College Planning Blog

In preparing your applications for admission, it is important to remember that the application you are submitting is a personal statement. You are saying to the admission committee, “This is who I am and what I have to offer.” In a tight competition, your ability to make a compelling statement in this regard can make all the difference. The following excerpt from Chapter 8 “Reveal Your Talents” of Winning the College Admission Game: Strategies for Students provides additional insight that will be helpful as you contemplate the messages you want to send to colleges in your “personal statement.”

“If you have a clear sense as to what you do well and have discovered colleges that are likely to value you for the things you have to offer, the next step is to make a strong connection with these colleges. This is especially true at colleges that must make fine distinctions between hundreds of talented students. You need to make your gifts and talents known so when they ask the question, “What do we get if we admit you?” the answer is clear.

Bring your talent to life. If you are a musician, make a studio quality recording (tape or CD). Audition if you can. If you are an artist, attend portfolio days or assemble a slide collection of your work to submit with your application. This demonstration of talent will be required for entry into highly selective conservatory or specialty programs in the arts. It can also make the difference for you at schools that value the arts but are not pre-professionally oriented. You do not need to have professional aspirations as an artist, musician, actor or dancer in order for your talent to give you a competitive edge in the selective admission process.

By demonstrating your talents in this way, you go beyond the listing of activities and achievements on your application to reveal the nuances of tone and texture that distinguish your performance from the rest of the competition. Just as athletic coaches want to see game tapes to determine who will be competitive, music directors, drama coaches and art instructors observe closely to identify those who will contribute to their programs.

Consider also how evidence of your gift(s) might give flavor to the overall presentation of your application. Take advantage of an interview or email exchange with the recruiter in your area to talk about the things that excite you. Use the personal statement or mini-essays to expound upon them. Make sure the people who write on your behalf can bear witness to your personal growth and commitment through your passions.

You do need to be convincing, though. It is one thing to present an application that includes activities you have pursued extensively with listings of honors, awards and positions held. That type of presentation is important in validating your commitment. It is quite another when you list every club for which you have attended at least one meeting! Students who do that are not unlike the kids who were somehow able to sneak into all the group photos that appear in your yearbook. It’s clear they don’t belong. Admission officers look for substantive involvement over time that is marked by achievement and leadership. It is up to you, then, to reveal your gifts in such a way that those who read your application are easily persuaded that your passion and commitment are real.

Between the Lines: Win An Advocate
When you present evidence of your performance, you put those who view it in the position of imagining what it would be like to have you in their programs. If you can convince them that you would make a difference–that you would add value to their existing efforts–you will win them over as advocates. While having a talent advocate does not mean you are sure to be admitted, it can make a big difference in a tight competition.”

Important Reminder: The Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar series features two programs in November. Join Sam Barnett and me on November 20 for “How to Find the Best College Fit” (8 PM ET) and “To ED or Not ED: The Pluses and Minuses of Early Decision” (9 PM ET). Go to http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com/teleseminar_schedule.php for more information about how to register.

It’s that time of the year when college entrance testing tends to dominate the thought process of many would be college applicants. This is too bad as students should be concerning themselves with far more substantive matters than whether they have test scores that will get them the prized admission offer they so desperately seek.

As I have noted before in this space, testing does not have to be the bane of a young person’s existence. Most colleges would confirm (ask to see their validity studies) that the testing is not terribly useful as a diagnostic (the purpose for which it was developed) and its usefulness has been reduced to, more than anything, that of a competitive credential. That said, I continue to be encouraged by the number of colleges that are making the submission of tests optional for some or all of their applicants. In effect, they are acknowledging, “We can make good decisions about whom to admit with test results.” According to Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director for FairTest.org, the number now stands at 757 colleges and universities. His website lists each of these schools in alphabetical order.

When I made reference to the test optional opportunity that exists at a growing number of schools during a presentation earlier this week, a parent asked, somewhat incredulously, “Won’t colleges assume that it you don’t submit scores that you are trying to hide low results?”

Good question. In fact, I have heard the assertion that the test optional schools are simply using the option as a marketing ploy to attract applicants and raise their institutional testing profiles (because, presumably, low test scores are no longer reported). While those might be secondary outcomes for such schools, it is my experience that the rationale for going test optional runs much deeper. Many schools with test requirements feel obligated to admit students according to their respective institutional testing profiles. In the process, they rather arbitrarily dismiss candidates who are otherwise very compelling, but whose scores would “hurt the profile.”

The removal of the testing requirement frees admission officers to focus their deliberations on the personal strengths and attributes of the student without concern for how a score might affect their institutional academic profiles. The day that my school went test optional in the admission process was like a day of liberation for my colleagues and me. Free from the “tyranny of numbers,” we were able to admit the students who were most compelling to us.

Interestingly, when we studied the records of all the admitted (and enrolled) students after the fact, we found that the testing profiles of the non-submitters was almost identical to that of the submitters–and it included a number of kids who elected not to submit perfect scores presumably because they wanted to be valued for the other things they did well! Did we admit kids who benefited by not having to submit substandard scores? Sure–and they did very well in college and in life after school. Similarly, we admitted more than a few students over the years who submitted high test scores but relatively modest high school records who did not find the same success.

The bottom line is this: if testing is not your thing or you are philosophically opposed to its place in the admission process, you should feel more than comfortable exploring the 757 colleges and universities that have made the submission of tests optional. They have defined a different paradigm for decision-making that, quite frankly, is student-centered. And that’s a good thing!

Stay tuned for more discussion about the topic as the December 19 Straight Talk About College Admission “Getting Started” Teleseminar (8 PM ET) will focus on “The Role of Testing and the Value of Test Prep.”

I recently received a note from a parent asking about the appropriateness of attaching a resume to the student’s application for admission. It’s a good question and one I’d like to explore briefly in today’s posting.

Composing a resume can be a really good reflective exercise for a young person, especially early in the process–end of the Junior Year–when doing so helps her get her arms around the sum of her accomplishments. Identifying and giving priority to these accomplishments allows her to develop a broader sense of the “big picture” as it relates to how she might be regarded by those with whom she comes into contact. Long before applications for admission need to be submitted, the resume can help give focus to thoughts about essay topics while serving as a useful “leave behind” document for any interview opportunities that might develop.

It also makes sense to have a resume ready to hand to the people who will write letters on the student’s behalf. While the resume should not take the place of a face-to-face conversation between the student and recommender about the pending application process, it can serve as a point of reference for teachers and counselors as they begin drafting letters.

On the other hand, the resume as an attachment to an application for admission is a far different matter. In fact, you will find mixed (and strong) reaction from admission officers regarding the attachment of resumes to applications. While some may welcome the additional information, others are actually interested in seeing how students give priority to their involvements in the rather limited space on the application form itself. If there is any question in your mind about how a resume might be received by a college, it can’t hurt to ask the admission representative with whom you have had contact for an opinion.

Should you decide to attach a resume to your application, keep in mind that “more is rarely better.” Concise wins the day. Admission officers are deluged with applications that typically include 16-18 pages of information. Quite frankly, they don’t have time to go through everything carefully. That’s why many regard the resume as redundant and will dismiss it categorically. Focus on accomplishments that reflect growth and have emerged from long-term involvements. And don’t worry about including information that will otherwise appear on your academic transcript.

If you truly believe you have enough substantive material to take up 2-3 pages of a resume, then talk with your counselor and/or one of your teachers about how to condense that information in order to convey the core messages that reflect who you are. As you do so, consider the possibility that much of what you might want to report on a resume is more important to you (or your family) than it will be to colleges.

In general, keep in mind that you have a very short amount of time in which to make an impression with your application. Substance, not volume, will make that impression.

I had just presented “The Admission Game” to a group of students and parents in Colorado when a group of seniors gathered to ask questions about the application process. Given the time of the year, it didn’t come as a surprise that college essays were on their minds. In fact, the essay or personal statement is perhaps the most vexing of the application requirements faced by applicants to college. And these folks wanted to get it right!

The question of length is a good one if you are an applicant who is sensitive to meeting the expectations of those who will read your essay. My initial response to the student who asked this question was, “Your essay should be as long as it takes to get your message across–no more and no less.” That said many students tend to become preoccupied with the letter of the instructions. If the essay prompt asks for a “500-word statement,” they assume the final product needs to be 500 words. As a result, they lose their focus on the subject and worry more about meeting the word count.

As a college applicant, you need to know that, more often than not, the number of words referenced in the essay prompt is intended to be a target rather than an absolute requirement. Word counts are less a test of your ability to be succinct–although you should strive to achieve that distinction with your essay–and more about giving you a set of parameters within which to work. Believe me, there aren’t many college admission officers who will take the time to count the words in your essay!

Assuming, then, that you have found a topic or inspiration for a college essay, your first objective is to craft a statement that will be compelling to the admission committee. Focus on the development of ideas rather than meeting a word count. Believe it or not, it is much easier to edit “down” than to find yourself trying to manufacture new content in order to arrive at a desired word count. That said, what can you write that will give the readers insight into who you are? (I talk about answering the “why” questions in the essay chapter of Winning the College Admission Game.) Take time to create a really strong draft that delivers the desired messages. And then put it away for a week or two.

Putting the essay away for a while will allow you to clear your head–which isn’t a bad thing if you have been laboring over the essay for an extended period of time. This reprieve from writing will also give you much needed perspective so that when you pick it up again, you can dive into the next stage of critical editing. When you start to edit again, don’t be surprised if word choices and structural developments that may have made sense when you wrote the first draft look different now. Work through your draft to make the changes that will strengthen your message.

And then, when you think you are finished, look at the word count. If you are close to the number targeted in the instructions, you are in pretty good shape. On the other hand, if you have 1,500 words and the admission committee only wants to see something in the neighborhood of 500, it’s time to take a serious look at your content. How much of what you have written is essential to the points you are trying to make–and how much of it is there because you fell in love with a passage that doesn’t really add to the strength of your presentation? If you don’t need it, cut it!

Finally, if you really want to make your essay better, take a stab at cutting 10% from your final draft. Work through every sentence of every paragraph to find opportunities to say more with less. Take the time to make a good essay great! In the end, if you have written a compelling essay, the reader won’t even notice that it is longer or shorter than the targeted word count. Good luck!

This is the all-too-frequent response of students to the suggestion that they capitalize on their demonstrated strengths in the fine and performing arts when they apply for admission. It�s almost as though they are afraid they will be regarded as academic imposters for failing to be true to their natural calling!

It happened again last week in a presentation I made to a group of students and parents. As I was talking about the need to for candidates to reveal their talents�to make a tape, burn a CD or put together a portfolio, a young flutist expressed curiosity about doing so since she had no interest in pursuing formal study of the flute in college. When I asked if the flute was and would continue to be a defining element of her life, she didn�t hesitate to assure me it would be. I then pointed out that her passion would carry little weight in the admission process if she didn�t give admission committees the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about its potential importance to their respective communities. If she had any inclination at all to continue playing in ensembles, marching bands or orchestras�and if she wanted to be valued for this potential�she needed to make her talent known.

The irony is that student athletes do this without fail. Every year, thousands of college applicants actively parlay their athletic talents/exploits into offers of admission at institutions where not every qualified candidate can be admitted. Only a fraction of these candidates have any reasonable chance of competing professionally in their respective sports. Nonetheless, their talents are valued by schools that wish to field competitive team�even at the non-scholarship, small college level of competition. If athletes can find a competitive edge by submitting tapes and meeting with coaches, why shouldn�t musicians, dancers, artists and actors benefit as well?

As admission committees go about their work, they are much like social engineers whose task is to assemble a new community from the array of talents represented in the applicants it is considering. Success in the admission process, then, rests just as much on a student�s ability to anticipate this as it does on most things academic. When everything else is equal�or close to equal�academically in the competition, it is not uncommon for an admission officer to ask the question of a given candidate, �If we admit her, what do we get?�

It is important, then, that students anticipate this question and take stock of what they have to offer the colleges to which they are applying. What are their gifts? What might an admission committee see in their talents that might give a given student an advantage in the competition? So, even if you have no interest in making a career out of playing the flute or the trumpet or the violin, make sure you do what you can to reveal your talents.

IMPORTANT TIP: Send a copy of your recording/portfolio to the Admission Office with your application AND a copy to the director of the program that interests you. Make sure you label all copies with your name, address and the contents. Do this early in the admission process�certainly no later than the application deadline.

Reminder: The Introductory Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar entitled, �College Rankings: What They Mean and How to Use Them,� takes place this Wednesday (September 19) at 9:00 PM EST. Please register at http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com by noon EST on Tuesday.