In October, the Washington Post published Seven College Admission Myths. Even though admission to most Kansas colleges is a relative breeze, I thought a few of the myths were worth reprinting here.
"3. The admissions department adores you.
Many schools dump lots of money into transforming their campus visits into personal experiences, building connections through social media and making average students feel aggressively recruited. They also flood mailboxes with personalized invitations to apply, and are sometimes even willing to waive the application fee. Don’t think this makes you special. Realize that this is all strategic marketing. Despite the overly personal facade, admissions departments are receiving numbers of applications and the evaluation process is often a technical, impersonal one.
4. It’s best to crowd your application with a volume of extracurriculars.
In most cases, admissions staffers are not impressed by long lists of extracurriculars that fill in every single line on the application. In asking about your out-of-class interests, colleges usually want to hear about your interests, passions and leadership. Rather than spreading your time and dedication over a dozen activities you care a little about, focus on a couple that mean the most to you.
5. It’s better to have a high GPA than to take difficult classes.
It’s always better to challenge yourself, even if it means a lower grade. Just don’t fail.
6. Essays don’t really matter much in the end because grades and test scores are so dominant in admissions decisions.
Don’t believe it. A poorly written, typo-filled essay can kill any application, and a beautiful piece can lift a student over another who looks similar on paper. Yes, college admissions officers can often tell if a student didn’t actually write the essay. Some compare the writing with SAT and ACT essays. And no, don’t think every subject will work as long as it is well written: Admissions officers have no interest in a student’s love life, brushes with the law or the trip to Costa Rica to fulfill a community service requirement in which the applicant wound up learning more from the locals than the locals got from the applicant."
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