Summer Time and College Applications

Imagine you have ten errands to complete a month from now.

If you begin today, you can space things out and comfortably check tasks off your list.

On the other hand, if you leave it all for the last two days, you'll frantically try to get everything done and likely make mistakes along the way.

College applications are no different. Your child will have to complete a set amount of work, whether they begin this week or four months from now.

If your child begins their work early, they'll have more time to reflect, produce better essays, and maximize their odds of getting into great colleges. If they leave things until the last minute, your child's years of hard work may not pay off in the same way.

Many parents ask me when the "right time" is for their child to begin working on their college applications.

If your child is a rising senior, the answer is right now. Actually yesterday, but I don’t want to scare you.

Senior year gets incredibly busy with rigorous coursework and college application stress, so I encourage your child to get an early start on their essays over the summer so they can have a relatively smooth admissions process.

Do you know what specific colleges are looking for? It could mean the difference between receiving a letter that begins with “Congratulations!” vs. “We regret to inform you…”

Your child has studied hard for standardized tests, worked diligently to achieve a strong GPA, spent countless hours participating in extracurriculars, and even secured some great recommendation letters.

Now what?

Most students know that their Common App Essay can make or break their application. But supplemental essays are often treated like an afterthought.

No matter how strong your child's personal statement may be, if their supplemental essays lack passion, cohesiveness, and a clear vision, their entire application could fall flat. All of their hard work could be compromised.

Beyond scores, grades, and extracurriculars, supplemental essays are your child’s chance to show colleges what they’re really made of: their personality, their passion, and even their sense of humor.

Some colleges require a few short essays about your child’s major choice or extracurriculars, whereas others require thousands of words about their values, personal background, or leadership experience.

Occasionally, colleges will ask your child to compose a literary analysis or creative writing piece—like explaining how apples and oranges should be compared to each other. (The University of Chicago is notorious for offering odd prompts)!

Is your child ready for curveballs like that?

Does your child know exactly how to approach these questions, taking the theme they began to develop in their primary application and linking it to each individual school, without sounding cliché?

Most students have access to the same resources when generating their answers—college websites, discussion boards, perhaps a current student or alum. That’s great, but similar resources often lead to similar answers.

With prompts asking for everything from full 650-word essays to short-and-sweet 35-word takes, how should your child navigate the dense thicket of essay diversity they’re likely to encounter?

Although many colleges share similar supplemental prompts, they're each seeking different responses. Even the most promising students commonly fail to tailor their supplemental essays to each individual school's vision, values, and opportunities.

When your child learns how to clearly articulate why they're a perfect fit for each school, they'll unlock the ability to stand out from tens of thousands of other competitive applicants.

Based on nearly two decades of experience guiding students through the college application process, Planting the Ivy will help show your child how to:

• Demonstrate fit with each college and chosen major;

• Clearly and concisely answer exactly what the prompts are asking;

• Infuse their essays with their own unique voice; and

• Prove their college readiness by demonstrating high-level critical thinking and self-reflection.

  If you're unsure about everything your child will have to get done or simply want a refresher, set up a meeting with me.