next four years. You like the learning style and know that this is the right fit for you! Let admissions know. See if you can find out who is in charge of your college application and send him/her an updated letter!

Fine tune your recent accomplishments if you are on the college waitlist!

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Point out what you’ve done the last few weeks or months since you applied that changes the game: do you have new hobbies? Stellar grades? More community service? Did you win some big award? Let your admissions counselor know. It could mean the difference between staying on the college waitlist or finally receiving that acceptance letter!

Before you get in touch with the school, be sure to read the fine print! How do they feel about waitlisted candidates? Do they want to hear from you again or are you supposed to sit tight until they come to you? Find out before you start your “getting off the college waitlist” campaign. Be careful not to overdo it. Sometimes just doing nothing is the best thing that you can do.

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Why You Won’t Receive an Instant Admissions Response

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Wondering why you don’t receive an instant response from your dream school? This great YouTube video from Dartmouth College relays a few impressive facts regarding the admission process from actual college admission professionals!

Here’s a few of the highlights from last year’s process (and we’re guessing that this year will be even bigger!): Dartmouth Admissions read 40,000 teacher recommendation, received college applications from 138 countries, and looked over 187 applications from people named John. You know My College Guide loves when colleges get personal and this inside look at the Dartmouth College admissions process is certainly insightful and worth a look! Watch Dartmouth College Class of 2014 on YouTube or below.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

What Happens to My College Application: Video From Butler University

Friday, January 28th, 2011

You’ve worked hard on your college application. You filled in all the blanks, you have amazing letters of recommendation, and your essay absolutely rocks! Did you ever wonder what happens to your college application after you mail it out? This video from Butler University goes behind the scenes to show you the faces of college admissions at work!

Watch What Happens to My Application (for Early Action and Regular Decision) on YouTube or below. Take planning your college education into your own hands: do the research so you can make an informed decision. If you don’t know what early action is, we’ve got the perfect supplemental reading just for you!

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

Make Your Personal Statement Shine Part #2

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

sirwiseowl/Keith Davenport

Applying for college is not as simple as completing the application and submitting it to your top choices. Many colleges ask you to include a personal statement with your application.

While an application requests specific information from you, a personal statement is similar to a personal essay. It allows your personality to shine as you provide added details about who you are as a person, the reasons you want to attend the college you’re applying for and the educational and career goals you have set for yourself. College acceptance is very competitive so creating a personal statement that stands out from the rest can really make the difference.

Everyone has a characteristic, trait or experience that makes them unique. Now is the time for you to figure out what makes you special or impressive. College acceptance is a highly competitive arena, so you need to include in your personal statement something that jumps off the page and grabs the attention of the admission officer or board that is pouring over the mound of applications sitting on their desk. Provide a thorough explanation as to why they should choose you over all of the other applicants that are competing for your position in the institution.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the series later this week.