The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts

Beginning with the 2014 application cycle, the Common Application now formally accommodates non-academic recommendation letters through the online portal, in addition to those from teachers and counselors. So, how do you make the best use of this option?

I am so excited for the new Common Application (CA4)! I’ve been following all of the updates and attended the First Look webinar, and am looking forward to the August 1 rollout. Here are some of my favorite changes:

So much more goes into the college application than simply grades and test scores; recommendation letters from teachers can go a long way towards putting your best foot forward. But getting a great recommendation requires more than simply asking your favorite teacher for a favor; it requires thoughtful preparation and good follow-up. (College Coach shares why teacher recs are important and whom to ask in previous blogs).

Q: What is the role of the recommendation letter in the application process?

The National Candidate Reply Date has come and gone, and you’ve placed your deposit at your chosen school. You’re excitedly preparing for college life at the university you selected. Then you get the call – your dream school, the one at which you were waitlisted, wants to know if you’re still interested. Now what do you do? College Coach admissions expert Elizabeth Heaton tackles this question in her latest blog post for USA Today College.

For some students, the process of gathering letters of recommendations for college can be more stressful than writing all those essays. Having trouble deciding who to choose as your recommendation writers for your college applications? College Coach expert Elizabeth Heaton weighs in on the do’s and don’ts of making the best selection in her most recent blog for USA TODAY College.

For some families, pushing the send button on their first round of applications for either Early Decision (a binding contract) or Early Action (non-binding applications) can be elating and a huge relief in a way words cannot begin to describe. The biggest challenge for most students afterwards, though, is summoning the motivation needed to finish any remaining applications so that they meet their Regular Action deadlines — it’s also a challenge for those charged with helping students, e.g. guidance counselors and parents, those wanting to bring closure to the process.

“Charlie” called me yesterday in a panic.  With college application deadlines rapidly approaching, he was suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of work he still had to do on essays and the applications themselves. When we had met two months earlier to discuss his college list, those deadlines seemed so far away, giving Charlie the sense that he had all the time in the world; after all, how hard could it be to fill out information about himself and write a few essays?

“HANGING back and allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting.” This is perhaps one of the best points made in a recent NY Times article, Raising Successful Children, and couldn’t be more poignant than in the fall of your child’s senior year.