It’s August! The lakes are still full of boaters and Disneyland ticket prices continue to rise. But the reality is that if you have a rising senior; part of summer has ended as you navigate the college application process with your child. The month of August opens the College Common Application. This is the application that the majority of private schools utilize to pick their prospects for the Fall of 2025 freshman class. This application in many ways is a one stop process for your child to pick private colleges throughout the United States that utilize the common application. It includes a profile section, a family section, extracurriculars, parent history, and most importantly the essay. This application can make or break your child’s opportunities to the college of their dreams. It is also connected to the FAFSA so that your child can be offered a financial package to create a more competitive financial offer to entice your child.
Do I have your interest? The first question is, how do I get started? I would recommend taking care of the basic facts first: Your child’s profile, parent information, and all the other basics. Two sections that are the most demanding are the extracurriculars and the essay. With the limitation of 150 characters, the extracurricular section may be challenging. What can I write to demonstrate my student’s successes and how do I abbreviate information to leave only when it’s important? The goal is to create a resume full of action words and successes. If your child can quantify what they have achieved, this will empower this section even more to allow a competitive edge.
The essay section is just as critical. Your student will be picking one prompt of 650 words to highlight who your student is that may not show in their grades or their extracurriculars. The essay is an opportunity to truly spotlight your child on his/her ability to persevere, accept challenges, and show character that may not be demonstrated in any other part of the application. The essay demonstrates to the colleges why they should pick your child over other students that have similar profiles.
What we need to remember is that colleges are a business. They are investing into your student as much as you are investing into the college. Give the university a reason why your child will be successful at their institution. Provide the reason why your child will shine at this university. Most importantly, demonstrate that your student will be an important member of this college who will continue to represent their college years later. How has your student learned, persevered, and grown in the story they share to the admission readers?
The time and energy you invest into this process can make the biggest difference to this application process. If this feels overwhelming, EYH Life Coach is here to guide, empower, and help shine the best possibilities for your student. Give us a call.
By Christina Dalton, MS, PPS, PCC, EYH Life Coach
