Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make in College App Process

Parents walk a fine line when it comes to their children and college applications.  Getting too involved will earn the title of “helicopter parent,” and give your child the impression that you doubt his/her abilities. Leaving everything to the student and hoping for the best – well that’s quite risky! There are ways parents can help, as well as common mistakes they should seek to avoid. 

Avoid overestimating your child’s chances of admission.  Utilize Naviance, which provides data on the GPA and SAT scores of students from your child’s high school who previously applied to a particular college, as well as the outcome of their application: accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. Your child is in competition with peers from the same high school, so the writing is pretty much on the wall as to whether or not your child has a solid chance of gaining acceptance to any particular school.

 

Avoid pushing your child to apply to a long list of schools. Many colleges require several supplemental essays, particularly for admission to the honors program. Penn State, for example, requires two long essays (up to 800 words) and eight short essays (up to 200 words) of applicants to its Schreyer Honors College. This can quickly become an overwhelming task. Help your child identify “best fit” colleges where they would be excited to attend (and likely to gain admission) and let them focus on submitting a limited number of strong applications.

Don’t put off college visits. Touring a college, in person, is the best way for students to assess their interest.  Visiting a college also increases a child’s chances of gaining admission as it shows “demonstrated interest” – something colleges take very seriously.  Families should try to schedule college visits during the academic year when school is in session.  Touring a deserted campus during the summer is unlikely to be appealing or offer much insight.

 

Definitely don’t write your child’s application essays.  College admission people are very good at what they do, and often comment that if an essay appears to have been written by a 40-year-old lawyer, it probably was.  Offer to brainstorm potential essay topics with your child and to review their essays for grammatical errors.  But avoid the temptation to take over. 

 

Don’t procrastinate on your responsibility to handle the financial aspect.  Parents should file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as soon as possible after October 1^st of their child’s senior year. This form is required for need-based financial aid and, in some cases, even for merit-based aid. When colleges respond to students, they can only offer a financial aid package if they have received a FAFSA from the parents.

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362