Good Enough is Never Enough
October is a time of reckoning for students as they prepare college applications. The senior year of high school is in full swing with new academic challenges and a sense of nostalgia as students wistfully embrace events and relationships for the “last time” in their high school experience. And, for many, the college application represents another layer of activity on top of an already busy schedule.
The excitement and allure of going to college begins to wane as the process of applying becomes an onerous imposition. With pending deadlines and mounting requirements, there simply isn’t enough time in the day to get it all done! As a result, there is a tendency to choose the course of least resistance-to do what is “good enough.”
I would like to offer a word to the wise if you find yourself in this situation. Stay focused. Now is the time to do your best work even though doing so may mean making compromises in your social life. You can’t “will” great grades. Essays don’t become excellent overnight. College applications don’t materialize out of thin air.
Keep in mind the competition for admission. Popular forecasts to the contrary, the competition will continue to increase as a higher proportion of the college age population applies to college this year-and next, and the year after that. As a result, colleges will continue to be inundated by applications from more qualified candidates than they can admit. And the more selective institutions will be forced to make fine distinctions between deserving candidates.
In particular, they will watch to see how you handle the pressure. Will you wilt under the weight of the added expectations? Will you find the easiest path to the finish line? Or will you step up to the challenge?
Colleges that can be picky are watching. They want to see what you do when you don’t think you have to do anything. They want to see how you approach your classroom assignments. When a “B” seems good enough, will you continue to push for the “A?”
And they will be able to gauge your investment in your application immediately. Have you been thoughtful about conveying key messages? How have you told your story? What does your essay say about you? I can tell you from experience that applications and, in particular, essays that are pulled together at the last minute have that “good enough” look about them.
During our most recent Web-Side Chat webcast on October 3, we had some interesting discussions about the implications of doing what is “good enough” in preparing college applications. The sequel to that webcast, “The Biggest Mistakes Made in Applying to College,” will take place on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 PM ET. In order to participate click here to sign-up. In addition to gaining access to the upcoming Web-Side Chat webcast, you will also be able to view past webcasts in the BCF archives.
As a high school senior and an applicant to college, you are still in a position to control the manner in which your application is presented. Do your best, then, to resist the temptation to put things off or go into cruise control. Now is the time to accelerate! You must make that commitment, though. As one young woman observed after hearing this message at a recent program, “If nothing else, I have learned that good enough is never enough if I want to reach my goals.”
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