BAD advice...
Originally written: March '24
"Be well rounded"
"Take as many AP courses as you can"
"Sign up for multiple clubs & after school activities"
"Do community service"
"Join National Honor Society"
"Do all the reading the teacher assigns you"
I'm sure you've heard ALL this "good advice" before...
But since SO many people STRUGGLE with college admissions...
...wondering why their high schooler "had good grades and test scores"...but "didn't get accepted anywhere"...
And yet most students (and their parents) seem to have less of a concrete idea of what makes a stand-out applicant than ever before...
Why is it considered "good"?
We'd say it's BAD advice.
See the problem?
If you do what everyone else does... You get what everyone else gets...
That's why the average high schooler struggles mightily with college planning, haphazardly applies to a handful of arbitrarily chosen schools, gets rejected from all their "Reach" schools, ends up choosing to go to the "Safety" school they were accepted to...and graduates four years later with, on average 5-figures in student loan debt as they enter adulthood...
That's why the average parent of a high schooler struggles mightily guiding their high schooler through college planning, secretly dreading those dinner table 'college discussions' that seem to go in circles with no real, concrete, plan to speak of...
They're following this really BAD advice.
Want some GOOD advice instead?
Don't be well rounded. Instead, be authentic...focusing on just 1-2 extracurriculars outside of school that you really, genuinely enjoy...If you do this, be warned! You might just get a handwritten letter from the Notre Dame admissions department begging you to attend.
Don't do all the reading your teacher assigns you...instead, understand the end goal of the class, what the teacher will ultimately be grading you on...and work backwards from there.
Don't take as many APs as you can. Sleep is critical for teenagers! Take less APs, sleep more, tell your parents you love them more than you do...and when you DO study, study effectively.
Speaking of studying effectively...study in 50 minute chunks with 10 minute breaks. Also, do you have a test coming up? Use the quiz-and-recall method to expedite your learning pathways...so you can get Straight A's and still enjoy all high school has to offer.
Don't sign up for a million clubs and activities (especially if they're as common as 'National Honor Society')...instead, focus your efforts on creating a powerful, intriguing, authentic story to tell admissions.
Follow this advice and:
Your college planning stresses seem to melt away...you AND your high schooler actually have a real, actionable plan!
Your high schooler might actually smile at the dinner table when you bring up 'college'
Your high schooler's admissions chances at their dream school will 4x...well, actually, that's just the average you can expect.
Your high schooler, without really even trying, will gain $116,502 in college scholarships your family never has to pay back...well, once again, that's actually just the average you can expect.
... Want more good advice? (Believe us, this is just the tip of the iceberg...this newsletter would have been far, far too long if we listed all our advice here).
Here you go: More actually-GOOD (not BAD) college planning advice for you and your high schooler.
To your college planning success,
Jack Delehey
Founder, CollegeConsulting.us
P.S. - Have a high-performing high schooler w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny. Seriously. College admissions isn't rocket science...but it is a science. And we've cracked the code...year, after year, after year. You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.
P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!" The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).
