A Word About College Essay Styles

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

Students, you amaze me. You love to share your opinions. I know this, because you share them everywhere—Chattersnap, Gramphoto, and all the rest of those social media sites I know nothing about, other than you use them because you love to talk about yourselves.

Except when it comes to college essays. 

If I asked you for 650 words on your impressions of Permission to Dance, you’d go on for weeks. But colleges want 650 words about your favorite place in the world, and you say things like “The library. Gotta love that big dictionary.”

Permission denied.

Your college wants you to come to campus, talk with them for three hours, eat lunch, and go home. If they did admissions that way, they’d probably get great students—and by the time they were done interviewing everyone, each of those students would be 45 years old.

So you aren’t writing essays—you’re having a conversation, except you’re putting what you have to say on paper. That means you’ll want to do this:

Stop guessing. When a college asks “Name a problem you’d like to solve”, there’s no one right answer for everybody. Cure cancer? Great. The need for your mother to work three jobs? Absolutely. The squeak in your garage door? That can work, too—as long as it means something to you, and you can convey that meaning. This isn’t Algebra; you get to decide what the answer is, and why it makes sense. Put it down on paper, put the commas in the right place, and you’re good to go.

Tell a story. Remember the time you told your best friend about the first concert you went to, or the best pizza you ever ate? You were on fire at the end of the story, genuinely excited at the chance to share part of your life with them. That’s how you should feel once you’re done writing a college essay. This isn’t a speech you give to thousands of people; it’s a story that means something to you, and you’re telling it to someone who really wants to hear it. Save the speech; tell the tale.

Head or heart? Some students think the key to a great essay is to pack it with facts that make you sound like a brainiac, while others say the college will only beg you to come if they need a whole box of tissues to get through your essay. Life is a little of both, and so are college essays. Show the colleges what you think about, and why it means something to you. This will let them know you’re past the drama and trauma of teenagehood, and eager to embrace the tasks of becoming a thoughtful, caring adult.

Answer the question. If the college asks “Who do you admire?” and they still don’t know your answer once they’ve read your essay, you’ve given them one more reason to reject you. Ducking the question may work in Washington, but it doesn’t play well in admissions offices. If they want to know, you need to tell them.

Your goal is to write an essay that sounds so much like a conversation, they’ll be surprised you aren’t in the room with them when they’re finished reading it.

Kind of like Gramphoto. But with words.

College Access in Six Easy Steps

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

The start of school is the perfect time to revisit your counseling office’s college access curriculum. College isn’t in everyone’s plans, but too many students who want to go to college don’t know what to do or how to prepare for it. If these students come from families where their parents didn’t go to college—or worse, think it’s not affordable—the exploration of college as an option is never really going to happen.

That’s where you come in. Developing a full-blown college curriculum takes time (in case you’re interested, I already wrote one you can use), but these five pillars serve as a key foundation for your college access efforts.

Middle School College Readiness The high schools that offer students the best chance of considering college know the readiness for college doesn’t start in ninth grade. Kids whose parents talk about college at home think college is a natural thing. Schools can instill that same attitude, with middle (or even elementary) school visits to college campuses, and visits by alumni who are in college. 

Better yet, make sure your middle school curriculum has academic choices that let students develop their college credentials. Two keys are strong science offerings—think physical science and life science—and Algebra I as early as seventh grade. You can’t teach these in middle school the same way you teach them in high school, but the outcome is the same—they know the concepts, and can move on to the next level.

College Awareness If your high school is close to a college, you’re in luck. Use the resources of their admissions and financial aid offices to offer presentations to 9-11 graders about college. This isn’t a recruiting speech; it’s a give-and-take about what college is, how students can prepare for it, and how they can make the most of it. If colleges from out-of-state come to visit your seniors, they can play the same role. Ask them ahead of time, and they can come with a presentation that meets that need.

Parent Presentations The same thing is true for parents, especially if they didn’t go to college. You can’t just spring college on them when their kids are juniors and hope for the best. In some ways, you have to convince them this is a possibility, let alone a great idea. Again, college admissions officers are happy to present at these events, and so are financial aid officers. Just ask.

College Application Week Want to raise awareness of all college has to offer? College Application Week is a Spirit Week for college, including when teachers where college gear and share their college stories. This can get you started.

Dual Enrollment The data is undeniable—students are more likely to go to college, do well in college, and complete college, if they take a college course in high school. Dual enrollment is a program where, in most cases, the high school pays for the student’s college class. This takes advanced planning—and, unfortunately, some convincing—but this is one of The. Key. Steps. to opening college opportunity. Here’s a brief overview.  If this isn’t an option in your high school, it’s time to put the wheels in motion.

College Awareness as a Class The idea of teaching kids how to choose, apply, and pay for college as a course they take during the school day is a relatively new one, but it’s a great way to make sure students find the time to plan their futures. Senior College Seminar is complete with video links and lesson plans, and it’s free. Take a look.

“High School Parents — This is a bit harsh, but said with care”

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

It isn’t very often that I give this space away to a colleague, but when I read something and think “Gee, I wish I had said that”, that’s a clue that you would enjoy reading it as well.

That’s the case with this piece, written by Eva Dodds.  A former college advisor at one of the country’s most prestigious private schools, and a former admissions interviewer, Eva has worked face-to-face with students in four states and the District of Columbia. She’s a past president of the Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling, and works with Root College Advising, based in Metro Detroit.

Eva’s work as an independent college advisor is the example all independents should follow. The interests of the student are at the heart of everything she does, and when the occasion arises for her to work with the student’s school counselor, she develops a sense of team that’s simply hard to beat.

This piece is just one example of Eva’s support of school counselors, and I’m grateful she’s letting me share it with you. This is an ideal piece to take to your principal or building newsletter editor so they will share it with well-meaning parents who may need some help understanding just how college applications work.

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High School Parents — This is a bit harsh, but said with care

If your student is up against a college deadline and has questions, that is the fault of the applicant’s timeline, not the school counselor’s schedule. There are no emergencies in college admissions.

I know this sounds basic and I am not in any way meaning to be patronizing. Your school counselor would like to instantly answer all questions, as our world has become used to, but that is impossible. My advice is to plan to submit applications two weeks to six weeks ahead of deadlines. Then, when questions or process issues arise, there is time for them to be addressed in a relaxed and thorough manner.

Your school counselor wants to be able to answer your every college admission question in real time. The fear of not understanding or knowing how to best support your child = honest experiences. Saying that an office or a counselor is not doing enough because they did not make sure you knew how the process works, is a misplaced thought. These realities do not change based on the size of the high school or if one pays tuition. Seek out the information from your high school’s college admissions information resource. If the answers are not there then make an appointment to speak with your school counselor.

Most every school counselor I know is working late into the night in September to return emails and process applications. The process has become more complex each year for the high schools as well. The school counselors are asked to learn more platforms/programs to use to submit applications and transcripts each year while keeping up with college specific updates and more.

Planning ahead and seeking information where those who share it have left it are the two keys to a less stressful college admission process. This will help the applicants (your kiddos) the most! — All of this shared with their best interests & yours at heart.

Test Scores on Transcripts? Oh Dear…

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

I need to give you a little background about all this, so if you don’t work in Michigan, hang in there. This is important.

The end-of-the-year testing program in Michigan includes the SAT, and is given to every public high school junior. This battery of tests includes the SAT, a move originally designed to encourage students to take the test as they explore their options for life after high school.

Here’s where things get tricky. This program, which is codified in state law, was created at a time when the vast majority of colleges required test scores of some kind as part of the admissions process. That’s now changed, but the law hasn’t.

You see where this is going. Thanks to state law, no Michigan public school student can apply to any college as a test-optional candidate. This is an issue for many reasons, including a couple not often considered:

• Out-of-state students applying to Michigan colleges have an advantage over Michigan public school students applying to the same colleges

• Michigan public school students are at risk of submitting test scores that are lower than their best performance, since the SAT is given as part of a three-day testing experience, increasing the likelihood of test fatigue.

State law also requires this battery of tests includes administration of the SAT Writing Sample, a dinosaur that hasn’t appeared on the national SAT in several years. It was discontinued nationally when colleges basically said yeah, this thing doesn’t come close to measuring a student’s ability to write at the college level—yet Michigan is one of four states that still make students take it.

Legislation has been introduced in Michigan to eliminate the transcript posting requirement and the SAT writing sample—but here’s the reason why all of this could be important to you.

In gathering support for the change, a leading assessment organization has suggested that, in placing test scores on transcripts without the student’s consent, the state is violating FERPA. If the scores truly do belong to the student, the student should have say over who gets to see them. It’s also interesting that College Board believes test scores have no place on transcripts.

All of this is to say that, if your school has a policy that places test scores on transcripts, or automatically sends test scores with a transcript, it’s time to rethink that. Most colleges are test optional, which means scores aren’t required for admission. But if they’re sent, low scores can hurt a student’s chances for admission, since most colleges look at everything submitted—and the number of colleges who ignore low scores once they see them is about three dozen, so don’t count on that. Worse than that, if FERPA really is in play here, you’re putting yourself at the risk of a lawsuit, and that’s just no fun at all.

You could run into some resistance from your administration if you request this change, but it really is in the best interest of your district and the students to stop this practice. If you need some help convincing your crew that it’s time for a change, talk to the folks at FairTest. They’ve led the charge to change testing policies in this country for years, and are highly respected national experts on the subject.

If that doesn’t work, it may be time to contact your local media and let them know students’ privacy and college chances may be at risk. This may drive your boss crazy, but a lawsuit would drive them crazier—and that’s what you should tell them.