College Admissions: Will A Weak Link in Your “Chain” Hurt Your Chance To Get In To The Colleges You Love?

Every Spring, we see the stories of students who seem to have “everything” going for them – great grades, good SAT scores, lots of activities - but their application to a college that should have been “a sure thing” is rejected. We scratch our heads and wonder why.

Well, it has to do with all the individual steps as part of a Smart Plan For College™. One breakdown in the chain can cause the whole thing to fall apart.

Yes, the college application is the one thing that will close the deal with the colleges, but by itself, it won’t work. And too many students and their parents believe this is the “main event” for the college process. Actually, it’s just one link in a very long chain. When you look at each of the links in the college admissions chain, they all have to perform in order for your college quest to be successful.

Here’s what I mean:

Your application closes the deal with the colleges, but just sending in your application is no longer enough. Before you submit the application, you’ll need to engage the college admissions office at every opportunity. You’ll need to stand out from the hundreds or thousands of students who, on paper, look just like you.

So, in addition to the application, you’ll need a strategy to stand out. To do this, you’ll need to build a “relationship” with the admissions folks, and your application will need to be integrated with the message that has been the centerpiece of your college admissions strategy.

But just submitting an application and communicating with the colleges, alone in a vacuum, is not enough to get you in.

Before you can build your application that is the capstone of your communication plan with the colleges, you’ll need to hone in on the exact colleges that have what you need. College is not the end-game. It’s a stepping stone that will get you where you want to be. If you don’t know what you want to accomplish as a result of going to college, what will you say to the college admissions office? How will you communicate why you’re a great fit for their program because you know it will help you reach your goals?

Applying to colleges that don’t have the programs you want or the scholarships and financial aid you need is a royal waste of your time.

So, submitting your application at and communicating with the exact colleges that have what you need will not get you in. If you are applying “undecided” or in essence saying “I have no idea” then how can you identify the colleges that will have what you need? How will you motivate the admissions office to read past the first page of your application?

That’s right, before you submit an application, and grab the attention of the admissions office at the colleges that have what you need academically, socially and financially, you’ll need to know how you’ll position yourself…

Positioning yourself with the colleges is a critical piece of your plan. Why? There are HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of other applicants who have great grades, strong SAT or ACT scores, participate in activities, just like you. A clear, captivating message, which communicates your goals is essential so the colleges easily recognize the value you’re bringing to campus.

But, submitting an application, grabbing the attention of the admissions office at the colleges that have what you need academically, socially and financially, all by positioning yourself so they can easily see what value you bring to their campus won’t work…unless you’re crystal clear on what your career and academic goals are in the first place.

This is where it all begins. College is but a part of a bigger plan for your life. You need to be clear to motivate the admissions office to closely examine your application instead of putting you in the no pilein the first 2 minutes.

You’re about to invest 4 or more years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars in a college education. If you don’t know what you want, or can’t communicate your goals clearly in a way that grabs their attention, then how can they know if they want you on their campus?

So, you see how it all ties together? College admissions officers will never offer you a spot in their freshman class on the basis of just your application alone. All the steps matter, and the entire process really hinges on spending adequate time on the end result you want. So, before you even begin thinking about your application, you need to start at the end first.

Your Smart Plan For College Assignment™:

You need to have a plan in place throughout the entire college search and selection process – are you communicating regularly with the colleges? Do you know how to help yourself standout? Have you thought about how you’ll answer the questions the colleges will ask of you – in casual conversation, during an interview, through your application and essays? Will your answers be part of a consistent message or will you, as far too many other students, do, miss the mark and miss your opportunity to get in to the colleges you love?

How do you come up with a plan? Start at the end first! What is college going to help you do? How does it fit in with your bigger goals? Can you articulate how you’ll actually achieve these goals? Even if you’ve already started looking at colleges it’s important to go back and take care of this often-overlooked step.

If you’re a sophomore – soon-to-be rising High School Junior, or the parent of one, who is about to start down the college search road, or a Junior about-to-be-rising-senior, or the parent of one, who realizes they need to get cracking and don’t have the time to figure this all out – let’s see how we can help.

Schedule a College Assessment today. Not everyone needs college coaching but everyone benefits from the college assessment. During the one hour assessment, we’ll talk about where you’re currently at, academically and financially, when it comes to the college search and selection process and outline exactly what steps you’ll need to use to get the results you want most so that you get in and get more scholarships and aid so you pay LESS to make it happen.