Best chance at college application success = Give your perspective a tune-up!
Adjusting how you see the enormous, time-consuming college application process– from writing your name on a million forms to submitting your last supplemental essay– will add positive value as fast as neurons can fire. Which is pretty fast. Here’s why we’re all about doing this.
The status quo when our Hero begins to question things:
For too many students, the college application process is something to just “get through.” Does this sound like you? Do you see its value only as a means to a coveted end– Higher Ed, baby!?
Well, guess what? For too many adults, life is a string of things you just have to “get through.” It’s a means to an end, too. What end? Don’t ask.
Ugh!
Junior year, standardized tests are you regular weekend dates, and college applications (and all that writing) loom. By the end of the summer before senior year, you’re feeling dread, mixed with some anticipation. Senior year fall, you’re clobbered. And, then, finally, after some sucky months, you’ve submitted everything, and you get temporary relief. That is, until you near the deadline for results, when you’re an anxious mess again, your self-worth trashed if you don’t get the acceptance letters you wanted or expected. Sounds like the opposite of fun, no? Our hero is feeling a little defeated in advance. His wings are wet. Her magic sandals have broken straps.
And what if the results aren’t what you hoped for, since we all know it’s a big gamble? Since you really can’t control the outcome?
Isn’t there a better way to go through this rite of passage than as a stress-ball? Don’t you want even more value out of your college application?
Our hero gets a hunch: For a happier you, redefine the work ahead
YEP! A happier you– a more functional, present and energetic you– will be the result of challenging this paradigm. Start right now. Right. Now.
Most students view their college application and personal statement like getting dental work. Nobody goes to the dentist “for the process”, right? The value is in the outcome, the sexy smile, the usable teeth.
But there’s a whole lot more you can get from the application “journey” than “just” the equivalent of a shiny smile or your teeth not rotting early.
You can gain tools, perspective, skills and insight that are yours for life. If you want them.
Don’t get us wrong- the normal goal of achieving a college education is not insignificant. College Ed remains a great thing for your development and employment prospects, even now when the changing landscape of the job market and economy make its worth seem questionable.
But at Essay Intensive we encourage students to step off of the conveyer-belt model of a successful life, in which we are always busting our butts to prepare ourselves for the next benchmark. This ends up catapulting us through our days, aiming for the elusive final pot of gold, or at least a retirement hot tub with a beverage nearby.
Simply put, we encourage you to find gold all along the route instead.
Three easy steps for our hero’s attitude tune-up
This simple tips can help you take a new approach to your applications– one with heart, excitement and courage (yep, those be the words we love!):
Learn everything you can— about yourself.
People, these applications call for FORCED introspection. Don’t snooze and lose! The better you know yourself, the better you can convey that identity and what’s honestly special about it to your target schools. But beyond that, you can be more confident in almost any situation, because you are more comfortable in your own skin and nature, with your winning and less winning qualities. And everyone loves the humbly confident person.
Make the most of your craft lessons to become a better writer.
No matter who is helping you with your essay– from a private coach to a guidance counselor to an English teacher to your mom who is a comma expert (or even the great free resources on the internet)– SOME craft lesson is in it for you. Make a conscious effort to keep these in your tool box so ALL your future writing can benefit from these tips. It you have that intention, you’ll bump up your communication impressively.
Take a vow to yourself to transform
(This should really be number one, but we thought the word VOW might scare some of you off) Vow hat you will come out of this application madness changed for the better. How? Well, if we script it for you, you would be cheated of the real deal personal transformation, but here are some ideas: you are more selective about what negative stress you are wiling to take on; you are at peace with some of your goals differing from the goals your parents (or community) project onto you; you are more willing to reach out to strangers to pursue possible opportunities; you are open to seeing yourself in parts of the US or world you never thought you’d care about (Rochester, anyone?). The list goes on. But even better, just be open to fill in the blanks.
Our hero avoids these regrets
I don’t know students who return later to the content of the actual applications they submitted to college unless they are recycling the essays for some other use (say, another application). But I do know people who think:
Gee, why did I break my back to get into XYZ Prize School when XYZ Podunk school is such a brilliant match for me?
Here, I can do my work well and still have a kickin’ social life without being sleepless and neurotic.
Why did I let my parents convince me that XYZ Prize school was the only place I would be recognized and challenged, when XYZ Podunk school gives me every opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and into my passion?
Why did I waste so many days and nights feeling like crap about my chances?
How cool is it that the XYZ podunk school president just took the time to praise me for my eloquence in my talk on Revamping School Lunch Culture in Disenfranchized Neighborhoods?
Choice is yours– it always is
For a primer in pursuing a different value system, try this exercise first. Or to jump in and write your essays with the above goals in mind, contact us. We are happy to take a break from changing our baby’s not fresh diapers to help you step into a fresh view.
