Some Cool College Towns

Livability: "Think college towns are just for rowdy undergrads? Think again. These energetic cities across the country are home to innovative small businesses, tons of fun activities, family-friendly annual events and thriving downtown scenes complete with arts, culture and delicious local cuisine ... To determine the best college towns in America for 2019, Livability and ABODO, an off-campus and young professional apartment search engine, ranked all U.S. cities with at least one college campus and a population between 20,000 and 350,000."

"University of Florida/Gainesville students have tons of school spirit and pride... This world-class research institution has outstanding academic programs and competitive Gators sports teams. On top of that, with more than 35,000 undergrads enrolled here, you’re bound to find your group, your niche and your passion ... The 69,000 students at Texas A&M stay busy by conducting research in labs (the school generated more than $922 million in research dollars last year) and participating in more than 1,100 student organizations."

"Oregon State University professors and alumni have made some impressive discoveries – they’re responsible for the computer mouse, the modern dentist chair and the artificial heart valve, just to name a few. Imagine being part of that culture of innovation as an undergrad ... Ithaca is home to not one but two great schools: the Ivy League’s Cornell University and Ithaca College. It’s a relatively small town, with some 30,000 residents, so you won’t feel overwhelmed when you first arrive on campus. When you’re not studying, there’s plenty to keep you busy, ranging from cascading waterfall hikes to a happening downtown area."

Conquering Teacher Recommendations

Asking teachers for a recommendation ranks high among the most stress-inducing parts of the application process. It’s not hard to understand why that is, but of course there is no avoiding it.

Unfortunately, some students procrastinate to the point where their options become limited, since each teacher can write only so many letters. The best advice, as one counselor told us, is to buck up, and look upon the experience as a valuable, character-building life lesson. “You’re going to have those conversations throughout your life, and maybe it’s uncomfortable, but it will pay off,” she said. “It’s a tiny microcosm of adulthood.”

Asking the question isn’t the only concern; it’s also contemplating what the teacher might choose to say. For that reason, the teacher recommendation is arguably the least controllable part of the application. What’s more, the student is not privy to whatever the teacher writes.

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Which of the following sections is most likely to undermine an otherwise

strong application?

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Adding to the tension, our survey found that, next to the main essay, the teacher recommendation is the part of the application most likely to undermine a student’s chances. By the same token, it also stands to provide a major, perhaps potentially decisive, boost. Think about it: What better way to validate a student’s application than with a third-party endorsement? If a love of learning is a pivot point in the admissions decision, a teacher’s stamp of approval just might seal the deal.

Based on all of the above, one of the best things students can do to help their cause, is to become as engaged as possible, as early as possible, with as many teachers as possible: asking questions, participating in discussions, seeking advice, going above and beyond at every opportunity. Making their presence felt and remembered.

When such efforts are made, asking a teacher for a recommendation is not such a big deal.

The Secret of Supplemental Essays

So much energy is expended on the “main essay” that the supplemental questions sometimes get short shrift. This is likely exacerbated because these school-specific prompts are often presented as “optional.” Of course, everybody knows that this isn’t really true, and that if you really want to be accepted, you had better take the time to answer these questions, and answer them well.

In fact, some admissions counselors have told us that they read the supplementals before the main essay because their quality can reflect the applicant’s true level of interest.

While some schools use the supplements to try to get a better sense of student personalities and how they think, the most commonly asked question is some form of “Why do you want to attend our school?” It is a deceptively complex question that requires students not only to deep-dive research the school but also look inside themselves to figure out why they feel the way they do about spending the next four years of their lives there.

The biggest mistake many students make, according to the counselors with whom we spoke, is to treat the question generically, and basically submit the same answer to every school. As one counselor told us: “The response has to pass the white-out test.”

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What do you most like to see in the "why our college" question?

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We asked our respondents to identify what’s most important to cover in the “why our college” question, and received a broad array of responses. Numbers one and two were “references to campus culture” (60%) and “personal anecdotes” (55%).

So, again, the gold standard is to try to elicit an emotional connection to the school, most probably based on something seen, heard, felt, smelled or otherwise experienced while visiting campus. How best to capture this is a difficult question, but being mindful and aware of a particular, specific moment, and then distilling it into words, is a possibility. Finding connections between the school’s mission and values and the student’s, is another.

If that just doesn’t quite happen, other less spiritual, opportunities abound. Simply visiting the school’s website and finding courses, professors, research and study abroad opportunities, internships, special programs (e.g., first-year programs), and clubs can be a direct path to a convincing answer. Our survey respondents said they like to see references to any and all of the above.

Next Thursday: Conquering Teacher Recommendations