5 Most Common College Application Mistakes – College Admission Essays, Application Process and Other Errors

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The college application process can prove to be an overwhelming task. While focusing on test scores, students often miss other important aspects of the college application process. Some of these college application mistakes are major “red flags” for the admissions officers and can send your application straight to the rejection pile. This blog highlights a few common application errors to avoid when starting your college application process.

IN THIS BLOG:

1.  Lack of self-awareness
2.  Weak recommendations
3.  Showing low interest
4.  Cookie-cutter approach
5.  Repetitive information

Take note! Avoid these mistakes and maximize your chances of acceptance into your dream college.

Lack of self-awareness

A big “No” for admissions officers are applications where students have failed to convey their goals and aspirations clearly. College applications that portray a lack of self-awareness on the applicant’s part are rejected more often. Another factor that can lead to rejection is having superficial, unrealistic or ambiguous goals. For instance, if your application says that your goal is just to get a good job out of college, it would show a lack of clarity and ambition on your part. Dream big! State your goals precisely and convey how you hope to achieve them. Students who give a compelling picture of their future ambitions leave a positive impression on the admissions officers. College applications that portray clarity of goals tend to stand out during the admission process from those that do not lay out concrete goals and aspirations.

Weak recommendations

Having weak letters of recommendation is like losing out on a winning college application. Your letter of recommendation should highlight your strengths and any personal developments, spelled out with relevant instances. For a compelling letter of recommendation, it’s imperative that you precisely brief your recommender and give them an ample amount of time to write the recommendation. Let them use their own voice in the letter instead of putting words in their mouth. Alternatively, you could walk them through key details and the college application process guidelines. The recommender’s personal expression in the LOR will add authenticity to the letter.

Showing low interest

Applicants who show a demonstrated interest in the college they are applying to are more likely to be accepted as compared to those who have failed to convey in their college application process how the college programs align with their career goals. You have to establish a relationship between the college and your career goals. This represents your interest by showcasing the amount of research you’ve put into the college and its course. While writing the college admissions essay during the application process, fill it with specific information about the course curriculum, college community and extracurricular activities that interest and excite you the most and how you would add to the community. Go the extra mile! Interact with current students or alumni, attend university seminars and events and get in touch with the course professors.

A Cookie-cutter approach

The admissions officers are masters at their job. They can filter out applications that feature unique college admission essays from the ones that have been canned. The officers are looking for originality so that they can get to know the applicant as an individual. Do not write a generic essay where you switch the college names and a few details here and there when applying to different colleges. This creates room for error. Tailor your college admissions essays according to the university and program you are applying to. You should aim at submitting a memorable essay that stays with the admissions committee. Entering your college application process with a cookie-cutter approach is a big no-no and leaves a negative impression on the admissions officers.

Repetitive information

Read through your college application to check for repetitive values and themes and identify the missing areas that can be worked in. If there are attributes that repeat throughout your college application (in SOP, essay or transcript), you may want to add more variety. Your college admission essays and statement of purpose should put forth a range of skills rather than restate ideas. It should have instances of your growth areas and be reflective of who you are. The essay answers should be specific in response to the questions asked and not have miscellaneous information. You want your college application to excite and interest the admissions committee, not bore them with recurring and unwanted details.

One of the crucial factors of college admissions is submitting high-quality SOPs, LORs and additional test scores. With already too much on their plate, students fail to pay attention to every aspect of their college application. We at Jamboree full-proof your college application along with assistance in writing SOPs, essays, etc. Submit a winning college application and begin your study abroad journey with us. Book a free fifteen-minute session with our counselor.

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