But first, before you buy or borrow any other book out there, start with the Guide to the Admissions Process, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. It's thorough, it's well written, and it's free. Just click here for an instant PDF download!
If you're reading this, you probably already have college admissions on your mind. But now it's official! By a Presidential Proclamation, November 2016 is now National College Application Month.
Thank you for visiting Apply with Sanity. It's been up for a month now! In case you weren't here from day one, here's a run-down of what's been covered in the blog so far:
I explained what this site is all about, and why.
I wrote about expanding the way you think about your college search.
I explained why you don't deserve a scholarship.
I talked about joy and pleasure.
I advised you to prepare for your admissions freak-out now.
I gave some tips on preparing for an interview.
I explained why you should not take an SAT prep course.
I explained why it's okay write about yourself freely in your admissions essays.
A financial planner explained how and why to talk to your family about money.
Two college students explained how they made some tough decisions about college.
I explained why your college will not stop asking you for donations--this one includes a link to a funny video.
And that's just the blog! There are also sections on the Five Fundamentals of Applying with Sanity, a how-to section, and an answer to the question "What should I be doing right now?"
Please share this with someone you think will enjoy or benefit from Apply to Sanity.
Photo by Angela Elisabeth Portraits
Whatever college you end up attending...won't ever stop asking you for money.
I mean, never. It won't always be a straight-up ask for money, it will often come couched in "alumni news" or "college updates," but there's always an "opportunity" to donate. And it never ends.
Why do they do this? Why does an institution that charges you thousands of dollars, sums so big you'll likely take out loans to pay for it, then ask you for more money once you've graduated (or even before you've graduated)?
I just read Brad Sachs's blog post "Calling Into Question" from Challenge Success.
It's about the importance of asking the rights sorts of questions of our children--at any age--to foster independence and reflective thinking. If you're a parent, educator, or other adult, it's very much worth the five minutes it it will take you to read.
Of course you're welcome to read it even if you're a student. Plus, you might want to pass it on to a parent, educator, or other adult who could use some reminding about how to foster independence and reflective thinking.
Photo by Angela Elisabeth Portraits
One of the Five Foundations to Applying with Sanity is to talk to your family about money. Soon.
But that can be really hard to do. And how do you even start that conversation?
One of the most common questions I got from students working on their college application essays was "Is it okay to write about...?"
Is it okay to write about my depression? Is it okay to write about coming out as homosexual? Is it okay to write about how I used to be a really bad student? Is it okay to write about being an abuse survivor? Is it okay to talk about being bullied? Is it okay to talk about the time I was a bully?
I understand if you don't normally associate college applications with pleasure, but perhaps you should.
The first and most important step to treating the college search like a relationship is working on knowing yourself better. If you're going to really get what you want out of college, then you have to know what you want. And thinking about what brings you pleasure is one of the more fun ways to do that.
You don’t deserve a scholarship.
I’d like you to stop thinking that you might deserve a scholarship. I’d like you to stop wondering if you deserve a scholarship. You don’t deserve a scholarship. I don’t mean that others do deserve a scholarship but you don't, I just mean that we should be very cautious about this concept of Deserve. It’s not the best way to think about scholarships.
Welcome to Apply with Sanity, a new web site dedicated to helping high school students figure out the college application process.
Apply with Sanity is a college application coaching site for ambitious high school students who want an effective and efficient college application process in the U.S. Instead of focusing on getting students into “the best schools,” Apply with Sanity helps students change their mindset and their approach so they can have a less anxious, more student-centered application process.
