2. Burnout
Going into the process most fail to conceptualize how hard it is to write personal statements and effective essays. They are never prepared for the amount of time it takes to write the main personal statement or the four Personal Insight Questions for the UC schools. The colleges’ own questions are even more challenging. They are often asked to display their intellectual curiosity or what they can contribute to the diversity of a campus or, the most common, why is their school the best fit. It is difficult and as the season moves along, students’ essays tend to lose depth and authenticity. In short, they become less effective. There is a lot riding on these essays, their writing needs to be so persuasive that the colleges feel confident that the student will attend their school if admitted and will be an asset to their student body. In the Fall, it is exciting to watch their writing skills improve as they endeavor to meet this challenge; they are engaged and receptive to suggestions and constructive criticism. By January, however, they are more likely to go with their essays “as is.”
3. Grades Can Suffer
Regular decision deadlines for many private schools happen in the first two weeks of January. First semester at many high schools ends in January. End of semester means final exams or term papers. Something will suffer, and for many seniors it will be both the quality of their applications and the amount of studying done for their classes. Sometimes this can be circumvented by applying to earlier deadlines but often that is not prudent or allowed if you applied Early Decision or Restricted Early Action somewhere and were notified in December that you were not admitted. The bottom line is that many seniors are still submitting applications after Winter Break.
4. Time and Money
Applications cost money and sending test scores costs money, and it adds up. It’s not unusual to have the combined application and test scores cost around $100.00 per school.
Time is the other factor. Already mentioned is the fact that the essay writing takes a lot of time, but it is important to consider the other time-consuming components. Research is a crucial element in the application process. Whether it is done virtually or you have had the luxury of traveling to schools, learning all you can is vital. This goes hand in hand with demonstrating interest. Schools know the time applicants have spent on their sites. How long did it take before an email was opened, which virtual events has the applicant attended, how long have they spent on the website and what were they looking at? Additionally, the applications themselves often have details that take time to solve often involving getting information from high school counselors. Items missing from an application must be found and unique circumstances, explained. Then there might be supplementary applications for merit scholarships and/or honors programs. When applicable, financial aid forms might need to be filled out as well.
5. No Gain
Students apply to increasing numbers of schools each year primarily because they want to go to the “best” school that they can get into. This is fueled by our obsession with the rankings that determine national reputation. It is well-established that these rankings are manipulated and should be considered cautiously, but considered they are. In the end good preparation and research will allow college applicants to apply to a manageable number of appropriate schools and to submit strong applications that best showcase their skills and personalities while demonstrating that their schools of choice would be places where they would thrive. The process should be exciting as these teenagers are making arguably their first major decision, but applying to too many schools will overwhelm them. It is not necessary to cast your nets so wide with the thought that that is the best assurance that you will have choices that excite you. After all, in the end, you can only pick one.