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3 Tips for College Admissions Using Basic Etiquette

Have you seen the daily postings of “Do you remember this” on Facebook with photos of old products or tools that were used 10, 20, 40 years ago?  They take many of us back to an earlier time and the things we did or used on a daily basis. But for young people, they may seem irrelevant.  Much like Ann Landers, Emily Post or Miss Manners, wrote about social etiquette for syndicated publications for years, the new age has brought new terms and concerns.  Etiquette has now expanded to “Netiquette,” and the proper uses of the net in business, and I would expand that to say, “Your College Search.”

While many of our forms of communication have changed over the last 20 years with the Internet and cell phones, some of the old manners of business are still the best method to secure a positive outcome whether you are looking for a new job or seeking college admission.  Here are 3 Tips to help you in that process:

1 – Get Connected – When you make contact with an individual in an admissions office; get their name, a direct number you can reach them by phone for future questions, and an email address.  These are the first steps in building a relationship.

2 – Be Authentic – Don’t waste their time and yours.  If the school really isn’t an institution in which you could see yourself attending, don’t waste their time and yours.  Identify other schools that are a closer match to the experience you are looking to build.  The questions you ask should not have answers readily found on the school website, so do your homework.

3 – Be Polite – Use your manners each time you speak with someone in the admissions office and thank them for their time.  However, be sure to send a thank you note following an interview.  While email is good, handwritten is even better!

Basic etiquette is simple but it is so important.  It sends a message about your character, your attention to detail and your value of other people’s time.  Their time is valuable, but so is yours.  Make every effort count.  Get connected, be authentic, and be polite.  Basic etiquette still works wonders!

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Preparation as a Determining Factor in the Duration of Your Degree

When we set out to buy a car, we do our homework.  We check websites for best deals and dealers, price special features, and determine in our mind what our budget will be and the kind of vehicle we can afford.  Part of the equation may even be determining how long we intend to keep and use the vehicle, how serviceable it will be, and how much satisfaction we will get out of using it.

Actually, college is a similar investment.  We do our homework, compare schools, tuitions and, unfortunately, while we may think we budget enough for college, changing your mind on a major can completely change the financial picture.  The national average indicates that students in college change majors 3-5 times.  And although a bachelors’ degree typically only requires 4 years of college, the national average for students’ indicates they require 5.8 years.  Changing majors changes the duration of your degree and has huge financial impact.

Preparing ahead of time can make all the difference in the world from your performance in college classes to the amount of money invested in attaining a 4 year degree and even to the level of satisfaction with the chosen field of study and eventual career.  Preparations can begin as early as middle school and most of them take almost no time to invest beyond what you already do.  But you do have to be organized and have a plan.  Obviously the closer you get to junior and senior year in high school the more you need to be doing and the amount of money you invest becomes more demanding.  After all, tests, college visits and many activities include costs.

Good preparation can save time and money both in high school and in college.  So when you think about getting that college degree, have you thought about how much you are willing to invest in upfront costs of time, effort and money to save thousands on the back end?

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Working Backwards

In spite of the highly publicized expense of college, the numbers of applicants is growing at an astounding rate.  The need for an education beyond high school is recognized, but the importance of preparing is often overlooked by the demands of a daily grind.  Too many times, students find themselves short of an opportunity because of a lack of planning.  So make a plan to plan backwards!  Start with the end in mind.

Juniors, you know you need to take the SAT, ACT or even PSAT.  You may even need a prep course to fine tune those skills or techniques for taking tests effectively.  Target your date of an exam, work backwards and allow enough time for taking that prep course.  Your plan may even include a follow up test with prep course in between the first “baseline” test.  Either way, the entire plan needs to be driven by the target date of submitting college applications and having test scores available.  It typically takes about 3 weeks to get scores after you sit for the SAT, ACT, or PSAT.

Seniors, you must have your timeline established.  You are in final test opportunity mode with only two fall dates left to register for the SAT and three for the ACT.  You’re also in college visit mode and completing applications.  The Common Application went live on-line the first week of August for those 2013 applicants, so essay questions are posted.  This is the time to begin planning your essay!

Although it is critcal for juniors and seniors to be carefully assessing their timeline, it is not too early for sophomores and freshman to begin their plan.  By building your plan with the end in mind, you can guard against missing deadlines and create great opportunities to build your “value” as a university applicant.  You also begin to establish a plan of behavior that pays big dividends as you navigate time management in college.  Work backwards…it works!

Need help?  Click here to contact me.

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Successful Time Management Begins in High School

Last week I posted a blog about one of the big pitfalls for college freshmen, time management.  The ability to manage time wisely doesn’t magically begin when one turns eighteen or goes to college, and for some it never begins.  For some it becomes a life management problem because the skill is never developed.   But it can be developed and the earlier the better.

High school and college students alike should get in the habit of using a planner or agenda.  Depending on preferences, you might be looking at an electronic or paper product.  Either way, it has to be manageable for you, so spend an hour at a local Office Max, Office Depot or comparable supplier to explore the options.  Cell phones also offer planner tools, so check yours out as you weigh the possibilities.

High school students need to consider the need to plan long term as part of their high school career.  Although the big push for college applications begins in the senior year, the bulk of the work is already finished.  You have already established your “application resume’” through your freshman to junior years.  So, the reality is, a few minutes spent planning each year helps to get you strategically positioned for a successful college admissions process.

  • Freshmen, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Sophomores, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Juniors, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Seniors, you must prepare and manage your time!

Creating a pattern of behavior that develops as part of a plan for good time management will be one more strategic tool you will have in your bag when you head off to college.

For more information on a plan specific to you, contact me.

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A Word to the Wise

Over the coming weeks, college students will begin to report to campus.  Freshmen will enter a whole new phase of life and upper classmen will be anxious to return to friends and a lifestyle different from living at home.  Therein lays the message for today.  Consider it a Word to the Wise.  Wise because you have gained enough knowledge and experiences to get you there, but are you wise enough to maintain?

Freshmen attrition rates have been written about in publications for almost 40 years with rates of 13-33% at institutions across the country.  So, in addition to national norms of 6 years for a 4 year degree, the rate at which freshman drop out is alarming.  I can bring it even closer to home and say that in my years as a principal, I have known or known principals in which six of their valedictorians or salutatorians have not only dropped out after freshman year, but lost significant scholarships.  Why this disappointing ending?

For some, economic issues are the culprit, but for many more the issue is time management.  Living at home you have boundaries set by parents and a system of checks and balance.  You also have a daily class schedule that has established timeframes and expectations for every minute of your 7 hour school day.  But college doesn’t run that way.  No one tells you to get up in the morning, no one tells you to go to class, and no one tells you to do your homework.  It’s all on you.  Wow!  That’s a shift!

It seems so natural, but it’s not!  Yes, turning 18 and becoming more independent we are expected to become more “adult” and with that we are expected to make good decisions and demonstrate adult behaviors.  But when you are surrounded by so many new choices, new friends, and new opportunities, the lure to manage time wisely is challenged and therein lies the making of a freshman catastrophe and ultimately a statistic for freshmen attrition.

Wisdom is not just the academic, it is also experience.  Students who have been successful demonstrate an ability to manage their time wisely.  So for those of you going off to college, take a few minutes as the semester begins and evaluate your schedule, evaluate available time, and establish a routine for study habit development.  Protect that time, manage your time wisely and your success!