Top 10 Things to Check Before Submitting Your College Applications

Written by Admissions Expert, Ross Blankenship
Founder of Top Test Prep

When applying to college, your admissions application is the gateway to your acceptance. Your grades and academic history obviously factor into the equation, but since the application itself is what the admissions officers see first, caution must be taken to ensure you get everything right the first time. Remember perception is reality and admissions officers want to see a flawless college application. Before you submit your college application – whether using the common application or a University’s specific application, the same rules apply.
To help you get started, I have put together this guide to 10 things to check before you submit any college application or common application.

Before your submit your college applications…

1. Follow Directions Carefully: One of the most common errors applicants make is to simply not follow the directions on the application. As you begin filling out your app, be sure that you follow the directions thoroughly. If you’ve been asked to submit an essay that is no more than 500 words, do so. If you’re asked to fill in all of your personal information, complete everything you can. There’s a reason college applications have a word limit. Admissions offices receive thousands of applications, so it’s important to be clear and concise in the spaces allotted.

2. Write legibly (and don’t handwrite): Yes, students still do fill out applications by hand. I would strongly advise you not to be one of these students. If you’re one of the few people in America without a computer, then of course you can handwrite. But your handwriting should be perfect if you do.

3. Re-read everything: Be sure to re-read every section of the application. Doing so will ensure that you say what you mean, and don’t send the wrong message because of an error or oversight. I would even encourage you to read the entire college application out loud. You’ll be pleasantly surprised if you catch a mistake before, rather than after, your application is submitted.

4. Check Spelling and Grammar: Spelling and grammar are important on your college application. If you’re pasting your essays and application information from Microsoft Word, this is so easy to do. It also helps to have someone else read your application entirely before submitting.

5. Make sure everything is filled out :  Be sure that everything is filled out. You likely won’t have to fill out every section of the application, but you do want to ensure that you complete the portions that are pertinent to your acceptance.

6. Fill it out yourself: You can get your parents or friends to help you if needed, but fill it out yourself. If you allow someone else to write any portion of the document it will be apparent to the admissions officers with handwriting or general writing style. Some college admissions experts can also help you with your application, and make sure the application itself is perfected.

7. List Extracurricular Activities: Be sure that you list extracurricular activities that you actually were involved in throughout your academic career. Don’t overload the admissions offices with activities in which you spent very little time during the year.

8. Check the Date and Signature: Don’t forget to sign the application and date it correctly. On some documents the place for the signature will be on the back  - don’t forget to check it!

9. Attach all relevant Information: Ensure that you attach every document needed with the application: ID, your admissions essay, and any other documentation the application asks for should be attached as per the directions.

10. Ensure your Online Application Gets Submitted: If you are applying online be sure that you are taken to the confirmation page, and that you save the confirmation email.

Your college admissions application is your one chance to show the admissions offices exactly what kind of student you are, and plan on being at their school. Thus, taking extra time and double-checking your application is crucial. These steps above are just a few of the many admissions counseling tips we use at Top Test Prep. Give us a call to learn more, at (800) 501-Prep.

Ross Blankenship is an education expert and Founder of TopTestPrep.com.

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Top Test Prep provides admissions counseling and private tutoring for students applying to prep schools, colleges and graduate schools. For more information on test prep, admissions counseling and private tutoring, go to http://TopTestPrep.com or call (800) 501-Prep.

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“How to Select the Best Private School”

Written by Education Expert, Ross Blankenship
Founder of Top Test Prep

With a faltering public education system, plagued by lowered budgets and a host of other issues, many parents are turning to prep schools and private schools to get their children a solid education that prepares them for college and beyond.

A prep school is usually a private school and many times they are boarding schools as well. If you are one of those who choose the route of college prep for their children, rather than leaving them to the realm of a failing school system, choosing the right school is the key to your child’s future.

In this guide, we’ll use the words Prep Schools and Private Schools interchangeably, as most prep schools are private schools and vice versa.

With that, we have put together this guide of the top 10 considerations when choosing a prep school. It is not necessarily that any private school won’t provide a better academic experience for your child, most private schools far surpass their public counterparts; moreover it’s that choosing the right school will help your child through college and beyond. Students and parents should be ultra-selective when choosing these schools.

10 CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHOOSING A PRIVATE SCHOOL

When choosing a prep school you should visit every school that you have on your list. As you visit each school you should answer the following questions.

1. Does the location work for your family? Obviously you want to send your child to a school that is located conveniently for your family. You wouldn’t want to send them to a boarding school across the country, for example, if you weren’t prepared to pay for flights home a few times each year.

2. Does your child agree with the choice of schools? You child should be involved in the choice of schools. Failing to involve your son or daughter may mean lower grades when they are resentful for being there in the first place.

3. What are your child’s future plans? Many students don’t know what they plan to do beyond high school, for those that do however, that possible future can help you to choose a school that will fit well with their future educational requirements.

4. Does the educational program fit your needs? Many prep schools have a specific educational focus. What is that focus, and does it fit with what you want for your child? You don’t want to send your child to an art-specific school for example, if they intend to work in science in the future.

5. How does the school rate compared to similar schools? A simple Google search for prep school rankings will turn up hundreds of pages devoted to comparing the academic achievements of all of the different prep schools across the country. Top Test Prep provides an annual ranking of the best prep schools in the country. You can contact Top Test Prep to find out more (see contact below).

6. What values does the school instill? Many prep schools are focused on one set of moral, ethical, or religious values. Do those values fit you and your family?

7. Does the academy assist students in learning the moral and ethical requirements of the school? If the school has a specific focus, do they work to teach their values to their students? For example, does the catholic academy make time to teach Catholicism?

8. What are the rules for contacting your child? If the school has rules about contacting home, be sure that those rules fit with you and your child. A school that only allows weekly phone calls, for example, won’t work well if you plan to talk to your child every night.

9. How much does the school cost? Although it shouldn’t be the only consideration, obviously cost is a factor. If you can’t afford the school, do they offer scholarships or financial aid?

10. What other activities does the school offer? You also want to look at the extracurricular activities that the school offers. Do their sports, work, and other programs fit with your child’s passions and interests?

A prep school can help your child to get the best education possible. By simply taking the time to consider which school to choose carefully, you will be helping your child to create the best future possible as they move into college and then beyond their school years. However, just as private schools are selective in their admissions processes, from test prep and full-length applications- as a parent you too should be just as selective in your selection of the best private school.

Ross Blankenship is an education expert and the Founder of Top Test Prep. As an admissions expert, he helps families and students get into top private schools, colleges and graduate schools.

For more information on private school admissions counseling or for help with SSAT Prep, HSPT Prep or ISEE Prep, contact Top Test Prep today at (800) 501-Prep.

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What Admissions Offices Want, Objective vs. Subjective Standards

There are two sides to an admissions application for both colleges and graduate schools: objective vs. subjective standards. An admissions office wants both of these components, although some admissions committees emphasize one more than the other.

For definition purposes: the objective side of your application includes your test scores and your GPA. Whereas the subjective side of your application includes your personal statement, letters of recommendation, resume, extracurricular activities, and academic (or other) awards.

For the most part, an admissions office wants the highest test scores. In fact, test scores are the only objective standard in which an admissions office can compare your academic potential to another person applying. Think of the objective standard – test scores – in the same way that a person buying a new home would want to compare the house they’re interested in with a house on the same block. You can never really know the value of that potential home, until you see how other houses near that address fare when sold.

Also, it’s not easy to know exactly what test scores an admissions office is looking for, but one good guess is to research “median” test scores published by that school. For example, many Ivy League schools, which are ranked in the top 10 – i.e. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, generally have test scores that range above the top 90th percentile. This means for the SAT generally students score a 2000 or higher. For test such as the LSAT and GMAT, students generally score a 165 or higher and a 670 or higher, respectively, on these two exams for both schools. However, if you’re not quite in these ranges, you have two options: re-take the test, or make the subjective side (essays, resumes, recommendations) so good that they de-emphasize your test scores.

I would argue that objective standards such as your test scores and GPA are the gateway to having an admissions officer review the subjective side such as your essays and personal statements. In other words, many admissions officers won’t begin to look at your full application unless your test scores and GPA are strong enough and fit their median range. There’s a little bit of flexibility on the GPA, as there is some grade inflation at certain schools, and admissions offices know this. But for the most part, you want this objective component to also be as strong, as your test scores are. If the admissions office sees a higher GPA and a really low test score (or vice versa), you might have to explain why such a discrepancy exists.

On the subjective side of the admissions application, you really should focus on your admissions essay. In addition, your recommendations can make a big difference especially if the admissions office is comparing applicants with similar test scores. Overall, the subjective criteria that defines your application is the secondary component – but very important – to your potential admission into a top school.

If you need help with college admissions counseling or graduate admissions counseling, give us a call today or fill out our contact form.

Ross Blankenship
Admissions Expert, Founder of Top Test Prep

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Gaudy – adj. marked by conspicuous display; tastelessly showy

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