Students across the country are finishing up their junior year and will soon begin the college application process. They will only have an essay, 8-10 spaces for all their extracurricular activities, maybe a couple of short answer questions, plus recommendations from their counselor and teachers to explain who they are to colleges. So much has to be said in so little space.
Add to that the stereotypes that tend to lump kids into categories. Many things can drive this: where they grew up, parents’ income level, their declared major, their high school educational venue, their ethnicity and gender, the activities they choose. Classifying kids isn’t harmful, but neither is it helpful. Our job in the application process is to move past this pigeonholing into the beauty of each individual student.
This is where context comes in – explaining the circumstances that have molded this teen . If we don’t provide it, there is no way colleges can guess at it. Students with unusual backgrounds, kids who have been through difficult situations, teens from families that don’t fit the norm around them, all these things need to be communicated subtly and masterfully in college applications.
This is why it is so critical to have an overarching plan that guides all our efforts. We have a story to tell and we need to make sure we communicate it well.
Are you on our VIP List? If you would like to receive our newsletter, be the first to be notified of sales and new classes, and get special updates, click here!
Leave a Reply