Application Review

College Application Preparation and Review

When you fill out your application, you must convey who you are beyond your academic record and test scores.

After working hard during high school, when it is time to fill out your college applications, the process can seem daunting. Your application is your opportunity to convince admissions committees that they want you at their school, so understanding the best way to complete it is vital. You might benefit from getting help, not just to keep your organized and presenting your best self, but to push the submit button with confidence.

Going Ivy offers help from our team of highly knowledgeable educational counselors and tutors who know what types of words, checkboxes and choices stand out to admissions committees, as well as what students should avoid on their applications. We have assisted students with securing admission into their top-choice schools, and we are dedicated to helping you work toward your goals. Below are some basic tips about your college applications that we think might be helpful to you.

Manage Your Time and Your Applications

You need to know how you’ll apply to your dream schools. While many schools do accept the Common Application, it is important that you check each school to know what applications and supplemental material they require, and in what form they want you to submit them. Some schools, including those in the University of California system, have their own applications and do not accept the Common Application.

With Going Ivy, we recommend beginning the work on your applications as early as possible. If you wait until the last minute, your application will be less likely to get you past the no pile. If you have top grades and test scores, you may want to decide whether or not it is in your interest to apply to your top-choice schools through their Early Decision or Early Action process. If you do, then you will need to meet deadlines that are substantially earlier. Learn more about applying either Early Decision or Early Action here. In addition, don’t forget to give the people who are writing recommendations for you plenty of advance notice.

Going Ivy will help you keep all your deadlines organized in an application calendar. It is a very good idea for you to break down the different tasks involved with your application into manageable steps. Once you have done so, write them in your daily planner for easy reference. When you break all of the tasks down into pieces that aren’t so overwhelming, completing your application well and in plenty of time will be much easier. Trust us, the development of these strong organizational skills will serve you now and well into the future.

Don’t Miss Opportunities in Your Application

When you are filling out your application, understand that you must convey who you are beyond your academic record and test scores. Your goal should be to make yourself come alive to your readers, and make them see you as vital to their college class. You can do this by including some of the fundamental details of your background and your life so that you can be viewed in the proper context. At the same time, avoid appearing narcissistic, and leave out the types of information about yourself that can only hurt your application. The key is to give enough rich, meaningful information in your application that your first and second readers will see you as an interesting person. Make them picture you on campus.

You might not know exactly what these vital pieces of information about yourself are, or how to communicate so much in such a little space. At Going Ivy, our counselors are skilled at interviewing you and getting to the core of what you want to communicate. We show you how to make every word count.

Know Your Audience

Remember that admissions officers want to build a community, with students they truly believe will contribute and succeed in their school. When you are filling in your application, you will want to present information about yourself in a strong order so that you can demonstrate your interest in attending the schools and that you are ambitious. A good way to convince admissions committees that you are a good fit for their schools is to write tailored essays. If you include some details about the schools that you have gleaned from prior visits or in-depth research, you can do this more effectively. Students who submit generic essays to all of the schools on their list are transparent to admissions officers.

Don’t Take the Word Optional at Face Value

Some elite schools will state that certain parts of their application are optional. If a school states that submitting a third SAT subject test or a supplementary essay is optional, go ahead and submit that test and write that extra essay. When you complete everything that is available to you, it shows that you are dedicated and interested in attending the school. It also gives additional information about you for the admissions officers to consider.

Contact Going Ivy

At Going Ivy, our goal is to help you to shine through your application materials so that your target schools want you to attend as badly as you want to attend. We can help you present the information in your applications in the best way while also helping you to address any weaknesses in a manner that minimizes their impact. Once you’ve completed your application and essays, we will then review them with you, making suggestions about areas that could benefit from improvement. By giving yourself plenty of time, being organized and getting our help, you might have a better chance of opening that acceptance letter about which you’ve dreamed. Schedule your consultation with Going Ivy today.

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