4 college admission myths every applicant should know

http://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/4-college-admission-myths-every-applicant-should-know-1078

It is no secret that colleges are looking for exceptional individuals to join their campus community. They are seeking students who contribute value to both their culture and academics. While there are no set guidelines that will land you into their school of choice, there are concrete decisions you can make during their high school career that will increase your chances of getting accepted.

Here are four key misconceptions to be aware of when completing your college applications:

Myth #1: The more extracurricular activities, the better

Colleges are interested in knowing about how you spend your time outside the classroom. In the application process, they will want to see what type of commitment or leadership roles you have, what type of success or failures you’ve encountered and how you learned from those experiences.

The biggest misconception about extracurricular activities is that students need to accumulate as many as possible to show diversity or work ethic. But in the eyes of a college admissions officer, the quality of your activities is much more relevant than the quantity.

Myth #2: High test scores outweigh admissions essays

A student’s GPA tells admissions whether they can excel in an academic setting, and can also be used as a way to measure the effort and time that the student devoted to their studies. Together, a student’s testing scores and GPA form a strong picture of a student’s quantitative aptitude in relation to other candidates.

However, admission officers look at more than just numerical scores – they will consider your full profile, including essays. In fact, an essay could be the thing that separates you from another candidate with similar test scores and GPA. Essays fill in the gaps between who the candidate is as a person and their paper credentials.

RELATED: Fall semester timeline for high school seniors

Myth #3: Name-dropping helps

You know that old saying, ‘it’s not what you know – it’s who you know’? In certain situations, that may be true, but not when it comes to applying to college.

Name-dropping either in essays, admission interviews or letters of recommendation will not impress the admissions committee. Unless you have a personal relationship with an alumna or renowned individual, you should avoid using name-dropping as a way to leverage your application.

Myth #4: Colleges don’t look at social media

Although admissions committees are mainly using traditional factors such as high school GPA, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, personal essays and extracurricular activities to determine a student’s candidacy, it is becoming more common that universities will also reference social platforms as a tool for both recruiting new students and communicating with applicants, the student body and alumni. 

If you’re not taking your online presence into consideration when applying to colleges, and using social media in a negative way, it could end up being an issue. Be sure to monitor what you post, and consider using social media to express likeminded interests with the colleges you’re applying to.

The college admission landscape is constantly evolving. The standards that were once in place 10 years are completely different today. Applying to college is complex and ambiguous, and students should stay current with the best practices in order to escape any missteps during the process.

RELATED: 3 ways social media can support your college application