One quick look at this long list of blog post titles and it's easy to see that we love dispensing college advice, straight from our admissions team. But every now and then, we like to branch out of Siena and tap other admissions consultants, college counselors and others for their best admissions tips to share with you. Here's our latest roundup (including advice from a Shark Tank contestant!).
"The activities section of the application is just as important as the essay, so take the time to think about how best to present them. Instead of 'Debate Team, grades 10,11,12,' consider 'Qualified for state finals as 3rd of 200 debaters. Reviewed junior members' debate performances. Recruited fellow students and mentored team members.'" – Stephanie Klein Wassink, founder of AdmissionsCheckup.com and a former admissions officer
"Demonstrate early interest in a college so that when they look at your application, they know that you truly want to go to their school and that you aren't just blindly applying. Sign up for their newsletter, take a campus tour, call the admissions officer or like their Facebook page." – Phil Black, founder of PrepWellAcademy.com and former Shark Tank contestant
"Finding the right college fit requires a lot of self reflection. Think about your academic strengths and weaknesses, your most and least comfortable social settings and your preferences for different learning environments. Finding a fit also requires you to value things like size, distance, location, curriculum style, campus culture and services offered more than things like the name, admission rate, average SAT score or ranking." – Gabe Smiley, Director of College Counseling at Poughkeepsie Day School
"Be open minded. Try not to pin all of your hopes on one school. Especially at top-ranked schools, competition is fierce, and even the most qualified applicants might not always get in. Visit and apply to a range of schools—you might find out that a school you’ve never heard of is the perfect school for you." – David Kim, founder and Vice Chairman of C2educate.com
"I was told I had to be memorable, so I made sure my college essay was funny, my letter of recommendations came from a variety of people and my application was professional and timely. But I wish someone had told me that I was allowed to get to know admissions counselors as people—that I could request informational interviews with them and take the opportunity to build meaningful connections. Now, I advise students to connect with counselors earlier in their high school years, and I have seen first-hand the impact those meaningful connections can have." – Shireen Jaffer, Managing Director, SkillifyNow.com
With all this advice in mind, get to know Siena better. Click below to show us you're interested in learning more, and we'll be in touch!
