Applying for fall admission to top US colleges? Avoid these common mistakes
To ease the college application process, students should avoid making these common mistakes.
Applying to college can be a daunting experience, but being mindful of common mistakes can help make the process smoother. College admissions officers sift through hundreds of applications each year, and some missteps can quickly put an applicant’s chances at risk. So, let us look at what are the most frequent errors that can lead to rejection.
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Common mistakes to avoid while applying to college
Following are some of the most common mistakes made by students while they try to curate the perfect application for their dream college.
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Read directions carefully
Experts suggest that it is important that students read the instructions carefully to understand what exactly are the colleges asking for in the application. Executive director of admission at Florida Institute of Technology, Mike Perry shared with US News & World Report, “In some instances, students aren't filling out all the data on the application. They're leaving blanks, so they're not necessarily answering all the questions.”
He added that when students fail to miss out the important information, the gaps create a partial image of the students. He also encouraged students to fill out the optional information because if the school is asking for it then it is wise to provide it.
Parents should not make decisions
Admission officials suggest that parents should be actively engaged with the admission process of their child but should also practice some constraints. When it comes to applications, parents should avoid writing their child’s essays, filling out applications and being the central communication between the student and the school officials.
CEO of nonprofit admissions consulting firm Peak Education, Carlos Jiménez shared with US News & World Report that parents should fix a time every week with their child to check in on the process of applications rather than the daily updates. Parental advocacy is necessary but the schools want to see the student campaign for themselves.
No lengthy resumes
Resumes are not required by everyone but some ask for them as optional data. While submitting a resume it is important to stick to one simple rule which is also something the professionals also adhere to. The resume should not be longer than two pages. Students should try to keep the document less than two pages.
Proofreading application is a must
Students should never submit their application without proofreading it. While it is fine to use tools like spellcheck to speed-up the process, students must go through the application by themselves at least once.
Do not wait to apply until the eleventh hour
Students should not wait until the last minute to work on their applications and turn them in. Last-minute submissions can be stressful and may lead to missing out on some important deadlines. Students are advised to create a timeline to allocate time to writing essays and filling out applications along with ensuring that no deadlines or steps were missed in the admission process.
Reusing essays is not the way to go
College admissions officers read thousands of essays, so they can quickly tell when an applicant is using a recycled topic or generic phrasing. Using the same essay for multiple applications or relying on overused ideas can weaken your submission. It is important to craft a fresh, personalised essay for each school that truly highlights who the students are and what they bring to the table.
Do not flood the application with extracurricular activities
College admissions officers appreciate seeing students who are genuinely involved, but joining clubs solely to boost a resume is not effective. Students need to engage in activities they truly care about, rather than exaggerating their involvement or misrepresenting their contributions. Authenticity matters and admissions officers can easily spot when students aren’t being honest about their extracurriculars.
