Teamwork

The people you'll need...

Nobody gets through this world happily without relying on the help of others. That goes without saying, even from the college admissions perspective. Teamwork is the key.

From the time you start building your college list till the time you receive your decisions, you have to rely on a group of people to get you through the process. That’s right; you have to work in a team.

Think about it. You need your guidance counselor to write recommendations for you, your parents to foot the tuition bill, your teachers to point you in the right direction, and the college representative that comes to your high school to give a comment for the admissions committee. You cannot afford to, and shouldn't, attempt to do this entire process by yourself.

Talk to current students

As I mentioned previously, one can use the Internet to communicate with current students through the campus newspapers or student organizations. It’s always a good idea to speak with these students as they will be able to give you an unbiased view of the academic and social environment of the university.

If you are diligent enough you can find some of the schools’ very own LiveJournal sites where students post happenings in the schools. Take a look at New York University’s LiveJournal to get an idea.

Conversing with current students gives you a chance to ask questions about the school that is not normally covered in their official channels. Or perhaps you have a personal question that you are not comfortable asking an admissions officer. If you are an international student, like myself, this is a way to replace the college visit.

Be friends with your guidance counselor

That’s right. No matter how nasty or unhelpful your guidance counselor is, you must make an effort to be friends with your counselor. Many public schools have overburdened counselors, and sometimes the guidance counselors are so drowned in administrative work that they may be unable to help you. But you should at least try.

Guidance counselors who have been in the job for years have probably seen all types of applicants and profiles, so they are in a better position to advise you on your choices. Remember that they communicate with the universities every year, and will have a clear idea of where your competition lies.

One thing I would want to suggest here is that you probably want to visit to your guidance office after you've collected some data about your possible choices. Subsequently your counselor can help to add or subtract from your list.

However, if you are one of those unfortunate applicants who cannot get proper advice from your school (believe me, this is a rather common scenario), you may want to consider hiring a private counselor. It'll cost you quite a bit – I think the range is somewhere between a few hundred to a thousand dollars. But if you feel that the hired counselor is a good one, it’s probably worthwhile.

Just remember that when engaging such a counselor, don't expect that he, or she will be able to pull strings, or establish connections to get you in. Most of the work will still have to be done by you. As a rule of the thumb, no part of your application should have anybody else’s fingerprints but yours.

And the one important but overlooked group...

Your parents!

One more group of people you should not forget is your parents. Sometimes you'd be surprised to know how much they can actually help you. If your parents graduated from college, their advice and suggestions can go a long way to building your college list. Although it may be many years since they graduated and campus cultures would have changed by then, certain things still remain the same.