What Are the Common Mistakes That Many Students Make?

By Kat Cohen., PhD. Founder and CEO of IvyWise & ApplyWise.com

1. Not following directions
Pay attention to essay topics, word limits and deadlines.

2. Redundancy
Do not repeat information found within your resume in your personal statement. The Personal Statement is a chance to tell a story about you, not to rehash facts, statistics or accomplishments. Share your personality in your essay. And do not repeat courses, standardized testing scores, and other information already in the application on an additional resume.

3. Sending an incomplete application
Although many universities accept the Common Application, most require supplements. Do not forget to complete these! In addition, make sure that your test scores and teacher and counselor recommendations are sent directly to the colleges.

4. Sending too many items
Yes, you CAN send in too many recommendations and supplementary materials. Make sure that, if you are providing an extra recommendation, it illuminates a completely different facet of your personality that would otherwise be unknown. If you send supplementary materials, make sure you follow the school's directions on content, length and format.

5. Not applying early
Early decision is not reserved for gifted, wealthy or legacy students. If you have a top choice school and your application, grades and test scores are in order, you should apply early! In most cases, your chances of acceptance are higher when you apply early. Make sure that you know the difference between Early Action, Restricted Early Action, Early Decision, Early Response and Rolling Decision.