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O'Connor Consulting Services Educational Consulting |
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Process The skills you learn during the college admission process will be skills you use for the next 50 years to apply for internships, jobs, fellowships, and graduate school. Helping you learn the process is one of our highest priorities. The following are some important rules about PROCESS: · Use all of your resources. This means you don’t just rely on our advice: stay in close contact with your high school counselor, talk to your teachers, talk to professionals in the field you think you would like to study, talk to students who have already entered college, and, above all, talk to your parents. · Get out on the Internet--the possibilities are endless but at the very least you should: a. Take Virtual Tours of the colleges you are considering b. Download applications c. Fill out a preliminary financial aid form to get an idea of your expected family contribution d. Research careers and majors · Write and rewrite your resume. We will read it many times and we also recommend that you let several other people read it to be sure it is clear, easy to read, and interesting. · Think about and write about all the ways in which you are UNIQUE--this is crucial if you will be applying to one of the super competitive colleges. Start a notebook of ideas NOW. · Set up tables and charts to compare colleges based on “like variables” (we will get you started on this). Whether you are comparing colleges today or job offers ten years from now it is important to be in the habit of comparing your options based on pros and cons, “apples and apples," so you are not “impulse buying.” · Write and rewrite your essays so that they are interesting and best reflect your talents and passions. We will discuss your approach to each of the questions and decide which ideas will work for each college and each question. We will read your rough drafts and offer suggestions. · Meet all your deadlines. You will not be hired for a job if you turn in your application after the deadline…the same is true in college admission. · Keep a calendar with ALL the dates you need to know--be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you follow the dates on the most recent application brochure or Web site (colleges sometimes change their dates from one year to the next). · This is all a game, in the best sense of the word. If you have a strategy, practice hard, work hard, practice some more, get to the field on time and HANG IN THERE to the end, you will reap the rewards. · You will be happy in whatever college you attend IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE. Most of what you learn in college is “how to learn” --where to go and what to do to access the information you need. The rest of college is about relationships. Both of these benefits are totally dependent on how much energy and interest you put in, not the name of the college. · And remember: college admission is not about a prize to be won but a match to be made--that “dream” school might not be a good match for YOU. |
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