Steady Wins the Race

Each fall, my mantra remains the same: victory goes not to the swiftest, but to the most thoughtful. The phrase is most useful when guiding both juniors and seniors in the college application process.

For the juniors, chomping at the bit looking to get an “early start” on the application process, they may be moving too swiftly. Specifically, I am always stunned by the number of students who spend the summer before their junior year preparing for the SAT examination. These same students then sign up to take the examination in October or November.

I encourage counselors to remind those students just starting this process that the college application cycle is not a race! Focusing on testing too early can easily distract a student from important schoolwork or from enthusiastic involvement in extra-curricular activities.

Moreover, every study I have ever come across shows that students do better on these tests when they are older and a bit more mature, regardless of how much preparation they have had. The fact of the matter is that schoolwork is much more important than any test.

I understand the attraction that many parents and students have to quickly throwing themselves into taking the SAT or ACT examinations; these tests represents quick fixes, a numeric boost when grades may be a bit low. Or, for those students whose grades are stellar, taking the examination early is seen by parents as a chance to get one more thing “checked off” early.

Of course, as counselors we are aware that the college application calendar is being pushed back further and further by everyone in the business; coaches, testing companies, test-prepping companies, colleges, and many parents. Counselors are thus the last guardians of sanity and balance in the lives of many students. A “practice SAT” in October may seem like a small concession, but I encourage counselors to stand firm when parents push to speed up the process. Just repeat, as calmly and slowly as possible: “this is not a race.”

For seniors, well, the term “thoughtful” really jumps out! A great application is not something that a student can hurriedly patch together. I have noticed that far too many students also rush through too many sections of the common application—and the consequences can be devastating. Perhaps the first area that I catch students rushing through is found in the Activities section of the common application, where students are asked to list the “details and accomplishments” of each activity. While reading applications for Stanford University, I cannot tell you how many times I was left confused—or even clueless—as to the nature of the applicant’s activity.

Remember, if the reader does not understand what the student did, then they are certainly not going to discuss the activity when evaluating the application or presenting it to committee. As students fill out this section of the application, they must ask themselves two questions:

1. Is it possible that whoever is reading this application might not understand what this activity really was about?

2. Did the applicant accomplish anything that cannot be summed up with a simple list of recognitions?

For example, let us say the student listed camp counselor work under “work (paid).” But what if the camp was specifically for children with physical and mental disabilities? That is something interesting, which the reader would not know from the previous two sections. So here is where the applicant could put the name and description of the camp, like “Special Camp for Special Kids: Camp for children with physical and mental disabilities.”

And what if your school paper won a statewide award during the applicant’s junior year? That is a cool accomplishment that cannot be summed up in the previous sections. So here is where the student could say, “February 2011 issue won the statewide journalism award, ‘Excellence in Student Press.’”

Most importantly, students must understand that abbreviations can kill an applicant in this section! It is in the best interest of all applicants to have a counselor read this section of the application. Or, even better, have a neutral party that has no real background information on the activity review this section, in order to check whether your accomplishments come across clearly.

Next, far too many students rush through the short essay section of the application and then spend hours on the long—and much more difficult—personal statement. This is not a wise approach, for two reasons:

1. The short essay is the student’s first chance to bring his or her “voice” to the evaluation process. Or, as I like to tell my students, it is the first time they can talk directly to the admissions officer.

2. The short essay is far easier to write than the long, highly reflective personal statement. So, even the “weak writers” can make a positive impression by devoting time and energy to this section.

Now, my first tip on the Activities Essay is simple but slightly controversial: ignore the prompt! As you know, the question reads: “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below.”

My advice is that you treat that question as if it actually reads: “Please tell us something interesting, unusual, or personally compelling—preferably something the admission office does not already know—about one of the activities you have listed.” Students that rush through this section of the application often make one of the following mistakes:

1. Re-telling the history of involvement in the activity.

2. Re-telling the history of the activity.

3. Too many words or characters.

4. Clichéd revelations.

5. Flat language.

What the applicant wants to avoid is spending 1,000 characters (somewhere from 140 to 180 words, typically) describing that football is hard, or how volunteering at your blood drive was rewarding.

Counselors must push students to think outside the box in this section. Remember, the applicant does not have to write about a school activity, rather something he or she really was committed to in high school. Counselors should not let students rush through this section. When meeting with students on this section of the application, always ask:

- What was interesting and meaningful about the experience?

- What compelled you to this activity? What will you remember about it?

When it comes to the college application process, steady wins the race. As a counselor, your job is to push students to reflect on their choices, and set up a reasonable calendar. The result will undoubtedly be a more effective application, and better results in the spring.

From October 2012.

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COLLEGE COUNSELING WITH MARTIN WALSH