College application season is here! And as you begin and finish filling out each of the applications for the colleges you are applying to, it is vital to remember that you need to take your time, be thorough, and proofread the entire application before you hit that “submit” button.
According to a recent article by college adviser Lee Bierer, here is a list of the most common college application mistakes.
- Be careful when cutting and pasting. Students in a hurry to get through the application often forget to change the name of the college if they are submitting applications to multiple colleges. Imagine what the admissions office thinks when they are reading your application and it mentions the wrong college.
- Lack of interest or enthusiasm when writing the essay portion. Essays that are too short or don’t answer the given prompt makes the admissions office wonder if you are really serious about attending their college. Thoroughly answer all prompts and show why you deserve to be admitted!
- Be aware of your email address, twitter account information, and Facebook bio. Don’t have any information that makes you come across as silly and immature.
- Procrastination. Admissions officers review thousands of applications and they can spot the “procrastinator,” especially when your application has a plethora of errors. Start early and proofread often. It is a good idea to even have your mom or dad proofread your application.
- Missing deadlines. Even though deadlines vary from college to college, you need to know all of these time frames for each college you are applying to. One college that you are applying to may even have multiple deadlines for a variety of information you will need to submit. Keep a spreadsheet or a notebook that lists each college and all of the deadlines for each piece of information you will need.
- Forgetting about the Common Application Supplements. Most colleges on the Common App will have a supplement and many will just ask college-specific questions, but many more may have additional essay questions that you will need to answer so be aware of what is exactly needed for each college.
If you have any questions about the college application process, please feel free to give us a call and set up an appointment. We offer a variety of programs that will help make the application process as easy as possible.