Boring But Important

The weather has turned to (slightly) cooler temps in the South – it was low 80s today and where I travel that’s fall y’all!  Fall weather means “Travel Season” is really upon us in GW admissions – have you seen our funny admissions office video yet?  - it’s in my favorite links! 

I’m writing this blog entry from my hotel room in Charleston, SC.  This evening I met with a few students and their parents about GW.  What I really like most about admissions is meeting with students and learning why GW has piqued their interest.  It is not uncommon for me to meet students who have consistently reached, and many times exceeded, my expectations of what I look for in future Colonials.  But these highly accomplished teenagers also make me a bit sad as I wonder if they are really taking the time to simply be a kid.

Last spring, my daughter and I went to see the documentary Race to Nowhere.  (If you can find this film in your community – go see it!) GW Alumnae Vicki Abeles created this film to raise awareness of the pressures our children face to get the best grades to score the highest SAT in hopes of getting into the best colleges so they can makes the most money, etc.  It is an incredible film that makes a bold statement on the academic and extra curricular pressures our teenagers face today.   The film also examines the history of education in America and how our society evolved to the point where standardized testing, teacher performance and cheating to get ahead are acceptable practices. The trade off is our children are burned out, stressed out and uninspired.  Each night they are bringing home hours of extra work.  In their pursuit to grab the “getting into the best colleges” brass ring they become young workaholics, whether they want to or not.  School has become a job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uem73imvn9Y 

I know that my profession contributes to this epidemic especially as college admissions becomes increasingly more competitive.  The bar gets raised with each entering class.  Rarely will a college become easier to gain admission to unless the institution radically changes their focus and policies.  I hate that the work I do results in added stress to the already super busy life many high school seniors lead so here are a few of my tips on how to survive the college application process: 

1. Get ahead so you don’t fall behind: I first heard that statement from an NPR segment on teachers and a high school English teacher said this was her favorite student quote.  One of her students asked to know what the next book was that they had to read for class.  She asked him why he wanted to know so early and he replied “I want to get ahead so I don’t fall behind”!  I loved how he fully expected to get overwhelmed by all he had to do as a high schooler that he was looking for anyway that he could avoid it. 

2. The best thing you can do for yourself is to practice time management skills.  I’m not going to tell you to be an expert at it but if you see yourself more as a master procrastinator than a keen time manager, you will need to change your ways.  There are a lot of deadlines to meet and the more organized you are the better off you will be! 

3. Figure out a system that works for you to stay on top of all things college.  It’s OK to ask your mom for help here - I bet she’s dying to lend her advice and believe me she has great organizational skills (it comes with the territory of being a mom)!  At least listen to her suggestions no matter how absurd they sound to you but she really has the best solution to all of your problems (haha that was meant to be funny).

4. Ask questions! And I don’t mean just ask college reps about their schools. It is essential that you ask yourself what you want out of the college experience. You will be able to find your dream school more easily if you have an idea of what you want the next four years to be.  I know most 17 year olds don’t want to think too deeply about the future; it’s sometimes scary to imagine what next year will bring but it’s necessary. 

5. Why is it necessary? Because colleges will ask you questions about yourself and you need to be prepared! Your essay is one way that you will reflect upon who you are now and who you hope to become but if you apply to GW, you might have an interview and we will ask you lots of questions about you!   By considering your future you will discover more about yourself than you ever thought possible.  In turn, writing that (at least 500 word) essay will be much easier!

6. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.  This common saying speaks volumes about finding balance in your life. Go ahead and chillax but don’t let deadlines slip by you!  Stay on track so you don’t derail!  It is important that you still be a teenager but try to do something college admissions related everyday even if it is just to catch the wall posts on the GW admissions Facebook page or reading our blogs (the student blogs are great BTW). 

7. RELAX!  This too shall pass.  Before you know it you’ll be moving into your residence hall and beginning your new adventure.  I know it seems all consuming right now but once you have submitted that final application your part is done (for now).  Then the waiting game begins and hopefully you can survive that with little anxiety!

I have now exceeded my total word count expectations on this topic (now over 800).  I do apologize if it was “boring” but the topic was “important”!   Of course, I hope that my tips helped you cope a bit with the college application stress.  My gift to you for tolerating this preachy blog is some lovely gems from my travels of 2010!  And thanks to my favorite magazine, The Week, for this entry’s title.