It. Has. Been. A. Minute.
I finished assisting 25 seniors through their college application journey a few weeks ago. I was with some from first-draft school spreadsheets in May to Regular Decision deadlines in January. Our work together began at different points on the college admissions timeline and my involvement with each varied. I coached over 100 essays for my students this application cycle, and I’m eager to write about that experience. But for now, I’m going to discuss something far more timely and important for prospective parents and students: commitment to the process.
Most high school students haven’t yet had to see themselves through a months-long endeavor that isn’t exactly mandatory or heavily mapped out for them. Yet the college application process is an independent experience. It hinges on dedication and an acknowledgment that desired results are, for the most part, a direct reflection of effort.
Parents, you might be asking yourselves, “but, don’t you map it out for my student?”
I absolutely do. I manage the process. Travel agents suggest destinations, make reservations, and create an itinerary for clients that desire a schedule to ensure they haven’t missed anything important or special. Enlisting the assistance of an educational consultant focused on college admissions provides that same involvement and reassurance.
My students and their parents are relieved when I begin overseeing the calendar and executing my strategy; suddenly, something so complicated has a practicable framework.
Students, however, must commit to the process. Applying to college is an extra class. In fact, it should be called Attention to Detail. Actually, it’s two extra classes--the other is Introspective Essay Writing.
After we begin working together, the newfound familiarity and trust—combined with the allure of summer and deadlines that seem distant—erode the excitement I first see in students. It’s natural, and I expect it. But this is where it becomes most evident that working with me is a balanced partnership. Whether I’m taking students through their applications from start to finish or simply working on essays, my reminders, texts, and cajoling are most useful to those who are diligent and responsible.
I ensure student essays have meticulous grammar and suggest colorful punctuation. I’m a biiig fan of the semicolon and thoughtful italics (not to mention parentheses for witty asides). I’ll facilitate their story development and composition. But I can’t write the essays—and there will likely be several required.
I track important dates for their high school and the institutions to which they’re applying. But it’s up to each student to actually follow their school’s procedures and submit their applications.
I encourage students to schedule weekly meetings with me so we can start school research together. They’ll receive communication from me to request letters of recommendation. I’ll share a Doc with them to begin listing and describing their activity involvement well before senior year begins. But ultimately, students must take the initiative to assemble the pieces and parts for each application.
Every student has a different flair for how they handle the anticipation of applying to college. I’ve now had the 1 a.m. texters, last-minute schedulers, doubters, and those that want to pore over language. And here is what I can conclude. My most successful students—in terms of acceptances and stress-level—booked their next meeting with me before they closed their laptop at the one we were just finishing. They reconciled feelings about deep, personal matters and then uninhibitedly expressed them. They deleted language they initially didn’t want to remove. They took my advice they asked for, ran with it, and delivered.
They matched the commitment I made to them with their commitment to the process.
(And for those wondering how one can tell a story or make a point in just 650 words, the above clocks in at 616.)
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