First Impressions: NACAC 2015 Exhibits

Yes, by "Exhibits," I do mean people trying to sell us stuff. Before making the 3+ hour drive from L.A. to San Diego this morning (so I really should have carpooled with my mom, as she had offered, which would have saved an hour, but she was leaving at 5:00 and, well, I'm not a cheerful morning person), I looked through the exhibit descriptions, made my spreadsheet, sorted it by booth number, and prepared myself to journey from Aisle 100 all the way to Aisle 1400. Some exhibits had soft carpet, and my feet enjoyed the fluff. Good job, NACAC booth.

Disclaimers

Now, the lawyerly disclaimers. First, it is the end of a long day, so I'm feeling a bit chippy. No time for beating around the bush. To the point. Second, I skipped the exhibits that seemed to target colleges, like the exhibits with enrollment management voodoo. The reason: last time I checked, I am not a college. I went for the exhibits targeting counselors. Third, no one is paying me to say or not say anything. Fourth, these are my first impressions, not actual reviews. I haven't tried any of these products out, except for maybe seeing a demo. This is what I remember at the end of the day. For some exhibits, it's not much. But the silence, perhaps it speaks. In the words of my 3-year-old daughter, quoting her favorite Octonaut, Captain Barnacles: "Let's do this."

Barnacles

The "Task Tracking" Apps: Make Me a Freshman, Maia and Evolv.ng

I put the following apps in this category: Make Me a Freshman, Maia, and the unpronounceable yet still lovable Evolv.ng. The impression I get is that the counselor logs into the dashboard, creates or selects tasks for students, and then manages those tasks by sending texts / other reminders to students. Instead of emailing or texting students separately, you do it all from the dashboard. Maybe this will work. But my observation so far is that if I create super-detailed, wonderful checklists for my students, they tend to ignore them. 10 colleges X 10 tasks per college equals 100 tasks, which is an absurd number. Chances that students will tune me out: high. Go ahead and judge -- maybe I'm ineffective, or maybe my students are unmotivated.

The Social Media Police: The Social U

I see what you did there with the name. Clever you. This app lets students/parents obtain a report card for each of the student's various social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Snapchat just takes care of itself, I'm told. Along with the grade (C- on Instagram), you get suggestions about what action to take. This is a good idea. Students need this. However, you probably won't find me asking my clients to pay $99 for 1 month or $129 for 3 months of this service.

Instead, I will refer them to what I am calling the Essaywise 3-Step Guide to Social Media Accounts. It's now yours, free! It's complicated, so listen up to the 3 steps:

1. Log into your social media account.
2. Delete any post that contains profanity, sexuality, alcohol, drugs, or anything you wouldn't feel comfortable saying in front of your grandmother.
3. Don't make any more posts containing material referenced in Step 2.

The Storytelling Platform: Story2

"College counselors aren't trained in personal writing." You had me at hello...OK, so this statement, though true, doesn't capture the whole truth. When I talk to counselors who have been at it for a while, I find that they have a fairly good idea of what personal writing looks like. In any case, the idea behind this platform is that counselors can pay $15/student to use the Essaybuilder (I couldn't duplicate the "TM" for trademark that should follow this), which the rep told me helps with topic selection. Topic selection is the hardest part, no question. But talk to a dozen counselors, and you'll find a dozen creative ways they extract topics from even the most reluctant students. For example, I use emoji. Yes, topic selection is hard, but I don't know if it's $15 / student hard. In any case, I do like the story2 "Personal Narrative Rubric." Just reading that is a crash course in what an essay can hope to achieve.

The Simple Texting App: Calolo

Calolo gives counselors a dashboard they can use to send multiple texts to students, who can then respond when the task is complete. The counselor can then send a follow-up text. You might be thinking, "Isn't this one of the task-tracking apps you already dismissed?" No, I don't think so. The task-tracking apps were focused on creating a place for student and counselor to log in and meet. Calolo is more focused on the counselor. Tina, the founder, comes from a counselor background, and she made this to solve the problem of trying to keep up with lots of kids. To me, the benefit of Calolo, assuming it does what it's supposed to, is that it does not create yet another platform for students to use half-heartedly. It just lets me text my students more easily. And I would pay $6/student/year for that.

AdmitSee: The Essay Compilation App

AdmitSee lets students pay to see packages of successful application essays from similarly situated students. If I have a 3.5 GPA and a 1900 on my SAT and want to apply to UCLA, I can see what other applicants like me wrote. My question for the reps was, "I get why a student who isn't working with a counselor would use this. But why would I use this instead of an essay compilation book?" I got a few different answers. First, students like to click things and browse, not look at a book. OK, I get the convenience factor. Second, students can see what others like them have written to get a sense of what they should write. Not quite sold on this point. It's not like I tell my A students, "Welcome to the Essaywise Gold and Diamond Strategy" and my other students, "Get thee to the Essaywise Plan of Rust and Coal." Storytelling is storytelling, and anyone can do it, regardless of GPA. Third, students can see what other successful applicants have majored in to get a better idea of fit. I don't know if this is how I would go about finding fit. I put this in the "possible alternative to '50 Essays That Worked' book" category. For students who aren't getting attention from a counselor, whether independent or school-based, yes, I can see that it might fill a void.

The Extracurricular Yellow Pages: Blayz

Does anyone remember the Yellow Pages from days of yore? How quaint. So Blayz is trying to be the Yellow Pages by giving students one place to find extracurricular activities. The rep told me there are 90,000 listings. I don't know how there can be 90,000 good listings. Me of little faith. However, it is free, and it is a good idea, so I don't see much to lose.

The Find Your Major App: Celebrate Strengths

Celebrate Strengths is a survey that helps students figure out what types of majors would be good for them. It was originally from a business setting and has now been adapted to students because why not? They are in the process of adding 300 videos of professionals in different careers so students can "try on" different jobs. The output from the 25-minute student survey is a nice report, which looks very official. The promotional pricing is only $1/student, I was told. I also put this in the "not much to lose" category.

The Financial and Academic Matchmaker: College Raptor

If your name has a raptor in it, even a cute one, you had better be pretty awesome. College Raptor is trying to help students balance two factors when selecting schools: price and fit. I was skeptical. (Surprise.) First, let me describe what College Raptor is doing on the price issue. Yes, there are net price calculators out there, but it's not exactly convenient for families to go to 10 different college websites. College Raptor's idea is to bring the NPCs together. I asked how College Raptor can do that. Some colleges have actually shared their NPC formula directly with College Raptor. For those that haven't, College Raptor has "inferred" the formula. All this has allowed College Raptor to show the student one simplified NPC (with the option of entering in more info later). Maybe not perfect, but good enough?

Second, for the fit issue, College Raptor has its algorithm about what schools are good fits. Most of the college match tools I see are useless because they recommend schools my students won't attend. I feared the same here. I gave Bill a hypothetical student: 3.85 GPA, 2080 on the SAT, interested in biology. So College Raptor spits out a list of 9 schools. UCLA. Yes, my student would apply there. Grinnell? No, probably not. But that's not the end of the story. What College Raptor does with its list is categorize schools into reach / target / likely categories. Yes, we all know this is an art, not a science. But when it spits out the list of 9 schools, it is spitting out a balanced list (trust but verify...) of 9 schools. The great feature, I thought, was that if you don't like those "best fit" schools, you can just opt to see all the matches, not just the top 9. So, for example, if my student wouldn't go to Grinnell, I could just choose the next target school on the list. I see this as a fast way to generate ideas for students to explore. I could see sitting down with a student, using this tool to come up with a "big list" of schools, and sending the student off to do some research. I'm a fan of the whole College Raptor concept, though I didn't think I would be.

The Map Company: Campus Bird

Campus Bird makes interactive campus maps. Now that I think about it, it's more of a company marketing to colleges than to counselors. But in case you didn't know, I love maps! And these CampusBird maps are great. Here's a sample map for ASU. So -- I guess I'm just hoping we see more of these maps in the future. Rare is the student that actually gets to visit far-away schools before being admitted.

The Curtain Falls

With that, we come to the end, for now. More excitement to follow tomorrow, I'm sure.

Jon

Jon Perkins holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He helps students with their college, law school, and medical school applications.

Parent Guide: Helping Your Student Conquer Writer's Block

The College Application Essay Is Easy.

You can't spell essay without "easy." Writing a personal statement is not hard. Sorry. It's just not, no matter what hype or hullabaloo suggesting otherwise. Still, it's likely that your student will face writer's block. We need to help students past that.

If you're a parent looking to reassure your student that, "Yes, you CAN write the application essay," then this post is for you. After you finish reading this post, you'll have a good overview of what to write about and how to write about it. And to emphasize how uncomplicated this all really is, I'll show you with emoji.

Any Motivated Student Can Write a Great Essay.

If your student can hold a conversation with you about her life, then she can write about her life, too.

The 1st Barrier Is "What to Write."

The first barrier to writing the essay is "I don't know what to write." We've all been there.

The Problem Is Fear.

Students are afraid. Afraid they don't have anything special to say. Afraid they can't write something "good enough." Afraid they will look dumb. We were there, too. Do we remember? Being on the cusp of adulthood, moments of confidence chasing moments of doubt, moments of doubt chasing moments of confidence.

One Solution is Considering 5 Everyday Topics.

One key to help our students get past their "what to write" fear is to remind them that their topic is probably hiding in plain sight. Most of my students end up writing about 1 of 5 topics. No these are not the only possible topics, and no, sorry, these are not "secret" topics, and no, I would never say my students' essays on these topics "got them in" anywhere. I would just say these essays haven't kept my students out of college, including the colleges everyone considers "elite." These are just some topics I've seen work.

Topic #1: People

Topic #1 is people. The smiley emoji is there to remind you that we all have people that matter to us. If there's a relationship that has been especially influential in your student's life, that might be a good starting point for a topic, especially if the relationship involves conflict. (Conflict is interesting!)

Topic #2: Pivot

Topic #2 is pivot. The upward trend emoji is there to remind you that your student might have a pivot in her life. By pivot, I mean a turning point, a defining moment. Not every student has this. But if a student does, writing about it often gives colleges deeper insight into the student's character and values.

Topic #3: Passion

Topic #3 is passion. The heart emoji -- what else could it mean, except passion? Yes, passion is an overused term. And I'm not suggesting the student should come out and say "this is my passion." However, if the student has a driving interest, including an academic interest, it's great to explore how that came to be, especially when this passion is unusual. (And since so many students discount their own passions, it's up to us to slow them down and say, "Actually, this is not as common as you're making it seem.")

Topic #4: Process

Topic #4 is process. The clipboard emoji is there to remind you that we are all experts in or sticklers for something. What's something that your student has to do a certain way -- the "right" way, every time? Where we're willing to demand perfection in says a lot about who we are.

Topic #5: Purpose

Topic #5 is purpose. The world emoji is there to remind you that some students already have clear ideas about how they will change the world. If your student is thinking about "impact" or "making a difference," then there are worse essay starting points than talking about how and when this desire arose. (But please...don't let your student use those worn out "impact" or "making a difference" phrases in the essay!)

The 2nd Barrier Is "How to Write."

Now that we've covered 5 possible topics (yes, of course there are more -- but these 5 are a start when our goal is to reassure the student) to get past the "what to write" barrier, we face the "how to write" barrier.

The Problem Is "Thought Verbs."

The biggest problem in "how to write" is that students rely too much on verbs about what's going on inside their heads: thought, wanted, felt, realized, understood, and decided, to name a few. (For more discussion, please refer to my post about What Immediacy Is and Why Your Essay Needs It.) The intent behind these abstract "thought verbs" -- help the reader understand me by bringing the reader inside my head. But the effect is bad; thought verbs come across as generic. Chances are, what your student thinks / feels / wants is not that different from what the next student thinks / feels / wants.

One Solution Is 5 Tips for Vivid Writing.

One key to getting students past the thought verbs problem is to remind them of 5 simple tips to make their writing pop. Don't be mad at how simple they are. I think I learned most of them in elementary school when I had to write a "news report" that talked about who, what, when, where, and why. As I mentioned above, this post is not for people who want to over-complicate the essay.

Tip #1: Don't Be Alone.

Tip #1 is "Don't be alone." When you see these two strange dancing people, remember: your student shouldn't be alone in the essay. The student should star in the essay, but she shouldn't be the only character (fascinating though she assuredly is). When your student's essay has multiple characters, there is less chance your student will dwell on those abstract, generic thoughts. Also, there is more chance your student will write about conflict, which is more interesting. (I'm 99% sure anything you are binge-watching on Netflix is chock-full of conflict.)

Tip #2: Write about Images.

Tip #2 is "Write about images." The see-no-evil monkey reminds you of what you saw: Images, images, images.

Tip #3: Write about Sounds.

Tip #3 is "Write about sounds." The hear-no-evil monkey reminds you of what you heard: Sounds, sounds, sounds.

Tip #3: Write about Words.

Tip #4 is "Write about words." The speak-no-evil monkey reminds you of what you said and heard: "Words, words, words."

Tip #5: Write about Actions.

Tip #5 is "Write about actions." The clapper board reminds you of what you and others did: "Action, action, action!"

To the Finish Line...

Naturally, any proposed solution about getting your student's essay across the finish line depends on assumptions about the problem to be solved. If you disagree with my assumptions about the problem, you'll likely disagree with my solutions. I don't see the "what to write" problem isn't a technical problem. We can't solve it with by defining "story," discussing story structures, or explaining the difference between narrative and exposition.

Fundamentally, the "what to write" problem is an emotional problem. It's a problem of fear. The student fears that she has nothing special to say. If we don't help our students past that fear, all the theory in the world about stories is useless. To alleviate my students' "what to write" fear, I first focus them on 5 everyday topics: people, pivot, passion, process, and purpose. (It was very important to me that these were alliterative, as we all know that alliteration is the #1 indicator of quality of thought.)

Though the "what to write" problem is more emotional than technical, the "how to write" problem is certainly technical. In its simplest form, the solution is "Write about what happened outside your head, not inside your head." The 5 writing tips I listed all have the same focus: external details. Bring other characters into your story, and write about images, sounds, words, and actions. Conceptually, it's all simple. But getting students to slow down and figure out how to replace those "I thought" sentences with external details -- that is a task that will inevitably elicit the dreaded "Do I have to?" question. (My response: "Only if you want to go to college!" Just kidding. I don't always say that.)

Practical Note

Let me end with a practical note. "What to write" and "how to write" are two distinct phases of the writing process for my students. I don't try to have the students do both at once. In the first phase, the "what to write" phase, I am encouraging the student to expand on ideas. I take the pressure off by reassuring the student that any of these 5 topics (or countless others) will work. If there's even a 10% chance the student will want to write about it, I say, "Go ahead!" (It's impossible to compare topics in the abstract, anyway; they must be typed out first.) When I see a first or second draft, it's all questions and encouragement: "Tell me more!"

Only when the student says (and I believe), "I really can't think of anything else to say" do I turn to the second phase, the "how to write" phase. This is when I torment the student by circling or highlighting all those thought / felt / wanted types of verbs, pushing her to replace the internal processes with external details. I usually offer a slight reprieve, or a compromise -- you can have a couple "thought" sentences, but push them to the conclusion to explain the significance of all those images, sounds, words, and actions you just gave us.

You see, it's all very simple!

Jon

Jon Perkins holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He helps students with their college, law school, and medical school applications.

Parent Guide: 8 Things I Learned at the USC Counselor Conference

Today I had the pleasure of attending USC's annual counselor conference. In this post, I'll share (in no particular order) 8 things I learned about USC today.

1. USC offers 7 B.S. programs you've probably never heard of. These majors include Policy, Planning, and Development, Real Estate Development (new for 2015), Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Global Health, Human Development and Aging, Lifespan Health, and Occupational Therapy. Who might like these majors? You can't really lump them together. Two of these really stood out for me. First, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention is a great alternative to bio or chem; it includes all the pre-med requirements. Second, Global Health is a potential path for the student interest in preventive medicine and study abroad but who isn't pre-med.
2. When picking a major, check out the upper division elective classes. Whether you're talking about USC or any other university, find that course catalog. The upper division electives are supposed to be the fun ones. If they look boring, then maybe that major just isn't for you!
3. The USC Career Center makes it super easy for students to find internships and jobs. I can't overstate how awesome this is. Students have a variety of online career resources available for life, including connectSC. (Plus, for three years after graduation, they can come back to the USC Career Center for help at no charge.) So, what is connectSC? Oh, nothing much -- just a place where you can book appointments at the career center, find and apply to job opportunities (no need to go to a separate website), set up informational interviews with USC alumni in a field that interest you, do mock interviews (including recording and viewing yourself to see how you come across), watch video presentations from USC alums about their careers (and get in touch with them and ask questions), and access internship opportunities across the country through iNet (a consortium of 11 selective colleges across the country that shares internship opportunities with students at member schools). Really, I'm not sure how the internship and job search process could be more seamless.
4. The three ideas behind a USC education are the Renaissance Ideal, Global Experiences, and Research & Discovery. The Renaissance Ideal means interdisciplinary study, something students can pursue through the Renaissance Scholars program. Global Experiences means gaining international perspectives, something students can pursue through the Global Scholars program. Research & Discovery means exploring new ideas, something students can pursue through the Discovery Scholars program. Why might you care about these three ideas? If these don't appeal to you, maybe don't apply to USC. If they do, then maybe, just maybe, consider addressing one of them in this USC supplemental essay: "Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at USC." When you connect your interests to USC's values, your essay makes a stronger case for why you're a good fit for USC. For whatever it's worth, this is the guidance I have given the 7 of my students who have enrolled at USC over the past 2 years.
5. Don't lose yourself in the essay. At the info session about how USC reviews applications, Dean of Admission Tim Brunold and Director of Admission Kirk Brennan commented on the role of the application essay, a topic near and dear to my heart and to this blog. Their take? They know when the essay is over-edited. Students are afraid, and they seek too much advice from parents, teachers, and others. If the student isn't in the essay, then it's not a good essay. So not only is it unethical to write a student's essay, but it's also ineffective. The people in admissions offices are experienced. They have read thousands of essays. They know what a 17 year old's writing sounds like. That's why one of the ground rules I follow is no changing the student's words, even to say it "better."
6. There is no formula to getting admitted. Yes, GPA and SAT matter, and they have to be good. But here's my paraphrased version of how Kirk and Tim described the process: Review the transcript. Looks good. Check the SAT or ACT score. Yep, it matches up with the transcript. Good. As Tim put it, "Don't make a career out of test prep. Take the SAT once and the ACT once. Whichever one you like better, take a second time." Kirk added, "Grades are more important." Why the seeming de-emphasis on standardized test scores? Tim observed that there would have to be a 200-point differential in SAT scores to create a difference in predictive validity. The take-away today is that those small differences don't have a material affect on the admissions outcome. And looking at the 2014 SAT Percentile Ranks, it makes sense, doesn't it? A 2050 on the SAT is 95th percentile, and a 2220 is 99th percentile. The message today is that difference doesn't matter as much to USC as it does to students and parents who want to get the 2100, the 2250, the 2300, or whatever next threshold they have fixated upon. And yes, USC is aware of the scoring patterns for students who take the test multiple times or come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Standardized test scores are not a magic key to the kingdom.
7. The USC interview is optional. Really. If you do an interview, the notes will end up in your admission file. According to Kirk, "Three out of four times, the interview notes confirm what I already know." The rest of the time is a split decision. Some students present themselves better in the interview than they do in the Common App; some present themselves worse. So you know what? If you're a great interviewer, go schedule one. If you're a nervous wreck, skip it and don't worry about it.
8. Inside the Common App, the colleges can view letters of recommendation by letter writer. Kirk mentioned one letter writer who submitted several recommendations to USC, each stating that the student was the "best" student he had. That's...impossible. Oops. Knowing that your teacher or counselor *could* negatively impact your application by using a form or template is hard to stomach. I know letters of recommendation are a huge source of stress for parents and students because, quite simply, the final result is beyond your control. But that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do. For some practical tips, take a look at our Parent Guide to Letters of Recommendation.

Well, I had hoped to write out 10 things I learned, but it's Friday evening, and I hit a wall. So 8 will have to do!

Jon

Jon Perkins holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He helps students with their college, law school, and medical school applications.

Parent Guide: Letters of Recommendation

As you might have gathered from reading this blog, my goal is to incite hysteria about the college application process. That means when I write a post like this that lists steps you should take to improve your odds, you should definitely panic if you have not followed each and every one of my suggestions. Even better, you should start worrying that you won't get in anywhere. It's all or nothing. As Ricky Bobby put it, "If you ain't first, you're last."

I don't exactly understand why this mindset persists, but I see it often with my students: the "what might have been" mindset. Would it be better if I had gotten an A in that class? If I had gotten 50 points higher on the SAT? If I had done more research? If I had done any research? If I had done more leadership activities? Of course it would be better! But what does it matter? Time travel is not feasible. For help making this point, I turn to my friend Rafiki:

Simba: What was that for? Rafiki: It doesn't matter! It's in the past!

And that's what I would say to you. It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Just do whatever you can right now. Following even one of the suggestions I describe below is better than following none of them. When you finish reading this post, you'll have a better idea about how to help your child line up good letters of recommendation.

How Much Do Letters of Recommendation Matter?

A good amount less than the GPA and SAT/ACT. A little less than the essay. Less to public schools than to private schools. Less to non-selective schools than to selective schools.

I'm making this up. No, I'm not. How do we know all this? The National Association for College Admission Counseling, also known by its euphonious acronym NACAC, which rhymes with "crack," tells us on page 30 of their report 2014 State of College Admission.

Nothing is so compelling as an argument from authority -- I agree! Basically, in 2013, NACAC sent a survey to 1,241 universities that are NACAC members, and 352 responded. That's the info we have from NACAC. That letters of rec would matter more to private schools and selective schools makes sense to me. These schools have more applicants to decide on, so they need to rely on additional factors -- such as letters of rec.

Are Letters of Recommendation Required?

It depends. Sorry for the least helpful answer ever. But it does. The good news, though, is that it's pretty easy to figure this out for Common App schools. Log into the Common App, and click the "College Search" tab:

Then click the "Application Requirements" button:

To see the "Recommendations" column, remember to scroll all the way to the right.

And now, here's what you need to decipher the Recommendations column:

• TE. The number in this column shows how many teacher evaluations, also known as teacher letters of recommendation, the school requires. Chances are, you'll apply to at least one school that requires 2 teacher evaluations.
• OE. The number in this column shows how many other evaluations the school requires. So who would write these "other evaluations"? The Common App suggests the following: arts teacher, clergy, coach, college access counselor, employer, family member, and peer. I would add mentor, summer school professor, and research supervisor.
• CR. A "Y" in this column indicates that the school requires a counselor recommendation. Most private schools do require this.

[Note: MR is for mid-year report, the update some schools require so they can see first-semester grades. We're not worrying about that now.]

Whether a school requires letters of recommendation is not the whole story. We also need to figure out whether a school accepts letters of recommendation. For example, though most Common App schools won't require an "other evaluation," many will accept one. If you have special circumstances or special achievements that your teacher rec and your counselor rec won't highlight, consider using the other evaluation.

Once you've logged into the Common App website, click on the "My Colleges" tab and click on a college name; at the bottom of the screen, you'll see numbers for "Required" and "Allowed" numbers of teacher evaluations and other evaluations:

So the More Letters of Recommendation, the Better?

No, it's not about quantity. It's about quality -- specifically, whether each letter of recommendation adds something unique to your application. Suppose you had to choose from the following two scenarios:

• Scenario 1: You can have 2 stellar letters of recommendation from teachers who love you.
• Scenario 2: You can have 2 stellar letters of recommendation from teachers who love you plus 1 so-so letter of recommendation from a teacher who is neutral about you.

That third letter of recommendation in Scenario 2 isn't looking too great right now.

I'm Nervous - How Do I Know Whether My Teacher Will Write a Good Letter?

What grade did you get? If you got an A or a B, then you're off to a good start.

Beyond your grade, how were you in class? If you were contributing in class every day, asking good questions, trying hard on group projects, etc., then maybe your teacher noticed. I slept almost every day in Physics AP. I thought it was less frequently, but Christa insists it was almost every day. In my defense, the room was dark because we were looking at some slides (I'm assuming). There's no way I would ask Mr. McGehee for a rec because I was terrible. Sorry, Mr. McGehee. I appreciate your patience.

Did you develop a relationship with the teacher outside of class? This could include conversations before or after class, either about what's covered in class or about some related interest...or even an unrelated interest. Maybe this teacher is the adviser for a student club or extracurricular activity, and you got to know the teacher that way.

What did the teacher say when you asked for a letter of rec? If you're lucky, the teacher volunteered before you brought it up. That's a good sign. If when you asked the teacher responded, "Sure!" that's also good. If the response was more hesitant than you expected, consider whether you need another option.

In the end, you might not know for sure how good the letter will be. There is uncertainty. Use your best judgment and move on.

Which Teachers Should I Ask?

Most schools will leave it to you to choose. Some, however, request a teacher from a specific subject area, such as math or science. Unfortunately, and as with many aspects of this process, the precise requirements vary from school to school. Google it. Assuming you have freedom to choose whichever teachers you want, here's how I usually suggest my students narrow it down:

• Junior year teacher...
• ...of an academic class such as English, math, history, foreign language, or science...
• ...that you got an A or B in...
• ...who likes you.

When you're figuring out which teacher, of course it's useful to choose at least one who teaches a subject you intend to continue with in college. For example, if you're pre-med, then your AP Bio teacher is a good option. If you're pre-med and choose English and History teachers but no science teachers, you might leave the school wondering whether you're really good at or interested in science.

Also, I know there's some stress from choosing a teacher in whose class you earned a B. But if you got a B first semester and raised it to an A second semester, that trend gives the teacher a good positive to write about.

My Teacher Said "Yes" -- Now What?

Many teachers will ask students to complete a packet short questionnaire so that they can get a fuller picture of who the student is. The questionnaire might include questions such as:

• What were your strengths and weaknesses in class?
• Describe a project, paper, or activity you were proud of.
• How did you contribute to this class?
• What are 3 adjectives that describe you?

So many times I hear people say about this or that, "Don't overdo it." Here I would say, "Don't underdo it." If there's one mistake I see students making, it's failing to include enough details.

You can't just list a strength in class like "worked well in groups"; you have to explain what the assignment was, what challenges your group faced, and what you did to resolve them. You can't just list your weakness; you have to describe a moment when that weakness manifested itself -- who, what, when, where, why -- and then describe another moment when you overcame that weakness.

You can't just describe a project you were proud of; you have to provide all the little details -- the ones that are perhaps insignificant to anyone else -- about why the project fascinated you. You can't just say you contributed "leadership" to the class; you have to go into detail about particular moments so your teacher remembers how you made your contribution. You can't just list 3 adjectives; you need to give a particular moment, preferably from class, showing you living out those adjectives.

Write about specific moments that reveal your character. Write about details and actions. This all sounds familiar, yes? Perhaps you remember reading it in the Essay Guide for Parents or in my post about how to create a sense of immediacy for your reader? No? Then go read those!

This Sounds Like a Lot of Work. Do I Have to?

It's time-consuming, no doubt. You can't just crank this out in 30 minutes the day before your letter writer's deadline. Remember, you don't get a second chance. Whatever you submit to your letter writer will probably end up in your letter of recommendation, sometimes word for word.

Whether you have to put in this much effort depends on where you are in the applicant pool. Let's return to the original point from that NACAC report. The letters of recommendation matter more to private schools and to more selective schools. If that describes the schools to which you're applying, then invest the extra 2 hours and do this the right way.

When Should I Ask for Letters of Rec?

Ask as early as possible in the fall. If you have to do a questionnaire, you want to get that as soon as possible so you can manage your workload better. Also, if your teacher has limits on the number of letters of recommendation she writes, you don't want to be shut out because you waited too long.

Lastly, in case you decide to apply early action or early decision somewhere, you want to let your teacher know so she can factor that in. Yes, that means you have to get your list in order early Fall and decide whether you're applying early anywhere. You don't want to discover your perfect school in October, decide to apply early, and then find out that you've missed all the teacher and counselor deadlines for the letter of rec.

How Do I Get the Letters to the Colleges?

Again, it depends. Talk to your counselor. If you're looking for some answers to nuts and bolts questions for handling letters of rec for the Common App, please see the Common App Recommenders FAQ.

What Is FERPA, and Should I Waive My FERPA Rights?

Let me paraphrase what you'll find on the Common App FERPA explanation. FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It gives you the right to see your letters of recommendation under certain circumstances. If you waive your FERPA rights, colleges know you don't have the right to see your letters of recommendation. This will allow colleges to trust that your recommender is being honest.

Go ahead and waive your FERPA rights. As the Common App website points out, even if you don't waive your FERPA rights, you still don't get the ability to approve what your recommenders write. So what you'll gain -- credible letters -- far exceeds what you'll lose -- the right to see your letter eventually.

ferpareleaseauthorization

Oh, right. Now we actually need to know how to waive those FERPA rights for the Common App. Proceed to the My Colleges tab and select a college; then click on the "release authorization" link.

But My Teacher Asked Me to Write My Own Letter of Recommendation. What Now?

This isn't a negative thing. Well, it isn't a negative thing unless you screw it up, which of course you won't because you're reading attentively.

Now you have much more control over your letter. You already know what to do. You'll want to figure out 3-5 important moments that demonstrate your potential to contribute. You'll want to focus on details and actions. You can start by listing examples of what you contributed in class, what you were most proud of, what your biggest strengths and weaknesses are, and what three adjectives describe you. This is what you do anyway in responding to teacher questionnaires. The only difference now is that you have more control over which shining moments the teacher will write about.

And yes, it's perfectly fine to waive your FERPA rights and write your own letter of rec. Waiving your FERPA right just means you're giving up the right to get the college to show you the letter of rec. If your teacher decides to let you write your own letter of rec, that has nothing to do with FERPA.

Just Do What You Can!

This post has covered the questions that I keep running across this season with students and parents. You can only do what you can do. Don't dwell on opportunities missed. Focus on taking care of the items that are within your control. As some wise person somewhere once said in ancient times, "All you can do is all you can do."

The big picture is that though the letters of rec are important, especially for private and selective schools, they still come in behind GPA, SAT/ACT, and the essay. If you have any frustration about not controlling the letters of rec, get started by taking it out on the essay -- our Essay Guide for Parents is a great place to start!

Jon

Jon Perkins holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He helps students with their college, law school, and medical school applications.

How to Write the "Why College X?" Essay

When you're done reading this post, you'll know how to start the "Why College X?" essay. Of all the essays, this one annoys my students the most.

Judging by their reactions, this essay is better termed the "Even though you don't really know me, tell me why I'm great" essay. So, yeah, even though many 17-year-old students don't know exactly what they want to do in life, and even though most of them won't get the chance to visit the college before they apply, they still have to explain why that college is just right for them.

"Haha!"

It's no wonder this prompt grates on kids' sense of authenticity. I was grating Parmesan cheese last week, and when the block of cheese slipped, I ended up grating a layer of skin off the side of my thumb. My 3-year-old daughter asked, "Does it hurt, Baba?" My 5-year-old son said, "Haha!" When my students write this essay, I'm 90% sure in their heads they're hearing the colleges say, "Haha!"

Let's call this essay what it is: an exercise in sincere flattery. It's not going to feel "authentic" the way the open-ended "tell me about yourself" essays do. The reason is that students have to include impersonal, not-really-me snippets of "source material" from the school's website. The good news, though, is that the essay doesn't have to feel authentic for someone to do a good job. As with every other kind of essay, there's a process to get you the finished product. Yes, anyone can write a work of sincere flattery. Hooray!

Step 1: Understand the "Why College X?" Prompt.

Earlier this week, after my kids' first day of school, I took them to get ice cream because being a parent means being able to invent rituals like that. But you know as well as I do that "Do you want ice cream?" is a dumb question because the answer is always "Yes!" The important question is "What flavor do you want?"

Pretend the college is a person you love. You want to make this person happy by bringing him or her ice cream. Not just any ice cream -- his or her favorite flavor. That's how the "Why College X?" essays are -- each college prefers a different flavor. Some want you to focus on why you like the school's academic opportunities. Others allow you to focus on whatever aspect of the school appeals to you. But it's easier to let you see for yourself. Here are some flavors of "Why College X?" prompts, taken from the 2015-16 Common App writing supplements:

1. University of Michigan: "(Required for all applicants. 500 words maximum) Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests?"
2. Northwestern University: "What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school(s) to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified? (300 word maximum)"
3. Cornell University: "Describe two or three of your current intellectual interests and why they are exciting to you. Why will Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences be the right environment in which to pursue your interests? (Please limit your response to 650 words.)"
4. University of Pennsylvania: "How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words)"

If you write a "Tell me about yourself" essay without looking at the prompts first, you'll be fine because whatever you wrote will fit in with one of the Common App prompts and one of the UC prompts. Not so for the "Why College X?" essay. Before you start, you really do need to read and re-read the prompt to make sure you understand it.

Step 2: Understand the Thesis Sentence.

In our Parent Guide to the Personal Statement, I mentioned Thomas C. Foster's observation in his guide How to Read Literature Like a Professor that the real purpose of every quest is self-knowledge. In the same way, a "tell me about yourself" essay describes a student's battle for self-knowledge. Though you don't need to state it explicitly, that is the thesis sentence: "This matters to me because it changed me."

As I mentioned above, though the "Why College X?" prompt might be irritating, it's not mystical. It has its own thesis sentence, too: "College X is good for me because it will let me continue to explore my interests." You don't need to come out and say that thesis sentence -- just keep it in mind as what you're hoping to convey.

The amazingly original image I would like you to envision is that of a bridge. A bridge from where to where? From your past to your future. Remember that this essay is an exercise in sincere flattery. The sincere part is your interests. That's your past, what you've done so far. The flattery part is all the details about how the school will be just the place for you to develop your interests. That's your future, what you're going to do next.

When you're writing these "Why College X?" essays, you're building that bridge between past and future. When you do this well, you leave the admission officer thinking, "Yes, my awesome school really would be the perfect and natural place for this fine young citizen to explore her interests."

Step 3: List Your Interests.

No school is going to believe you if you start off with, "You're perfect for me!" You have to work up to that. Ease into it. You have to start by showing the school a little bit about your interests. Biology? Business? Engineering? No -- please don't say it -- English? Yes, figuring out your favorite subject is a great starting point for identifying your interest.

Now list out a few particular moments you remember pursuing that interest. These might start in class. Is there a concept you remember? Did you do a project or a paper? What captivated you? Was there anything you found so interesting that you did extra reading or research? This extra research doesn't have to be "official" -- it could include watching documentaries on your own or taking a class on Coursera, for example. These moments might also extend beyond class. Did you pursue your interest somehow through an extracurricular activity? Doing research, doing an internship, or doing non-assigned reading are all possibilities.

I know. Some of you just don't have any burning interest for any subject. What then? Fake it. Well, not completely. I mean choose the least non-terrible area of interest you can think of. Find something plausible and run with it. Admitting that you have no interest isn't going to cut it.

Step 4: List the College's Opportunities.

Now that you've listed your interests and some moments you explored them -- your past -- it's time to focus on the school's opportunities -- your future. Start with the school website or, more specifically, the website of the school or department in which you're interested. Let's make this specific. Suppose you like business and are considering University of Michigan's Ross School of Business for its Bachelor of Business Administration.

Before you get bogged down in all the details, try to get an overview of what the school values. The Michigan Ross website looks something like this:

rosshomepage

Look at the big categories at the bottom that I circled in red: study abroad, social impact, lead through crisis, pursue your passions, close-up look at government, and find your ideal job. These are hints about what Michigan Ross values. Is it a good idea to work one or more of these concepts into your essay? I'm glad you asked. Yes.

After you have a sense of the big picture, explore the details. On the Michigan Ross website, you can do this by checking out the categories I circled in green at the top:

rosshomepage2

Click through About Ross, Programs, Our Community, and Faculty & Research. What interests you? Maybe it's something one of the alumni has written about his experience. Maybe it's a course you can take. Maybe's it's research one of the faculty members is doing.

The goal here is to come up with 7-10 specific details from the website that reveal how you'll pursue your interest at the school. This is how you move beyond the "because it has a great business program" type of answer. Think of this as a proposal -- you're trying to give the reader confidence that if you're accepted, you know exactly how you'll jump in and get involved on your first day on campus.

Also, as a side note, students fortunate to have visited a school should feel free to write about conversations they had with current students, faculty, or administrators. (But you don't need to say, "As I walked across the quad for the first time, I could feel that this was the perfect place for me." Negative, Red Rider.) If you haven't visited the school, that's fine. Has your school invited an admission rep from the school to speak? Sign up! Even better, read through the school's website before the presentation, prepare a couple questions, and like totally ask them.

Step 5: Connect Interests to Opportunities.

Are you remembering that this essay is a bridge between your past and your future? You start with an anecdote about your interest, or one aspect of your interest. Then you talk about some specific details about the school that will let you explore that interest. Then repeat with new aspect of your interest and additional supporting details.

Don't get distracted by whether this essay feels authentic. Just focus on getting it done in a workmanlike manner. It might not be inspired, but it should be solid.

Set a Timer.

I leave you with the simplest piece of advice for starting the "Why College X?" essay (or any other essay): Set a timer. Let me make it super easy for you. Go to google.com, type "20 minute timer" in the search box, and click the "Google Search" button. Did you do it? No? These essays won't write themselves, you know. Go set a timer. You can sit there for 20 minutes if you want, but at least set the timer -- when the timer's up, you're done.

Now that you've read through the 5 steps and set a timer, you're on your way to answering the "Why College X?" prompt. Good luck writing!

Jon

Jon Perkins holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He helps students with their college, law school, and medical school applications.