2010.05.06 21:34:41

Patrick OConnor

Meeting Next Year's Challenge of Getting Into College Begins May 17th

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about this being a record-breaking year for college applications, and I’ve offered come hints to juniors on how to make sure their college application process is as smooth as possible.  It seemed like all of the bases were covered…

…and of course, that meant something had to change—which it did.

The surprise came this week, when plans were announced to lay off at least 26 counselors in Oakland County, Michigan.  Oakland County is the third wealthiest county in Michigan, and was the home of some very serious money before the US auto industry took a hit two years ago.

Most of the eliminated positions are elementary counselors, so a number of experienced elementary counselors could be transferred into high school counseling jobs next fall.  It’s great that they have counseling experience, but it’s unlikely they will have experience counseling students about college.

If that’s the case in a county that’s still doing OK in the dollar department, chances are your school district is thinking about similar plans, which could mean the counselor you have now won’t be the counselor you have senior year—and that’s not good.

Every part of the college selection process works best if parents, students and counselors work together and plan ahead, and this challenge is no different.  To make sure your senior year is strong, and their college options are all they can be, take these simple steps as a family:

* Ask about counseling plans for next year.  Now is the time to find out if your school is planning a reduction in counselors, or a change in counselors.  This would also be a good time to urge your school board to look elsewhere for budget savings; since most counselors work with 350 or more students, now isn’t the time to make that number bigger.

* Introduce yourself to your new counselor early. If you are getting a new counselor over the summer, now is not the time to be a stranger.  Contact them over the summer, and ask for a meeting to bring them up to speed on your college plans.  Better yet, have your folks contact the principal and offer to host an open house at the high school for all the students of the new counselor.  This will allow the counselor to hit the ground running come September.

* Insist on well-trained counselors.  Parents are surprised to find out most school counselors didn’t have any training in graduate school in how to help guide families through the college selection process.  That’s not their fault—only about 30 counselor training programs offer a course devoted just to college advising—but such training is available.  I offer an online course that trains counselor in college advising—it’s under the Classes and Events tab on the Web site.

* Warm up your computer.  The week of May 17th is National Action Week, a time to tell school boards, principals, state legislators, and Congress that school counselors are valuable and necessary.  There’ll be more information on the Web site next week, and there’s more at http://www.nacacnet.org/LegislativeAction/LegislativeNews/Pages

/NationalActionWeek.aspx—tell your friends, tell the PTA, and be ready to fax at will.

Applying to college isn’t as easy as it was when today’s parents were high school seniors, but a little advanced planning, combined with keeping the best interests of the students at heart, can create a solid foundation of college success for the Class of 2011 and beyond.  Get your letters ready—the time for action is now.

college admission | college counseling | college entrance

2010.04.29 22:06:31

Patrick OConnor

College tests-- don't ACT out- find a way to do better!

Just when the hallways at school were quieting down as seniors made their May 1 decisions, the cries of “Oh the madness!” are now coming from the juniors who have received their ACT scores from early April (yup, they’re online—the ones in the mail will come in about three weeks.)  Even though many of these juniors should be studying for the APs they’re taking next week, all they can do is stare at their e-mail from Iowa and say “How did this happen?”

If this is your first ACT, calm down—it happens to almost everyone.  No matter how much you practice, there’s nothing to replace the first ACT experience… except of course, the second ACT experience, provided you score higher.

Several juniors have asked if a re-take of the ACT is in order.  The answer (of course) is—it depends.  If something unusual happened the day you took the test—if you weren’t feeling well, if there was a fire drill in the middle, if you felt nervous about the test, or (true story!) if you fell asleep during the test, or if you walked out from the test and said “I can do better”, a re-take is most likely in order—see if you can sign up for June.

On the other hand, some students simply look at the scores and want them to be higher—so they wonder about a re-take.  The best answer I can give here is to consider if you really feel you can score higher—it’s great to *want* the scores to be higher, but do you think you gave the ACT your best shot?  If you’re not sure, and you want to give it another go, by all means make it happen…

…but before you register, consider if you’re ready for a re-take.  For example, some students feel a particular score was surprisingly low—for many students, this is the Reading score.  If your Reading score surprised you, you’re going to want to get some help with reading comprehension skills before you do the re-take—and you want to do this for more than one reason. 

First, if your reading comprehension needs improvement, there’s a good chance you scored lower on the Science section as well—because the Science section is really a Reading test with scientific content, and not a science test.  If you love Science, your score might be higher than your Reading score—but that probably has to do with the fact you liked what you were reading.  There’s a good chance the Science score could go higher with some comprehension help (incredibly, this doesn’t always apply to your English score, since English is more about mechanics), so that’s something to consider.

Second, since improving reading comprehension generally takes time, June might not be the best time for an ACT re-take, so this might wait until September.  If this freaks you out, you might want to consider taking a Spring SAT, since only one of the three sections of the SAT emphasize the kind of reading the ACT Reading portion does.  Again, there’s nothing hard and fast about these rules, but if you find yourself needing some time to sharpen your reading skills, and you want to get a decent set of scores, the plan may be to do a Spring SAT, followed by a Fall ACT—and remember, the scores from the September ACT will be delivered to colleges around October 8th,, just in time to be used to review your killer application.

college entrance | college applications | college tests | ACT | college test re-takes

2010.03.17 21:09:22

Patrick OConnor

College Decisions-- Yours, Not Theirs-- May Be Surprising

When it came to applying to colleges, Bob put together a strategy that expected the unexpected.  Knowing the three colleges he liked the most were highly selective, he followed his counselor’s advice and applied to 4 other colleges that were only a little less selective—but the difference was slight enough to increase the chances Bob would be admitted to at least 2 of these schools. 

With seven applications in, Bob figured he could count on 2 of his Plan B schools, and maybe one of his top schools.  Once he had three admissions letters in front of him, Bob figured the choice would be obvious.

That’s when Surprise Number One came in. 

Bob’s already heard from his 4 “safety” schools, and he was admitted to all of them.  As he expected, three of them offered him a merit scholarship, but two of those offers were for over half the cost of attendance.  It’s not unusual for students with comparatively high grades and scores to be offered money, but this was more money than Bob (and his counselor) had expected, and it was more acceptances that he was anticipating.

Then along came Surprise Number Two.

Bob’s also been admitted to one of his top pick colleges, and went back for a visit last week.  Since one of his B schools was in the same area, he stopped and visited there as well—and now it’s his top choice.  He found out more about the research opportunities and small classes, and felt very much at home when he stayed overnight on campus.  “I’m really surprised” he said, “This college doesn’t match up at all with what I was looking for last fall.”

What lessons can you learn from Bob’s experience?

Admit rates are higher at some schools.  The top colleges may be admitting fewer students, but many other colleges are admitting more, knowing a larger number of those admitted students are less likely to come, either because of money, or because they applied to more colleges than students in past years.  Either way, you may find more colleges are saying yes.

Merit money is up.  These colleges are making the most of record numbers of applications from strong students.  If you attend that college, their average GPA and test score rankings go up, and so does their reputation.  That’s why they’re digging deep to get strong students to their schools.

Look closely.  People do indeed change in 6 months—like Bob, what you wanted in a college may be different now than it was in September.  This is why another visit to each campus is a must, if you can do it.  You’re that much closer to going, so you have to be that much more confident in knowing. Hit the road.

Look closely, Part II.  It’s always nice to be wanted, but when you visit your B schools, look with your eyes and heart, and less with your wallet.  Paying half tuition is still a waste of money if the place isn’t for you, or if they’ll run out of interesting classes for bright students like you next year. It’s great to have new goals today—just make sure they’re new for the right reason.

Bob ended up with a different kind of unexpected than the one he planned for, but if he uses the same tools of self-knowledge and self-listening, he’ll still end up with a rock solid school.  March Madness is for basketball teams—learn some lessons from this student, and you’ll go bobbin’ along on the road to the right college.

college decisions | college acceptance | college entrance | college admission | merit scholarship

2010.03.12 21:32:49

Patrick OConnor

College Admission and Community Service

One of the most perplexing parts of the college selection process has nothing to do with classes, grades or testing—it’s community service. This nuanced (hey—SAT word!) part of the college application made headlines a few years ago, when a number of able-walleted students participated in “designer” community service programs that took them across the globe, where they dug latrines, built roads, and created water purification plants in remote villages. 

Students thought this kind of work would be a real eye-catcher to the colleges, but they turned out to be wrong.  Colleges certainly value missionary work and emergency support for victims of disasters, but it turns out they put equal value in fixing up the street where you live and the town you call home.

Since community service hasn’t been in the headlines lately, families wonder if colleges care about it any more—and the answer is yes, but in a different way.  Many high schools have instituted mandatory community service as part of their graduation requirements, thinking this would give all of their students a boost in the college application process.  Once again, the colleges were not amused; it turns out if “volunteer” work is required, it loses most of its shine in the eyes of a college.

So what do colleges value in the eyes of volunteer work, and how much is “enough?” 

Colleges have always valued students who get that community service is a natural extension of who they are, and that is no different today.  The student who walked by a homeless man and decided to start a homeless shelter is a hero in the eyes of a college, not because the student looked good on paper, but because the student had a good heart.  Ditto for a basketball player who coaches 4th graders at the Y, the chess whiz who starts a club at the town library, and the student who reads to Alzheimer’s patients at the local hospital.  These students aren’t wondering how much more they have to volunteer to get into college—they’re wondering what more they can to do make a difference.

“But my kid doesn’t see the world that way.  What am I supposed to do?”

If you mean “what am I supposed to do about getting them into college?”, most colleges consider community service along with work, sports teams, and the play as “extra curricular” activities, so if your child is strong in other areas, you may be OK.  There are some places that look solely at community service; to sort out which is which, ask the college.

But if your question means “what can I do to motivate my child to make a difference”, the answer is-- set the example.  Most students engaged in community service started out at an early age, boxing food with their parents at the food shelter, serving Thanksgiving dinner as a family at the Salvation Army, or being the errand runner while Mom and Dad built a Habitat for Humanity.  Just because they’re teens doesn’t mean it’s too late; the need for volunteers is great, and as long as you have a car that can fit the whole family, there’s a project that can fill your schedule.

If your kids are video game mavens, it’s even easier.  “Evoke” is a new online game with serious graphics and a serious mission—work with your fellow secret agents to solve a real-world global task (see http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/could_this_game_be _a_game-changer) .  If you can’t get your student off the couch, take a laptop and some cheese doodles and join ‘em—and begin the journey of self that ends in serving others.   

community service | college admission | college choice | college entrance

2010.03.05 01:55:40

Patrick OConnor

Choosing a College is More Than Smoke and Mirrors

Today’s column begins with another college quiz.  Ready?

2.      What person was recently quoted as saying “I’m not very pretty”?

Frequent readers have the first answer tattooed on their arm, next to the Web address for Colleges That Change Lives.  The purpose of college is to give you the opportunity to continue to live the wonderful life you already have, and to understand more about yourself, the world, and your relationship to the world.

I’m pointing this out again because this is the time of year when all kinds of people forget that.  As seniors and their families wait for the March Madness of college decisions, and as juniors get back their tentative class schedules for next year and decide if it’s “college-worthy”, it’s easy to think school is more about thick envelopes and “getting in” than personal growth.  

That’s not to say high school should be a breeze, or that diligence and achievement shouldn’t be recognized. But what does it say about college choice if you get into a name college you’d hate going to, or if you get a 7  AP class senior-year schedule with so much homework you can’t even remember your name? There’s a fine difference between self-growth and self-destruction, and if you’re not careful, this approach to college can spill over into other areas of your life, like dating, career exploration, or self-identity…

…which leads us to Question 2.  The person who thinks they aren’t pretty is Anne Hathaway.  Right—not the Anne Hathaway who works at the corner deli, but the Anne Hathaway.  It’s nice to hear a little humility coming from Hollywood, and  I certainly don’t want to diss the reigning queen of Genovia, but either a new mirror or a new perspective is in order— and such is the case when the dream of being admitted to college is more important than the reality of going there.  The first ground rule is keeping grounded.

This same topic is addressed in a must-see movie. “Race to Nowhere” documents the lives of students who discover that more really can be less, and some of these lessons are hard ones.  The trailer’s at www.racetonowhere.com  Take a peek before you decide if a fourth community service project is really all that important— and either way, do your community a service by asking your counselor to set up a screening of this film for your school.

“But dude”, says you, “aren’t you the guy who tells us colleges want us to do all this crazy stuff?  Isn’t it your job to tell us to dance a little faster in order to win the game?”

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever called college choice a game—if I did, I was wrong.  Classes, extra-curriculars and community service aren’t the elements of a game—they are ingredients in the recipe of your life, and my job is to give you cooking lessons.  The recipe for life—and for college success-- is only complete with healthy doses of perspective and self-knowledge.  Without them, you might end up like this guy, who didn’t think he was good enough to be a professional singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA 

And just how did Paul Potts decide to audition for Britain’s Got Talent, which led to performing before Queen Elizabeth and selling over 4 million albums?

He flipped a coin.

choosing a college | applying to college | college counseling | college entrance

2010.02.26 22:14:31

Patrick OConnor

College Admissions: It's Not A Safety School if It's Not You

To Sheila, it seemed like the perfect safety school.  It had the program she wanted, she was well above the college’s average GPA and test scores, and she liked the college’s reputation for an above average social life.

Even though she was admitted to one of her first choice colleges, the Plan B school hit the A list when she was offered a large merit scholarship and an invitation to join the school’s Honors College.  The promise of small classes and the sense of adventure called to her, and she answered—she sent her deposit in and left her hometown in the dust.

The romance lasted one year.  Halfway into the second semester, she realized she was already taking junior-level classes in the university’s Honors College, and some of them didn’t ask very much from her.  She sat back and did the math— since she was on track to complete senior-level classes as a sophomore, what would she study for the last two years of college?

Around the same time, she realized there was only so much partying she needed in her life, which was much less than her fellow students needed.  She had a thoughtful conversation with her parents, finished the semester, and transferred to the first choice college she’d been admitted to the year before.

What lessons did Sheila learn that could help you?  Simple:

There’s no such thing as a Plan B school.  Sheila didn’t give a single thought to the social lives of the other colleges she applied to, but it was one of the main reasons she applied to the college she attended—and that change should have been the wake-up call that this wasn’t the college for her. You definitely need to apply to at least one college where your chances of admission are strong, but that doesn’t mean you’re looking for a different kind of college. Keep the same criteria, and make them all first choice colleges.

Look past the labels.  Honors colleges, residential programs, and learning-living communities offer smaller classes, which are generally a plus—but they also offer fewer classes, which can be a minus. If AP credits or placement exams take half the limited choices off the table, that makes college less of a learning experience, and more of a hep community with lots of people your age that’s interrupted by the need to go to class once in a while.  College is about living AND learning—make sure you’ll get the chance to do both.

Turn off the disco ball in your head.  Merit scholarships and junior-level placements can be real ego boosters (and can sure help cash-strapped parents), but if the college just isn’t you, it’s like paying half-price for a pair of jeans you’ll never wear.  If April finds you thinking about a school you didn’t pay much attention to six months ago, you MUST visit the campus again. Pull out the list of what you wanted in a school, and view the campus clearly; it’s cool if your priorities have changed in a school because you’re a different person now, but it’s not cool if you need to change the person you are because of the priorities of the school. Look.

Listen to your counselor.  No disrespect to Sheila, but I told her family to do these things, and they blew me off.  We may be older, we may drive ugly cars, and our hair isn’t what it used to be, but our job is to guide you around the landmines of college selection—and we are very good at it.  Let us help you.

college entrance | college counseling | college admissions | safety school | safety schools | choosing a college

2010.02.10 19:49:36

Patrick OConnor

Give Semester Advice the Old College Tri

Last week’s column on scheduling brought a response from a family where the high school is on trimesters, so classes (and grades) switch in November, March, and June, not at all like the January-June semester schedule.  Their two main points were:

-Telling us to mail first semester grades in January doesn’t help, since we already sent first trimester grades in early December.

-Ditto for schedule changes.  Since trimesters started in December, it is what it is—and since trimesters are harder to schedule, juniors have already scheduled their classes for next year.

Trimesterites, lest you think the last two columns are merely kindling to fan the flames of your cozy Valentines Day fire, uncrumple those two fine tomes, and go with the flow as follows:

If a college has deferred you, students on trimesters sent updated grades in early December, long before most colleges decided on their Early applicants.  Even if you sent a note and your grades were en el fuego back then, it will be 3 or 4 months between the time you last contacted the deferring college that said “tell us more”(which really means “show us how much this means to you”) and the time they review your file again.  Tell me—does this time warp translate as showing genuine interest?

The solution here is simple, Danny Zuko—tell them more, one more time!  If your high school sends home mid-trimester grades, passing those good grades along to colleges will show that not only were you good in December, but you’re still good now, and their college is where you still want to be.  Some high schools may even finish the second trimester in mid-March, which could be enough time to send some colleges the good word just as they’re reviewing their deferred applicants. 

Either way, mid-trimester grades can go out now.  Use the occasion to write another very brief note about what’s new in your life and your genuine interest in the school, and they’ll have the latest news—and a refreshed perception—about where you are, and what matters to you.

In terms of schedules, I’m sticking to my guns. Whether you’re a senior starting second semester or third trimester, the chance will come—either right now or in a month-- to ratchet your schedule down a notch. If your grades were strong last report card, there’s no reason to do this—just say no. This may be even harder for trimester students, since the start of your last term is that much closer to the finish line; practice in the mirror if you need to, but a little nyet, nein, non, and “as if” now goes a long way later.

Juniors, if your school really has asked for your schedule for next year, don’t worry—Like Arnold, they’ll be back.  Low enrollment, computer glitches, and last minute layoffs will give you at least three opportunities to pick up “AP Ultimate Frisbee” and drop “Jane Adams and Jane Addams: Common Souls Separated by an Uncommon Spelling”. 

The goal is to make the most out of the learning experiences you have in high school, and I have a hunch your house has 4 Dyn-O-Glos hanging around, but nary a copy of Twenty Years at Hull House. Keep the challenge high—colleges will notice, and more important, so will you.

GPA | college entrance | college admission | college counseling

2010.02.06 18:07:30

Patrick OConnor

Applying to College? Schedule Wisely

We’re a week away from President’s Day, which means there’s only one thing on the minds of college-bound students—schedules.  By this, I don’t mean “My homework is really cutting into my social schedule” or “Dude!  Three girls asked me to the Sadie Hawkins Dance—do you think I can make that work?”  Rather, I mean your school schedule—of classes—for school?

Wow, it’s clearly time for winter break.

I know you’re storing up on wings and dip for tomorrow, so I’ll make this quick:

Seniors, even though this is the last semester of your high school career, you still need a strong schedule.  Even as we speak, colleges are reviewing your applications, and one of their big questions is if you have the ability *and* the desire to really tear up college classes.  Your grades from past semesters may say “You bet”, but if this semester has six sections of The Anthropology of Texting, chances are you’ll hit campus with a rusty brain and an inability to write words with vowels in them.  Bottom line?  Keep the neurons firing by taking classes that make you think.

“But hombre” say you, “I’m smart enough to make this work.  I’m entitled to some time off.” 

OK—consider this.  If your college application says you’re taking a challenging load of academics, and you change your schedule to swap out AP English for “American Idol:  Boon or Boondoggle?”, you have to contact the college immediately to tell them your schedule has changed..  No matter how smooth you think you are, do you really think there’s any way a college will see this change as good news?  Sure, it’s tough now, but Tom Hanks was right—it’s supposed to be hard, or everyone could do it.  Your teachers will cut you some slack come May and June—meanwhile, jump into the work you told colleges you love, and see what’s there to get juiced about.

Juniors, you don’t need a pep talk to take tough classes now, since sixth semester is Show and Tell time. However, your counselors will be coming around in three weeks to sign you up for senior year classes—and that’s when the temptation to board the Blow-it-off bullet train will be strong.

Here’s my encore:  The primary factor used by nearly every college in reading an application is if the student has challenged him/herself by taking the most demanding classes available.  If you’re getting As in French 3, and there’s a French 4, it goes on the schedule; ditto for Calculus and Shakespeare.  If your school offers a course called Expository Writing, it’s on the list; college students tell me this is THE course that helped them see how to write great papers in classes other than English.  Be advised--  “Expository” comes from the Latin expos, which means “to write so many papers you’ll wear out a pencil a week.” Tough?  Yes.  Beyond you?  Please!

You’ve probably heard that the number of high school graduates will go down next year, and that leads you to believe you won’t have to work as hard to get admitted to college.  The first part is right, but the second part isn’t; even with the bad economy, more students are going to college than ever before, so colleges are likely to pick and choose the top students for at least the next few years.  Make their work easy for them—gird yourself, smoke the tough classes, and give yourself a reason to be proud when the thick envelope arrives from your college.  That’s the recipe for a super touchdown.

college counseling | schedules | college entrance | college admission

2009.12.18 00:22:45

Patrick OConnor

Early Admissions Decisions: Don't Let A Deferral Grinch You

The smoke is finally clearing from Early Notification Week, when students who applied Early Action or Early Decision heard the news from many of their colleges.  Students and counselors are reporting a record number of deferrals this year, where colleges wait until winter to make a decision on the student’s application.

I know—you applied early because you wanted to hear early, choose a college, and get back to the business of being a high school senior, and suddenly the decision you thought would be over one way or another, isn’t.  That’s not especially soothing…

… but on the other hand, it’s pretty cool.  A dozen years ago, almost all early applicants were either admitted or deferred, but no longer—at most colleges, an early applicant who wouldn’t be successful at that college is now being told no in December.  That means if you were deferred this year, the college sees some potential in your application…

…now, you just need to build on it.  Most deferral letters asked students to submit seventh semester grades; now that those requests have been passed along to school counselors, most students think there’s nothing left to do but sit and wait—and they would be wrong.

First, if the college wants to see your grades, they’d better be your rockin’ best—so focus your neurons on something besides DJ Hero 94 and figure out what you can do to make your grades sparkle.  If you’re still in school, this means making the rounds with your teachers to ask if extra credit or make-up work is possible.  I’m not trying to go all Ebenezer on you, but there’s bound to be some down time around the 28th or 29th where an hour or two of school time can send you on a trip to A Land.  If the college that said “show me something” means anything to you, it’s worth the effort.

Second, unless the college says otherwise (like MIT, who only wants to hear from you once), you should write a letter back to the college now to tell them about all the great things you’ve been up to since you sent your application in.  This is a small way to demonstrate continued interest in the school, but it’s big enough to separate you from the students who won’t write anything at all.  Don’t feel obliged to make stuff up (“It was an honor to accept the Nobel Prize on the President’s behalf”), but don’t be shy--and speak from the heart.

Third, this is no time to pine—and I’m not talking about your Kwanzaanukahmas tree here.  A record number of students are applying to college this year, and a higher percentage of those applied early—that overwhelmed the colleges.  If you were hoping one person would ask you to the New Year’s dance, and thirteen people popped the question, you’d want some space to sort things out, right?  Colleges are no different—it’s a banner year, and they want things to work out in the best possible way for everyone.  Time—and your continued communication with them—will help them do that.

It’s hard not to take “tell me more” personally, but if you see this is more about the college than about you, the best thing to do is to give them exactly what they want—more of the very best you that you can offer. Jump at the chance; be clear, smoke your grades, don’t go crazy, keep the big picture in mind, and the next leg of your college journey will be sweeter than walking in a winter wonderland.

college entrance | college admissions | deferred | college decisions

2009.11.12 19:09:08

Patrick OConnor

Applying to Colleges a Bear? Time to Regroup!

This is the hardest three weeks of applying to college.  You've already submitted a couple of applications, and now you're up to your Uggs in essays and deadlines for more colleges.  You're starting to wonder if this is all really worth it, when along comes a thick envelope from one of the colleges you applied to in September-- congratulations, you're in!

You have now entered the Goldilocks zone.

(Forgot about her?  Go to http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/goldilocks_story.htm --DON'T ask your English teacher, who will tell you the story is a metaphor of global consumption by Western civilization.)

Why Goldilocks? Right now, you think your college list is:

Too hard  With 5 class papers to do and the fall play, you're sure you are applying to too many colleges.  You only visited half of them, the time you spend on essays would be much better spent on keeping your grades up, and you're already admitted to one college-- do you really need more?

Too soft  Sure, you're in at one college-- but that was a safety school.  In fact, every school you're applying to looks like a sure thing.  Maybe it's time to ramp things up-- and if that means more essays, you can take your laptop to Grandma's on Thanksgiving.

These may seem to be opposites, but they are signs of the same thing-- you are stressed about the application process.  Pull up a bowl of porridge, and let's sort this out with three simple questions:

How did you feel about your college list in September?   If you put a lot of thought into your choices, visited some campuses and researched the others, chances are you'd be cutting out some options by cutting down on the list; the busy-ness of school is blocking your view of the big picture, and it's time to take a breath.

However, if you threw the list together to get Mom and Dad off your back, you may now have a better idea of what you want-- or don't want.  If that's the case, there's time to re-visit the list, and a good reason to do so.

How many essays do you really have left?  Count up the college essays you have to answer.  Now, divide that number by six.  That's the number you have to complete each weekend to finish the apps by mid-December.  If you mix and match short and long essays, you're probably OK if you have to do three each weekend, maybe four.  (Remember, no writing during the week.  That's time for school work, which is the way you keep your grades up.)

Then again, if you have to write something like one-sixth of an essay each weekend, you have room to apply to more colleges.  Write down what you're looking for in a college, and spend this weekend looking around for more; it sounds like you can skip the essays for a while.

Have your college goals changed since September?  If you have new college plans, a review of your list is the right thing to do.  If you really know all of the colleges are keepers, it's time to pull up your socks and do the heavy lifting of the essays.  Persisting now will be good practice for college, when you have to choose between turning a paper in on time, and the Euchre tournament.

Goldilocks made bad choices-- trespassing, destruction of private property, and napping after a big meal.  Don't let this happen to you; step back, think about what matters most to you, and you'll make a decision about college apps that's just right.

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