Blog #1: How can my child get admitted to their dream college?
What I’ll cover in this blog:
-College admission is increasingly competitive
-Too much information to sift through
-We argue over every decision
-Are we making the right choices during the application process?
-How Goal Admit can help
College admission is increasingly competitive
College admission rates have been falling for the past few years at the top colleges. Admission rates at the top Ivy League schools are 4-5% and the UC Berkeley admit rate for Fall 2022 was only 11.4%, a drop from 14% the previous year. From GPA to extracurriculars to test prep to summer programs, students and parents every year are ticking off all the boxes. And yet in so many houses in April, disappointed parents and students are recalibrating dreams to reality.
Too much information to sift through
Google, ChatGpT, books, YouTube videos, social media sites, local school counselors – there are so many sources of information for worried parents and students trying to find the magic formula that will get them admitted to the college of their choice. There are coding camp suggestions for the Computer Science aspirant, there are links for the best Biology related extracurriculars for the future doctor. There are suggestions to “write a blog”, “start a company”, “found a club”, “write X number of AP exams”.
We click on every link and read through pages and pages of data to see if the advice is relevant to us. We plug in our GPA and test scores into any site which offers to spit out a number for our admission chances at college X or college Y. And we are even more confused about the “right” thing to do, especially if we have differences of opinion with our family and friends.
We argue over every decision
Some students complete the application and essays entirely on their own and refuse any input from their parents. If the parents are okay with this there are no issues. If the parents are involved in the application process, as we were, then disagreements are bound to happen. Our older son reluctantly accepted our inputs while our younger son welcomed our suggestions even if they didn’t always follow it. My husband and I disagreed on almost every decision – what colleges to apply for, what majors to select in each college, which essay questions to answer, what the tone of the essays should be, and even specific sentences and punctuation in the essays!
Here are a few suggestions on how to make the process a bit smoother:
1. Have designated areas of ownership/review – one parent reviews the application and the other reviews the essays, with minimal overlap
2. Set ground rules on how to negotiate and compromise on every disagreement – no yelling, no storming off, patient explanation of a point of view until the other accepts it
3. Hire a college counselor – our college counselor, especially for our older son, was also a mediator, resolving differing points of view with his expert opinion. If he did agree mostly with my viewpoints, hey what can I say:-)
There was still a lot of uncertainty while we were filling out the application.
Are we making the right choices during the application process
The Common App, or other niche applications like the Coalition App, have a lot of sections to fill out, and a lot of choices to make – how many colleges do we apply to, which of the extracurricular activities should be mentioned if there are too many, should we provide test scores if they are optional, does the order of listing subjects in the transcript matter, where should extra college-level courses be mentioned, how should the GPA be calculated? It is an overwhelming list of choices and decisions to make. And every decision seems so critical with dire consequences for typing errors or missed sections.
If it is too overwhelming, get help!
How “Goal Admit” can help
“Ask Me Anything” is our motto and core premise. No question is too small or trivial. I promise to offer personalized, customized answers to all your questions and will always lead with empathy, having lived your experiences (twice!). No group sessions, no generalized feedback, no waiting for days to get a reply to a simple question. Just quick, well-researched, customized answers to all your college admission questions. With you every step of the way to help you achieve your goal of getting admitted to the college of your choice.
What we cover:
1. Any question related to the college admissions process for undergraduate admission in the US (STEM and non-STEM) – course selection in high school, application, test prep, recommendation letters, essay review, major selection, college fit, private-or-public, process-related.
We offer two ways to get your answers:
a). Quick single-line responses for Free – just email your question to sathreya@goaladmit.com to get an answer within 24 hours
b). Schedule a 1-hour 1:1 online session for just $50 – send the background information, and upload any files before the meeting to keep the session more productive. Pay through PayPal or credit card on our online secure payment form. Meetings will be scheduled as soon as a slot is available, likely within the same week.
2. Well-researched personalized answers for your specific needs.
3. No hidden fees, no packages.
What we do not cover:
1. “Evaluate my chance of admission at college X”
2. Postgraduate admissions
3. International admissions