CollegeApp Chick’s Top Three Underappreciated Application Tips.

Tip Number One: Love Thy Safety Schools

Ahh, the dreaded safety school. The last resort. The sure thing. The redheaded stepchild of admissions. Too long has the safety school been looked at with disdain 

Well let me tell you, no more. It’s time to be excited about your safety schools.

On a practical note, it will make it a lot easier on you if you don’t look at the school as the consequence of failure. Because you didn’t fail. You got through the process with an offer of admission somewhere? That means that someone wanted you. And on that note…

This school is probably thrilled to have you. You can probably afford it easily (or easier than other schools). Less debt? Sounds pretty amazing to me.

Part of loving your safety schools in showing interest. Many colleges and universities track applicant interest as a factor for admissions. This can be by visiting campus (I will do a whole other post on this, but for the record, if you can visit a school before you apply, you MUST do it), interviewing, meeting with reps if they’re in the area (always sign in), taking cards from admissions reps that you meet and emailing them, signing in at college fairs, and probably ten more ways I can’t think of at the moment.

If you don’t love your safety schools, it may make them less safe than you thought.

This applies more to competitive private schools than public schools… but schools don’t want to be your safety! Who wants to be the last choice? And if you show no interest in a school or, heaven forbid, tell them they’re your safety school your admissions chances can be dramatically lowered.

So, lets all say it together, “I love my safety school!”

Tip Number Two: Don’t Lie

This should be common sense… but it really truly isn’t said enough.
Do not. Under any circumstances. Lie on your college applications.

Even a little bit.

A common example is the hours per week you’ll put on your resume.

You might spend less than an hour a week in a club. But since you’re an officer, you want to make it look like you spend all of your time on it. So you bump that up to 10 hours per week. And then you increase the hours you spend at piano lessons to 20 hours. And make work into 30. And the other four clubs and honors societies add up to another 50 hours.

Who is going to believe that?

It’s just going to make you look silly and make the men and women evaluating your application dubious to believe anything you’ve written.

Making up officers positions, fake clubs, honors societies, etc is just going to get you into trouble. Your recommendations will likely talk about your activities. It would seem strange if no one mentioned the “club with 100+ members” you pretended to start. 
It won’t pay off. Don’t do it.

You may think you don’t have enough to impress the admissions reps. But you do. Just be passionate about what you really do.

Tip Number Three: Don’t Write About Your Resume

… for your big essay.

The big essay, the one that will go to every college you apply to. The 500-word summary of you.

You may think that you should write about your biggest passion. Don’t fall into this trap.

For example… lets say you’re a champion softball player. Every single one of your extracurriculars relates back to softball (teaching it to disabled kids for your community service, umpire-ing the little league for your job, attending summer clinics, playing all state teams, etc.).

When admissions goes to read your well-crafted essay about how softball is a metaphor for your adolescence? They’re going to groan and go “yes, we know, you play softball.”

Tell them something they don’t know.

Maybe little miss softball is fascinated by baking decorating cakes. She spends all of her umpire money on fondant and fancy mixers. And she makes everything gluten free to help her celiac little brother.

Of course, recreational baking isn’t going to pop up on your application.

The cake-decorating essay shows a different side of miss softball, a creative side and a compassionate side. Maybe little miss softball is pursuing a degree in nutrition because the gluten free revolution needs a few allies ready to make it beautiful and delicious. That shows passion. That shows heart. That essay teaches them something you can’t put on a resume.

Different, unexpected essays help admissions get to know you. To know the you outside of statistics and recommendations. Why would you squander that chance? 

So everyone repeat after me...

1. I will love my safety school and give it the appreciation it deserves 

2. I will not ever lie on my applications because I am better than that 

3. I will use my essay to tell the admissions reps something new, not rehash what they already know