When I was 10, the principal of the local junior high visited my fifth grade class to answer our questions about the school we would soon be attending. Somehow, we’d all heard stories of danger lurking at every turn in the hallways, tales that ranged from slight exaggerations to pure farce. He wanted to quell our fears.
So I asked about something I’d heard—is it true that someone found those poison stars on campus like ninjas throw at each other in movies? (It really was not my best moment.)
His response: “Does that sound to you like something that would be true?”
I didn’t have to think very long before I confidently answered, “No.”
Even at ten years old, common sense didn’t let me down. I just needed to be reminded to use it.
Families going through the college process will hear plenty of unsolicited advice, unsubstantiated rumor, and outright farce about what it supposedly takes to get into a “good college.”
If you don’t have leadership experience during high school, colleges won’t even look at you.
Students need to start volunteering in junior high to have any chance of being competitive later.
I heard that if you share something humorous in an essay, colleges won’t take you seriously and will throw your application away.
When you hear these or something similar, ask yourself, does this sound like something that could be true?
Has every student at your high school without leadership experience been shut out of college? How about those who didn’t start volunteering in junior high or who included something lighthearted in an essay? If they had been shut out, don’t you think it would be glaringly apparent by now to everyone, not just your one friend or neighbor who claims to have some inside scoop?
I know it’s not easy to separate college fact from fiction especially when so many people are quick to share what they claim is good information. When in doubt, ask yourself if it sounds like something that could be true. You can always go to your counselor to get a confirmation, but in most cases, common sense won’t let you down.