How to Improve College Admissions

It's college application season, and if you're a high-school senior, or more likely the parent of one, you're probably dreading the next several months. The first wave of early-decision applications are due at most campuses in just a few days.

The college search process has changed drastically since the time many of today's parents applied to college. Encouraged by the relative ease of the process compared to 20 years ago, the proportion of college freshmen who applied to seven or more colleges reached 36 percent in 2015, up from 17 percent a decade ago, and from just 9 percent in 1990. Some eight in 10 freshmen in 2015 applied to at least three colleges.

The surge in application volume has also led to more anxiety for many parents and students (unnecessarily, in my opinion, since a vast majority of college accept more than half of the applicants who apply). Few seem to enjoy the journey that will take them from adolescence to adulthood.

Yet the college search is a period of discovery that students and parents should embrace and enjoy, argues Jill Madenberg, an independent admissions counselor for more than two decades and author (with her daughter) of a new book, Love the Journey to College: Guidance from an Admissions Consultant and Her Daughter.

The book is exactly what high-school seniors (and juniors) along with their parents should be reading right now. It provides plenty of level-headed advice to guide you on this journey. I recently caught up with Jill to find out why so many end up disliking the college search process and how we--and colleges--can improve our experience.

My exchange with her follows.

Q. You wrote this book with your daughter, Amanda, and throughout you have this back-and-forth with her when giving advice about the college search. From the book, it seems like you approached the college search as a team, but was that the reality all the time? What can parents and their kids do to better align their goals during the college search? 

A. While the college search and selection process can and should be a team effort, I always say “the student drives the bus.” This means the student should ultimately decide what he or she is looking for in a school, which colleges feel right in terms of where to apply and ultimately, where to go. And of course, the students directly impact the college options that will be available – by how focused they are on their academics, how engaged they are in other activities, and how they handle the life situations that arise during their high school years.

Having said that, parents/family become involved in the whole process for a number of practical reasons. They enable children to visit colleges (and typically accompany them). They are likely involved in the logistics of high school activities. Parents know their kids like no one else can, so they are in a great position to help the student wrestle with college-related decisions. And in many cases, parents and relatives help children pay for some or all of their college costs. Therefore, children usually have an influential "navigator" for that bus they are driving.  

It’s sad that many parents pressure students to apply to certain schools because of the name brand, or because they attended that school, or to pursue a major or career that does not truly interest the child.

So how can families align their goals and efforts? A good foundation is honest two-way communication. Parents need to listen to their child and accept their emerging priorities and interests. It’s sad that many parents pressure students to apply to certain schools because of the name brand, or because they attended that school, or to pursue a major or career that does not truly interest the child. Most students are not ready to decide on a major, much less a career path, when they are sixteen and seventeen. Some students want to attend an out-of-town school, and some prefer to stay close. Some see themselves in a larger city, while others want an open campus space. The point is, parents need to create an environment of introspection and healthy discussion. 

These are still teenagers, living with one or both parents who naturally want to set some parameters in terms of the universe of schools that are realistic options. These considerations typically relate to cost and geographic location. This is fine, but I believe parents should make these parameters known as early as possible and certainly by the spring of their child’s junior year. As a parent, if you want your child to stay within a few hours of driving distance, he or she should not expect to visit any schools across the country. 

Finances can be a bit trickier because if you have a strong student, they may get significant merit money and/or financial aid. By spring of junior year of high school, you should know how much you are willing and able to pay for college annually. I think it’s a good idea to explain the difference between “sticker” price and actual price to your child and tell them what you can afford and plan to pay. Certainly your child needs to love schools that you can afford. I encourage parents to also let them apply to schools they love that are more expensive. I have worked with dozens of strong students who ended up getting full, half or partial scholarships, allowing them to afford to attend a college with a sticker price that previously was out of reach.

Amanda and I disagreed quite a bit during her college search. Cornell University did not make it to the top five on my list of colleges for her. But when I asked Amanda to "defend" why Cornell was on her list, she had point after point about why it was such a great fit. As a mom, I continually reminded myself that this was her journey and I was there for support. Parents often come in with preconceived notions about what colleges are like or which will be best but the most successful outcomes are those with the kids leading the way.

MORE THAN 1/3 OF STUDENTS APPLY TO AT LEAST 7 COLLEGES

Q. Your book title says to "love" the journey to college, but many parents in the process end up hating the journey and can't wait to be done with it. How can parents make their journey less angst-filled?

A. Not surprisingly, the college journey can be stressful for many parents as they watch their kids go through the process while juggling the various demands of high school - coursework, sports and extracurricular activities, preparing for ACT/SAT, having a social life, and (hopefully) getting some sleep. Parents are often faced with the perceived choice of being too hands-off (potentially seeing their child fall behind with application deadlines or making destructive personal decisions) or too hands-on (potentially straining the relationship by nagging and constantly asking about grades and deadlines). As you imply, it’s no wonder parents often complete the journey with only a feeling of relief, or maybe even a severe case of agita.

A technique I suggest is to designate one specific hour each week, say Sundays at 3 p.m., where parents can ask the child whatever they want about college, applications, etc. The rest of the week is off-limits for parents to initiate the college conversation. 

The fact is, parents need to play both roles when needed. It’s always my preference to let the student make his or her own choices, with parents being aware of key milestones such as exam dates and application deadlines. This way they can anticipate the pressure that their child might be feeling at certain points and be as supportive as possible. A technique I suggest is to designate one specific hour each week, say Sundays at 3 p.m., where parents can ask the child whatever they want about college, applications, etc. The rest of the week is off-limits for parents to initiate the college conversation. But the child can bring up the topic and ask for advice or guidance whenever he or she wants. This reinforces his or her position in the driver’s seat, but with some structured accountability and unlimited support.

Another piece of advice I give to parents early in the process is the same as I give to students: have an open mind. Remember, there are about 4,000 colleges in the U.S. There is way more than one right college for each person. Try not to get set on one school only. The key is to select about ten colleges that you love and be relatively sure that you can get into three or four of them. Once you do this, your stress level will be greatly reduced. The best way to find these colleges is to visit -- if your budget and time allow. I actually prefer first college visits to include colleges you do NOT think your child will apply to and preferably ones that will be considered likely options, given their grades. These visits can happen as early as 10th grade, or whenever your child is excited about going on a trip. Rather than focusing on the GPA and scores your child would need to get for admission into a particular college, you can focus on everything else.

Initial college visits should feel a lot like window shopping. You browse to learn what it is that you ultimately want. There is no purchase; you are just exposing yourselves to the many wonderful options out there. Everyone’s stress level will be lowered significantly if you find likely colleges you love along the way.

Q. Writing the essays seems to really worry many students and their parents. You and Amanda make a point that essays need to talk about what applicants learned about themselves. But these are kids who have for the most part only lived 17 years on this earth -- are we asking them to provide too much in essays? What was your favorite essay as a counselor?

A. One of the goals for the essay is to provide the reader with another side of you that doesn’t appear elsewhere in the application. While most applicants are only 17 years old, they have certainly had experiences that impacted who they are today.

Often students get scared to start writing the dreaded college essay. I think you should just start writing; don’t get consumed by the prompts. Write about a few different topics that you may want to explore further for an essay. Choosing from those snippets could lead you to a great main essay.

Great college essays usually evolve over a couple of weeks. When students work on multiple drafts to tell a story, something magical can happen in the process and they begin to enjoy what they are writing about. 

The most memorable essays are ones that have a dramatic opening. During the month of October, I typically read dozens of essays each day (an admissions counselor in a college could read hundreds). The essays that I remember weeks later are the best because they are the ones that grabbed my attention from the start.

Q. The book takes readers through the whole process from visiting colleges to applying for financial aid. Seniors are in the midst of completing applications. Any last minute advice for them?

A. First, you’re almost at the finish line. Run through it! With all the time and effort you’ve already invested, resist the temptation to “just be done already.” Write strong supplemental essays, make sure your activities have as much detail as space allows and complete the ‘anything else’ additional essay to explain something not already on your application.

Remember: Take the time to thank your parents, teachers and counselor who wrote letters of recommendation for you. 

Second, try to stay calm. Try to enjoy senior year and soak in this last year with friends. Also, take the time to thank your parents, teachers and counselor who wrote letters of recommendation for you. 

Third, wait for the decisions to return and get ready to visit and revisit the colleges you get into. The dance switches to the other foot upon acceptance. Students get to decide from their choices what will work best for them and commit to one college.

Q. If you were put in charge of admissions for a day at a Harvard, Stanford or another very selective college, what is the first thing you would change?

A. Two things come to mind right away. First, I would love for the very selective colleges to no longer participate in rankings. Oftentimes, rankings include data that does not help families make college choices. For example, some rankings ask college presidents to evaluate OTHER college programs. How can one college president accurately know about the details of another school’s classes and professors? Rankings can give false data because the numbers don’t always include students who are waitlisted, international, or special recruits like athletes. Furthermore, there are nearly 1,000 colleges that offer test-flexible admissions policies and what data they include/don’t in their reports can be hard to discern. Rankings do not serve students well and it creates anxiety and can provide misleading information to families who are trying to compare different institutions. Rankings often measure the generosity of alumni and total endowment. A number of years ago, a very selective institution sent $10 bills to their alumni and then asked the alumni to make a donation of $10 or more! If selective institutions asked to be excluded from the rankings, this would change the scope of college admissions today.

 Second, I would encourage colleges to scale back overly aggressive marketing to potential applicants. In an effort to increase their number of applicants (and therefore appear more selective in their acceptance rate), some colleges are resorting to sending emails such as these:

• Congratulations! Our admissions committee has selected you to receive priority consideration.
• I've been looking forward to receiving your Common Application as a candidate to X –in fact, you’re one of my top applicants!
• Good news for you! Since I believe you could be a great fit here at X, I’ve decided to extend YOUR deadline.
• You’ve been selected by X University! Congratulations - you have caught the attention of X University!

Sending emails like these to unqualified students to lure them to apply is not in the best interest of applicants. In many cases, some very selective colleges sent these to my students who do not have adequate grades or the scores for admission to these schools. The colleges are trying to increase their applicant pool. Sadly, many na?ve teenagers get excited by this type of news and think they have a chance at X college.

In certain circumstances, I have been so thrown by these emails (sent to my students with D’-s and F’-s) that I call Admissions and I say “Imagine that you are 17 years old and you want more than anything to attend College X. But the reality is you don’t have the grades or scores and really are not the appropriate fit. And then you receive one of the emails above and you’re thinking – what if I apply? They say I am a top applicant! They told me I will receive priority consideration! Surely that must mean I have a good chance at admissions.”

I have to say that in every case when I follow up with a phone call, the Admissions Director apologizes, agrees and promises to do better next year. I would respectfully request that colleges do better and stop sending emails like this, especially to non-qualified students.

That being said, I would like to commend many of the selective colleges who are intentionally trying to encourage greater ethical engagement from prospective students, limit some of the achievement-caused stress and open doors for economically-disadvantaged children through the launch of a new initiative called Turning the Tide. I believe not participating in rankings and changing the tone of some marketing emails to students would help the Turning the Tide movement further address some of its goals.

Jeffrey Selingo is author of There Is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow. You can follow his writing here, on Twitter @jselingo, on Facebook, and sign up for free newsletters about the future of higher education at jeffselingo.com.

He is a regular contributor to the Washington Post’s Grade Point blog, a professor of practice at Arizona State University, and a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities.