I follow College Vine, but rarely actually read the posts. There are too many of them (usually several a day), and they're too specific ("How to organize a high school study session," for example, or "Community service projects for music majors").
Each post in itself is to the point and well-meaning, but when added up they even make me nervous that nobody's doing enough in high school. In several ways College Vine is the opposite of Apply with Sanity.
But you know what? Yesterday's "Eight Tips to Use Your Time Efficiently and Stay Organized in High School" is really good. I sincerely encourage you to read it.
But "Leading your school's chapter of UNICEF club"? There's a very tiny chance you need to read that one.
There's a story like this almost every year. Colleges, even dream colleges, make mistakes and send the fat envelope to people who are supposed to get the skinny envelope. It's so bad that you may still feel unsure of an acceptance even after you get the notice. Here's what to do if you get an acceptance notice but you're not sure if it's really time to celebrate yet.
I normally hate mission statements. Ideally, a mission statement is honest, written well, to the point, helpful, and something that directs the group on a daily basis. As far as I can tell, no mission statement actually meets all those criteria. Personal, as opposed to organization, mission statements are even worse. They're usually so grandiose and vague that there's no way they can actually direct a person's energy and actions toward a better future. To my thinking, a feasible and actionable to-do list for tomorrow is almost always going to be better than a big fuzzy mission statement that covers the next three years.
But the thing is, college admissions season is actually a pretty good time to write a mission statement.
My friend's daughter has already done a lot of thinking about school, and she's been smart about it: "she wants it to be relatively small, in an urban area, have great science facilities and opportunities to work directly with professors. She's thinking biology, likely pre-med, but also acknowledges that she might abandon that entirely when she gets to school in favor of something more like politics or public policy. If you ask her casually, she's pretty articulate about her thought process." So why did her daughter, when asked about her plans by a professional who wants to help her, just shrug and say "I don't know"?
The Common Application has released the essay prompts for the 2017-2018 year. You can find the official announcement on their official site here.
Two of them are exactly the same as last year--the one about your "background, identity, interest, or talent," and the one about "the problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve"--and the other three from the previous year got some tweaks and revisions but are basically the same.
What's really interesting, though, are two new and additional prompts, bringing the number of prompts up to seven.
Can a teacher take back a recommendation letter? Sure. Recommendation letters are personal statements that a teacher chooses to make about a student's character. They are not mandated or regulated by high schools, and they should be thought of as personal favors. So if a teacher speaks to your outstanding character and then sees evidence that maybe it's not so outstanding, then a teacher can take the recommendation back. This is very, very rare.
You can't refuse to make other plans hoping that you'll hear back from the school that waitlisted you. Depending on the college and the year (even if you look up their statistics from last year, they may be wildly different this year), your chances of hearing good news later are either slim, very slim, or maddeningly slim. You have to move on.
Somewhere in your mind, though, you'll keep wondering what to do if it turns out you actually are one of the rare few who gets a spot later. Let's go over two different approaches to dealing with that possibility so it doesn't add anxiety to all your days between now and September.
I have students ask me--though maybe in not these exact words--how to go to the right for school for "that competitive edge in the marketplace" if you are really sure of your intended major and career and you're not one of those less-driven, wishy-washy people who will change their mind.
Sigh.
Fine, let's talk about that.
Thanks for visiting Apply with Sanity. Now that you're back in the groove with the second half of the school year, here's a peek at what you may have missed over the winter.
I interviewed a college student about her path to becoming a double major.
I recommended two books by one of my favorite nonfiction writers.
I gave some tips for what to do over the winter break, as well as updating the What Should I Be Doing Now? section for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.
I talked about some of the emotions your family might be going through right now as you're getting ready to leave high school.
I advised you on how to ask a college for a larger financial aid package.
I reminded you that your career path will likely involve more than one career, with examples of people who have made some big changes.
I revealed what I learned from talking to a college Dean of Admission and Enrollment.
I put out a call for seniors to share their wisdom.
I told you how to say Thank You.
I'll continue updating the site several times a week, so please let me know your thoughts, questions, and suggestions.
Photo by David Leggett Photography
