It is in application process, more than anywhere else, that academic future of any student is determined. There is only one moment in time when student’s stuff shows up in admissions office – and it better shine! Negligence in this arena leads to failure, and this cannot and must not be an option in any student’s life.

The first item that is reviewed by admission committees is student’s transcript. It immediately determines whether or not student is qualified. Simply put, it either contains qualifying grades and scores or it doesn’t. If not, rest of student’s stuff, no matter how carefully prepared or impressive – will be tossed in waste basket!

Given student passes round one, next item carefully examined is application. I strongly advise all of families I counsel to avoid Common Application unless school being applied to doesn’t have it’s own form. I also highly recommend use of Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher to prepare application. In my view, PDF file format is most professional looking document you can submit. Using school’s form and preparing it with Adobe silently announces student’s intention of making a very positive first impression.

If for any reason you cannot use an application in a PDF file format, contact each school and have them send you their application packet. Be careful not to make all-too-common mistake of trusting that sincere sounding, reassuring admissions person who promises that application package will be mailed immediately. Leave nothing to chance. Be creative and take steps to insure that it actually does get mailed quickly. Offer your credit card to pay for a $15.00 overnight or $5.00 second day delivery.

No one knows exactly how every school goes about acceptance and elimination process, and no two schools follow exactly same guidelines. However, it’s safe to assume that they go about their arduous task something like this:

First, admissions committee assembles around a large conference table. Everyone is handed a huge pile of folders containing student transcripts, applications, essays, and countless letters of recommendations. No more than 15 to 20 minutes is likely spent on any one applicant! They then begin to eliminate unqualified students – those deficient in numbers.

Next, they look for professionally prepared applications with thought provoking, interesting, and grammatically flawless essays. They are most impressed with student resumes dating back ten years, detailing academic life, extra curricular activities including community service hours, and a cleverly written special essay, perhaps entitled, “Why I Must Attend The University of…” Admissions committees are ever on alert for uniquely talented students in arts, or those having demonstrated exceptional athletic potential. These factors all weigh heavily in final decision.

You cannot give birth to an acceptable student, nor can you adopt one, and I’ve never seen one listed in any mail order catalogue I’ve ever read. Acceptable students are made, not born, by families determined to see their children successful in life. To create one; to insure pre-high schoolers have every possible advantage to succeed and go on to their college of choice, stage must be set early in preparation for high school years.

If student’s home is a circus, and not conducive to studying, it’s time for some major changes. Students must have access to a comfortable place to study with virtually no distractions. A bare minimum of 1½ to 2 hours each night should be devoted to schoolwork, and students should maintain a normal daily routine including a healthy diet and eight hours of sleep.

Ideally, college-bound students should not be left alone without supervision for long periods of time, certainly no longer than 24 hours! They should not spend more than 15 hours each week on non-academic activities, and would be ill-advised to regularly burn midnight oil. The benefits of a good night’s rest cannot be overstated.

All students should begin by electing to take courses with college in mind. By time they enter 12th grade, they will have created right posture to make admission committees stand up and take notice.