Senior Strategies: Life After Applications

With applications officially being over, a key part of college admissions concludes for most students. That said, the college admissions process is far from over. There are still a few ways for applicants to better prepare themselves for potential scenarios down the road.  Let's talk about life after applications.

While they may not appear super impactful, there are several factors that could be the final push. Sometimes, it will be small actions that decide between college admission and rejection. A college admissions counseling service like Empowerly  can help you better understand these post-application factors.

A common misconception of college admissions is that colleges don't look at the second semester of senior year. Or, they won't, as long the student meets a certain minimum requirement. This notion only applies to colleges that the applicant already earned admission to. For schools that have a waitlist or deferment policies, second semester grades are still examined. Also, students who wish to appeal a rejection must have a solid second semester GPA. This is necessary to help prove to the college admissions board that they were wrong initially.

Going off the rationale with grades, a wise applicant should still try and stay involved in extracurricular activities. If it isn't too much of an effort, he or she should maybe even try and get a leadership position. If it comes down to applicants wanting to appeal a decision, showing continued commitment to an activity is a great way to stand out in college admissions. And, you can help prove to the school that they made the wrong decision.

Around the end of the month, many private schools will start reaching out to candidates; they will ask for them to sit down with an alumni from the school for an interview. While the exact questions vary school to school, there is a certain pattern among all of them that applicants can prepare for. The overarching theme of each interview is finding out if the applicant has done research, out of genuine interest. The weight of influence each interview carries can be minimal; however, it can never hurt an applicant to have another person vouch on their behalf.

Even though the actual application part of the process is done, there are still several parts of college admissions that applicants need to be aware of.

From keeping up with all the rigors of school to preparing for interviews with some schools, applicants should not take their foot fully off the metaphorical pedal. In the end, college admissions is the culmination of all the work an applicant has put in over his or her high school career. By polishing these final little details, it may be just what an applicant needs to show a university that he or she is the right fit.

Visit Empowerly to learn more about how college admissions counseling can help you navigate life after applications.