1. Give great performances in your favorite academic subjects.
2. Earn the respect of your teachers and counselors.
3. Find subjects or ideas that fascinate you and take steps to learn more about them.
4. Make an impact doing activities you enjoy.  Don’t do anything “because it will look good on my college application.”  
5. Have real interests—they make you interesting.
6. Be yourself.  Get comfortable in your own skin.
7. Take charge of your education and your college search.  Don’t let anybody care about your future more than you do.
8. Choose colleges that fit you.
9. Be genuinely excited about the opportunity to go to college, regardless of a school’s name-brand cache.
10. Present yourself honestly in your applications and essays.

My editor and I just finished all the content revisions for my next book, still tentatively titled, "The Collegewise Way."  It's currently 262 pages and covers everything we teach at Collegewise about finding, applying to, and paying for college.  We're on track to release it both in print and electronically in July.  If you'd like to be notified when it's available, you can sign up here.

Here's the current table of contents.  I'm excited about it and will share more updates about the release as we get closer.   

Introduction  

Basic Retraining   

• Focus on the good news   
• Worry less about college   
• Put yourself in charge   
• Effort is the great equalizer   
• Mercenaries miss the big picture   
• Don’t forget to be a kid    
• Don’t try to game the system   
• It’s what you do in college, not where you do it   

Finding the Right Colleges   

• How to cure namebranditis   
• Popular opinions mislead   
• Do a success search   
• Have swagger—it’ll serve you   
• Start with "why college?"    

How to determine what you want in a college   

• Look for your fit   
• Start your search by junior year   
• Evaluate yourself, too    
• Start with these ten questions   

How to learn more about colleges   

• Beware of common search derailers   
• Use the right college search tools   
• How to navigate a college’s website   
• Evaluate your admissions chances   
• Have fun visiting   
• Connect the dots later   
• How to finalize your list   
• Strive for balance   
• You’re not committing yet   
• Get your counselor’s approval   
• Love your list   

Prove your Academic Potential   

• How to plan a college-prep schedule   
• Challenge yourself sanely   
• Ask if your high school has a “drop option”   
• Follow your favorite subjects   
• How to get better grades (and study less)   
• Make class time study time   
• Start before you need to   
• Eliminate study-time interruptions   
• Make academic workouts intense   
• Ask for help   
• Use old tests as study guides   
• Teach it back   

How to show you’re college-ready   

• Transcripts don’t tell the whole academic story   
• Take charge of your high school education   
• Get to know your counselor   
• Learning beats grade grubbing   
• Maximize strengths over fixing weaknesses   
• Great classes deserve your best performances   
• Solutions beat complaints   

Extra-Curricular Activities   

• Choose what you enjoy   
• Real commitments beat long lists   
• Don’t follow the crowd   
• Make an impact   
• If it doesn’t fit, quit   
• Get a job   

Standardized Tests   

• Learn your testing ABCs   
• Don’t panic over PSAT scores   
• Keep tests in perspective   
• Don’t take test scores personally   
• Plan your testing calendar   
• Pick a test and go with it   
• Prep smarter   
• How to prepare for the SAT or ACT for under $50  
• Know when to say when   
• Remember that your test scores soon won’t matter   

Applying     

Part I:  It can get personal   

• Peek inside the admissions office   

Part II:  How and When to Apply   

• Make sense of application plans   
• Be wary of the early decision boost   
• Apply strategically   

Part III:  Completing Applications   

• Start early   
• Get requirements from the source   
• Manage your parents   
• Don’t look for a better way   
• Get the basics right   
• Make it easy to understand your activities   
• Avoid sending gifts, baked goods, live animals, etc.   
• Avoid these common mistakes   
• Resist letting fear hijack your applications   

Part IV: Writing Great Essays   

• Give yourself a boost   
• Help readers know you   
• Keep the focus on you   
• Honest beats impressive   
• Share the details   
• Keep it fresh   
• Avoid clichés   
• Sound like a teenager   
• Admit when you’re not perfect   
• Seek feedback outside the family circle   
• Rewrite before you reuse   

Part V: Letters of Recommendation   

• Send only what they ask you to send   
• Choose the right teachers   
• Ask the right way   
• Waive your right   

Part VI: What to do after you submit   

• Bang a gong   
• Make follow-up calls   
• Give thanks   
• Resist the worries   
• Keep up the good work   
• Update accordingly but sparingly   
• Resend missing information   

Interviewing   

• Relax and be yourself   
• Know what’s preferred   
• Good conversation is more important than good answers   
• When contacted, respond promptly   
• Be ready for common topics   
• Find your stories   
• Drawing a blank is a great opportunity   
• Consider questions you’d like to ask   
• Leave your parents at home   
• Dress for Thanksgiving   
• Work the waiting room   
• Make a good first impression   
• Make a good last impression   

Paying for College   

• Saving is your best strategy   
• Don’t make aid assumptions   
• Know the cost of attendance   
• Meet the Net-Price Calculator   
• Look beyond sticker price   
• Apply the advice for admissions   
• Talk to your parents about costs   
• Apply where they may pay   
• Update schools if circumstances change   
• Compare awards   
• Tell colleges about better offers   
• Answer the $2,800 question   

Handling Decisions   

• Celebrate every offer of admission   
• Make rejection pain temporary   
• Resist the urge to appeal   
• Consider declining the waitlist spot   
• Trust your instincts   

Advice for Parents   

• Focus on what’s really important   
• Think long-term   
• Set good examples   
• Don’t hover   
• Help with the balance   
• Run with the right crowd   
• Ignore bad advice   
• Find the fun   
• Treat rejections like high school break-ups   
• Celebrate every admission   
• Buy the sweatshirt   

Ten Secrets of “Great Kids”   

• Meet people well   
• Write good emails   
• Remember peoples’ names the first time   
• Learn from failure and move on   
• Don’t make excuses—accept responsibility   
• Learn to apologize well   
• Laugh at yourself regularly   
• Give out positivity   
• Rise above the drama   
• Nice is underrated   

Parting Words   

• Go find your moment   

Kerry asks:

We were thinking of asking my son’s AP Chemistry teacher to write him a letter of recommendation for his college applications this fall.  However, the teacher makes many spelling and grammatical errors when I email with him.  Should we choose a different teacher?  My son has gotten A’s in chemistry both semesters, and I think a letter from this teacher would be a great addition.”

Good question, Kerry.  First, don’t worry about the teacher’s writing skills.  Colleges care more about the content of the letter than they do the writing style.  A good letter of recommendation shares what the student is like in class.  Does he contribute to class discussions?  Does he ask intelligent questions?  Is he interested in the subject matter as much if not more than he is getting an “A?”  That's what's important, not whether or not the story reads like Hemingway wrote it.

You also mentioned, “We were thinking of asking…”  Make sure your son—not you—does the asking.  He’s the one applying to college.  Teachers, counselors and admissions officers respond best when kids take charge of the process.  It’s fine to be a supportive cheerleader and maybe even offer some organizational help for a disorganized teen.  But make sure you don’t do the work for him.

Thanks for your question, Kerry.  If you've got a question of your own, email me at blog [at] collegewise [dot] com.  If I pick yours, I'll answer it here on our blog.

 

Even in colleges of the liberal arts and sciences such as Harvard, an emphasis on majors believed to land a good job, or to favor being admitted to law, business, or medical schools, is usually justified by an appeal to 'utility,' to a supposedly clear-sighted appraisal of what the 'real' world demands of college graduates. This has become a dominant myth of much American higher education, and some of its strongest advocates are parents. If it is assumed that these 'occupational' courses and majors are superior preparation for adult life, and if no one steps forward to challenge that assumption, then they will seem more attractive.  In today’s fast evolving world, leaders across the spectrum of vocations and professions need a broad imaginative and critical capacity, not a prematurely narrow point of view. In terms of the actual world, a solid liberal arts and sciences education will generally prove the most practical preparation for many demanding, high-level careers, or for the several careers that an increasing number of adults will eventually pursue. No particular concentration or area of study is inherently a better ticket to security, leadership, or personal satisfaction than another. Students should be encouraged to follow their passions and interests, not what they guess (or what others tell them) will lead to a supposedly more marketable set of skills."

James Engell
Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Harvard University

Scott Berkun, author of “Confessions of a Public Speaker,” was on NPR yesterday offering advice for commencement speakers.  While it focused on speaking at a college graduation, the advice holds true for any high school student speaking at your graduation next month.  You can download the audio file below.  And here's a past post with more advice.  

20120516 Regina MASTER

I once toured a college over the summer and noticed that one of the high school students in the group was wearing a jacket and tie.  I’m guessing he was planning to take the school up on the offer to do an on-campus interview during his visit.  But it was a scorching summer day, and by the end of the tour, the poor kid looked like he’d just finished playing a game of full-court basketball. 

For any college interview, you can certainly wear your dress duds if you feel comfortable.  But there’s no need to go quite so formal.  Here’s a past post with some advice on the appropriate attire.

Also, if you’re touring a college over the summer and want to take them up on an on-campus interview offer, consider scheduling the interview before the tour if you can.  You’ll not only be able to show your best self before you generate any post-tour perspiration, but you’ll also enjoy the tour a lot more if you’re not stressed about the interview to follow. 

If the only option is to interview after the tour, try to give yourself a little breathing room before the two events to collect yourself and cool down.  And remember that the best interviews are relaxed conversations.  College interviewers aren’t out to get you.  Try to enjoy yourself.  

Seth Godin and Mark Cuban, two pretty successful guys with an uncanny ability to predict the next big thing, have each written blog posts about the coming meltdown in college education.  Both of them point out:

• College has gotten expensive far faster than wages have gone up.
• The average college education alone doesn’t automatically lead to a successful post-college career. 
• It’s far too easy to get student loans and far too difficult in today’s job market to earn a salary after graduation that is high enough to pay them back. 

I think they’re right.  The last generation knew that virtually any sacrifice they made to attend college would pay off.  Today’s students don’t enjoy that guarantee.  So here’s my advice.

1. Families should be cautious about taking on large debt to send a student to college. 

From student loans (there is currently more outstanding debt for student loans than there is for auto loans or credit card loans), to parents borrowing against their homes, that’s a financial gamble that many families can’t afford to take.   If you want advice about how to attend college debt-free, check out Zac Bissonnette’s Debt-Free U, the best book I’ve read on the subject. 

2. It’s more important than ever for students to have remarkable college careers. 

Every student should take road trips, go to great parties, and have plenty of good old-fashioned fun while you’re in college.  But there’s no reason you can’t do those things and also graduate with four years of remarkable learning and a resume full of experience to help you land a good job.  And you don’t necessarily need to attend a prestigious or expensive college to do it.  Here’s a past post profiling a student who’s a perfect example of this. 

I’m not arguing you shouldn’t go to college or pay to attend an expensive school.  But like any investment, your college education is one that should be made with caution.  And unlike other potentially expensive investments, the student can and must do a lot to influence the return. 

It’s not the name of your college or the price of your degree that will make you successful.  It’s what you do while you’re there.

Here's a good example for private counselors and other small businesses who maintain an email newsletter list.  Allison in our Irvine, California office received this email from The North Face yesterday.  

I love this because:

1. The writing sounds like a real human, not a corporation.
2. Customers have to opt-in to receive their emails.  The North Face doesn't just assume customers want to receive them, leaving us to opt-out if we want to make them stop.   
3. It makes customers trust The North Face and leave people even more likely to buy from them again in the future.