Typical Mistakes in the College Application Process, and Solutions to Avoid Them

If you are planning to get into your dream university, the application and admission process is never an easy task. Every year, many local and international students, face this process. A single mistake in application process can sometimes lead to serious problems and it may impact your entry to your dream destination.

In many cases, it happens that a student don’t realize that even a small mistake can slow down their application outcome or make them miss a scholarship opportunities. The process can feel overwhelming, complex and difficult to tackle all alone especially when you are not used to the process and system.

But if you plan early and follow the steps, it become much easier and less stressful.

In this article, we highlight common mistakes that can cause you to miss opportunities with universities. These are 10 mistakes you should try to avoid when filling out your application.

When you start an online application (like on CommonApp), the first step is to choose your role. You will see options such as:

• First Year Student,
• Transfer Student,
• Parent, or
• Educational Professional.

If this is your first time entering a university, then please select "First Year Student". After that, you will need to mention whether you are a domestic or an international student.

If you have already finished your first year at another college (after 12th), choose 'Transfer Student' so your credits can be counted and you can join as a sophomore.

"Educational professional" refers to educational counselors or teachers who provide recommendation letters and upload transcripts. Parents can only use their login to check the application. Students sometimes get confused between “First Year” and “Transfer” students, and this leads to errors.

Finalizing your university choices is an important step that we trust you did thoughtfully with your counsellor.

A typical error is listing the wrong university name due to similar university names.

Here is a good example - University of Illinois Chicago & University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are different, and they have separate ranking.

Many students make mistakes because they don’t know the correct name or campus. Working with an educational consultant can easily help to avoid this issue.

When you add universities, you will also see their application deadlines, which include::

• Regular Decision,
• Early Action (EA),
• Early Decision (ED),
• Rolling Admission.

If you apply to a university through ED and get accepted, you must go there; it's binding, and you can only choose one such university. With EA, you can apply early to multiple universities and get decisions faster.

Regular and Rolling admissions have various deadlines. Choosing the right one is important for securing both admission and scholarships.

Here, many students and families make a mistake, not knowing binding rules, and miss out on the opportunities to be accepted to their dream universities. If you write deadlines in a calendar and check it weekly will help you to prevent from such mistakes.

When filling out the referee section, you can add different people like your school counselor, a teacher, principal or even your coach.

A typical mistake in the application activity is entering incorrect contact information. As a result their request for a recommendation letter never reaches the right person.

Note: Always use official email addresses for your recommenders. Avoid using personal emails like Gmail.

Be careful here, even if everything else in your application is correct, missing just one recommendation letter, your application will still be considered incomplete. It is very important to select your referees carefully and you also need to make sure that the  information provided is correct.

To ensure that your referee submits the letter of recommendation well in time, it’s recommended to get in touch with them, give them a reminder call atleast a week prior
to the deadlines so that there will not be a chances of delays in submisison.

Most applications, including CommonApp, need one main essay for all universities, plus a few shorter answers for each university. This main essay is the base of your application.

Every year, a set of prompts is given, and you pick one to write about in 500–650 words. This is where strategy matters; you should choose what part of your profile to show best.

Take some time to think and pick a prompt that shows your strengths in the best way.

Taking time to brainstorm and outline your essay first can help you write something clearer and meaningful. 

You must assign one individual as your counsellor within your recommender list. This person not only uploads the counselor recommendation letter, but also submits your official high school transcripts.

Students do not have an option on portal to upload transcripts on their own, it has to be done through authorities i.e. directly from your college to the university that you are applying. A lot of parents and students are not aware of this important responsibility, and that lack of knowledge can sometimes lead to missing out on admission chances.

Make sure your counsellor is aware of these responsibilities clearly to avoid any problems. Having regular talks about the process and continuous follow up can help in preventing last-minute issues.

Many students skip these parts, but they offer a great chance to reveal more about who you are!

It is always recommended to complete this section as it is chance for academic committee to understand your personality, achievements, extracurricular activities, or your hobbies that are not included in other parts of the application. Even some information describing your activities could help distinguish you from other applicants.

Universities only accept official score reports from the respective boards or authorities. Therefore, always make sure that, your TOEFL, IELTS, or SAT scores are sent directly from these authorised testing bodies to the universities on time. Many of the times applicants miss this step and eventually lose deadlines and scholarship opportunities. A simple way to avoid stress is to order your scores a few weeks before the deadline.

If you feel that you can finish your essay faster with the a help of AI, then you have to re-think, as it may make your application weaker. University admission teams use advanced tools, techniques to check if you have written the essay yourself or if you have taken help of AI. AI-generated content can be detected and rejected.

Always write your own story in your own words and style. Essays written by you without help of AI feel more real and help admission committee understand who you are.

Since applications don’t always need certificates, some students try to include fake achievements. University counselors are experts at analyzing applications. Any lies or fake achievements will get noticed. You must highlight your achievements, but the information should be genuine, supported by documents.

Applicant must ensure that, everything mentioned in your Essay should always be supported by the documentary evidence like updated CV, Experience letters or letters of recommendation."

1.  Keep a check on application deadlines, timely submission is very important.
2. List down all the application fees associated with all your applications
3. List down all the important Essay questions
4. Remind your professors regarding timely response on mails from universities regarding Letter of recommendation
5. Make sure that official test reporting of your score is done on time.

Many students miss on getting admission to their dream universities not because they're unqualified but because they make common errors in the application process.

Above mentioned checklist can help you avoiding common mistakes while making applications. If you prepare yourself well in advance with all the necessary documentation and check your work, remain true to yourself, this can really boost your chances of success.

1. What is the difference between a First Year Student and a Transfer Student?
   A first-year student is starting college right after high school. A Transfer Student has already done some college elsewhere and is moving to a new school with credits.

2. Is it allowed for parents to submit applications or transcripts?
  Yes, parents can see the application, but parents cannot submit the application or transcripts.

3. How do I avoid choosing the wrong university names?
  Always check the full name of the university and campus. Your counselor can help you if any names look similar..

4. Can I apply to multiple schools early?
  You can submit early applications to several schools through Early Action, but Early Decision only allows you to choose one school since it is binding.

5. Can I use AI tools to help write my essays?
   No. Colleges will most likely detect if you used AI and there is a much higher chance of your essay getting rejected. It is always best to write in your own words.

6. Is entering my test scores on the application enough?
   No. We have to submit the official result document to the university, plus official test reporting has to be done from testing organizations like TOEFL, IELTS, or SAT to the university.