Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of a college admissions officer? There are huge stacks of applications piled in your office and only a few spots to fill. How do you decide? The fact is that what we expect to be important and what admissions officers are looking for can often be two very different things. Here are some tips for giving an admission officer what he or she needs.
- Make your application easy to read and understand – An admissions officer doesn’t have time to go over your application with a fine-tooth comb. If you get 7 minutes of read time, you’re doing well. Make it easy for the officer to scan your application, and provide a brief explanation next to anything that could throw up a red flag and get your app dumped.
- Present activities well – Whether you are all about the extracurriculars or you only have a few, spend time on how you present the information. Word count is usually limited, but use it all to describe your responsibilities and the goals you reached. Believe it or not, this could be as important as your essay when it comes to revealing who you are to an admissions officer.
- Tailor the app to your stated major – The admissions officer will want to see proof that you are passionate about your chosen educational path. The major you pick will color how the rest of the application is read, so don’t just pull something out of a hat because you’re not sure what you want to be when you grow up yet.
Planning for your College Admissions and Financials
College Planning Source wants to help you get accepted at the University of your choice and be able to afford it. To that end, we offer admissions and financial planning services in San Diego and throughout Southern California. To learn more about our workshops and services, give us a call at 858.676.0700 or submit our online contact form.
