Collegewise

5 Things Seniors Should Never Do When Applying to College

Our Collegewise counselors are in the heart of college application season with our seniors.  And while we'll certainly help to ensure that our applicants don't make spelling errors or mistakenly write, "I love Duke so much, my internal organs actually ache," in an essay being sent to NYU, there are other mistakes seniors should avoid that might not be quite so obvious.  So this month, we're sharing five things seniors should never do when applying to college. 

1.  Don't use an embarrassing email address.
We've seen students list some pretty questionable email addresses on college applications.  And by "questionable," we mean that we felt compelled to ask, "Do you email your mother from that email address?"  We're not suggesting that admissions officers make decisions based on whether or not they like your email address.  But that doesn't mean it's a good idea to run the risk.  It's fine to have an email address with a little personality and verve.  Videogamer@email.com is fine.  Britlitreader@email.com might even score you some likeability points.  And we're fairly certain that ihatetheyankees@email.com would at the very least go over well with schools in the Boston area.  But if it's an email address you'd hide from your parents, get a different one (a different address, not a different parent) to use just for college applications.

Random College Factoid!

The Ferris wheel is named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. That's a mouthful! He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

The Economic Crisis and College Admissions

Tough Times Strain Colleges

Preparing for and applying to college is never without at least a little anxiety.  But this year, our nation's economic crisis is adding a new layer of college-related worry for parents, kids and counselors.  In addition to any possible personal financial fallout, many of you may have seen the steady stream of recent articles in the press describing colleges' belt-tightening plans in the form of budget cuts, hiring freezes, and suspended capital campaigns.  Naturally, people are wondering how, if at all, this will affect kids and their college choices. I'm writing you this post to answer some of these questions.