10.02 Follow up with colleges!
10.02 Follow up with colleges!
Just as you college applicants thought you had hit submit--and it's over!--it's not. Current applicants, listen up, and younger students, plan ahead!
Click on the image or on this link to access the video: https://youtu.be/tiooAgqg5Y0
Athena Advises
The applications you were so proud--or at least relieved--to submit are now stacked up and waiting to be read by real, live people in the admissions offices of the colleges to which you aspire. At many of the most competitive colleges, that stack, whether physical or virtual, will be over 25,000 files high. What can you do right now to get your file to stand out?Here are two tips: Send an update, and send it to the right person.1. Update your application with anything genuinely new and genuinely important that has happened since you submitted your application. Did you get the highest possible predicted grade on your Extended Essay or senior thesis? Did you spend your winter break as a ski instructor, and get voted the best instructor at the ski school? Is the book of short stories you worked so hard to self-publish now available on amazon? Did you learn that you won first prize in a scholarship competition? Did you visit the college?2. Write directly to the admissions officer who is likely to be reading your application. Perhaps you already got an email message from that person, acknowledging your application. In the case of a small college, you may already have been offered an interview with someone from the admissions office. Don't forget to follow up with a thank-you note emphasizing your interest! Larger schools often post the names and email addresses of the individuals responsible for particular regions. Write to the relevant person. Don't be surprised if you hear back!Be sure to review the website of each college to which you applied, to ascertain their policy with regard to updates. Follow the directions. If the school specifically asks that you not send supplementary information, then of course, you should not do so. Otherwise, underscore your interest by keeping in touch with appropriate information. This is especially important at smaller colleges.Colleges require that you or your school counselor update your applications with your recent grades. Don't miss the chance to tell them what else you've accomplished!Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sites