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The News-Times
March 24, 2008
Managing the college acceptance process
By: Eileen FitzGerald
It's a rite of spring.
High school seniors await word from the colleges they hope to attend. Will they be accepted, put on a waiting list or rejected?
"It's a very tense time, waiting for a final decision," admissions expert and author Katherine Cohen said.
Cohen recommends different strategies for students based on the letters that will start arriving April 1.
A student who doesn't get into his or her dream college will express disappointment, anger and frustration, and parents should offer emotional support.
"You need to remind your child that she can be happy and successful at many colleges, that there is not just one match for them," Cohen said in telephone interview this week. "Parents must remind their children that college is what you make of the experience. It's not just a name."
This might be the first major setback a child faces, and it's important to learn how to get through it with maturity.
"Make sure a child sees that this is not a reflection of their own worth," she said.
She warned parents not to call the college admissions office. But the student can call and ask what was weak on her application if it is still her first choice school.
The student can ask if it is feasible to reapply and how to strengthen the application.
If a child is wait-listed at the dream school, Cohen recommends the student send a deposit to his second-choice school as backup. Then he should send a letter to the admissions office at the dream school.
"Be upbeat in tone, tell them the school remains your first choice, and if you get in you will attend," she said.
Students should update their resume in the letter, listing awards, honors, internships, and community activities not on the original application.
She reminded students that some schools use the waiting list as early as the end of April, but others might use it in late July.
She advises the lucky student accepted to several colleges but uncertain where to go to make a fair comparison of the schools.
Look at the financial aid award and the academic offerings in potential subject areas besides the student's main interest.
Consider what makes the campuses different from each other. Look at their libraries, what research they are doing, their career counseling and academic advisement services and their alumni network.
And look at the campus culture and the off-campus setting and resources.
Cohen, a former teacher at Yale University, where she also read entrance applications, has taught SAT prep courses and written two books on college admissions.
She just founded www.applywise.com, a new interactive online college admissions tool. It helps students and families navigate and organize the college admissions process to relieve stress and restore sanity.
Students are preparing to leave home, leave friends and start anew academically and socially.
"It's such a large research process to find a college," Cohen said, and "students have to consider the whole experience."
The News-Times
March 24, 2008
Managing the college acceptance process
By: Eileen FitzGerald
It's a rite of spring.
High school seniors await word from the colleges they hope to attend. Will they be accepted, put on a waiting list or rejected?
"It's a very tense time, waiting for a final decision," admissions expert and author Katherine Cohen said.
Cohen recommends different strategies for students based on the letters that will start arriving April 1.
A student who doesn't get into his or her dream college will express disappointment, anger and frustration, and parents should offer emotional support.
"You need to remind your child that she can be happy and successful at many colleges, that there is not just one match for them," Cohen said in telephone interview this week. "Parents must remind their children that college is what you make of the experience. It's not just a name."
This might be the first major setback a child faces, and it's important to learn how to get through it with maturity.
"Make sure a child sees that this is not a reflection of their own worth," she said.
She warned parents not to call the college admissions office. But the student can call and ask what was weak on her application if it is still her first choice school.
The student can ask if it is feasible to reapply and how to strengthen the application.
If a child is wait-listed at the dream school, Cohen recommends the student send a deposit to his second-choice school as backup. Then he should send a letter to the admissions office at the dream school.
"Be upbeat in tone, tell them the school remains your first choice, and if you get in you will attend," she said.
Students should update their resume in the letter, listing awards, honors, internships, and community activities not on the original application.
She reminded students that some schools use the waiting list as early as the end of April, but others might use it in late July.
She advises the lucky student accepted to several colleges but uncertain where to go to make a fair comparison of the schools.
Look at the financial aid award and the academic offerings in potential subject areas besides the student's main interest.
Consider what makes the campuses different from each other. Look at their libraries, what research they are doing, their career counseling and academic advisement services and their alumni network.
And look at the campus culture and the off-campus setting and resources.
Cohen, a former teacher at Yale University, where she also read entrance applications, has taught SAT prep courses and written two books on college admissions.
She just founded www.applywise.com, a new interactive online college admissions tool. It helps students and families navigate and organize the college admissions process to relieve stress and restore sanity.
Students are preparing to leave home, leave friends and start anew academically and socially.
"It's such a large research process to find a college," Cohen said, and "students have to consider the whole experience."
Staci Weiner
Phone: 212-725-4500 ext. 3283
Email: sweiner@schwartz.com
Joan Cear
Phone: 212-725-4500 ext. 309
Email: jcear@schwartz.com
