‘Today’ readers get college admission advice

Considering how competitive the college admissions process has become, it’s no wonder students — and their parents — are looking for an edge. In her new book, Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, author of “What Colleges Don’t Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know),” shares tips for how students can create an application that puts them in a better position to be admitted to their choice school. “Today” asked Wissner-Gross, who appears on the show, to give our readers some advice.

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Dear Elizabeth: I am a high school student. Over the years, I have done well in my academics, taking AP classes and achieving a GPA over 4.00. However, I am scared that the colleges that I apply for may overlook that and look more at my extracurricular activities, of which I have not done much. Will this in any way hurt my chances of getting into the college of my choice? Should I focus on my academics in my personal essay? — Clayton in California

Dear Clayton: You have good reason to be concerned. College admission has become so competitive that the most sought-after colleges are turning away 85 percent of their applicants, most of whom have top GPAs, AP scores and standardized test scores like you. The most competitive colleges will want to know what made you stay away from extracurricular activities in high school. And they’ll see this pattern as an indication that you’ll probably continue to be inactive in college. (Note that if you were holding an after-school job, internship, or you were writing a novel, or had major family responsibilities that filled your non-school time, these may be viewed as even more impressive than extracurricular school activities.)

The good news is that even if you’re a senior who cannot account for your previous years’ after-school time, you still can turn this around and make yourself appealing. Start by looking at your talents and interests, and create some serious goals for yourself in keeping with these abilities. For example, are you a talented photographer, who might create a photo exhibit at a local library? Or someone who goes to a lot of parties, who might arrange an innovative and lucrative fund-raiser for a good cause like cancer research? Might you be a social reformer who could create an innovative recycling program, tutoring program, or other community help program where you live? Such activities should be the focus of your essay. Colleges are very attracted to pioneers, innovators, and movers and shakers. You still have a few months left to become one.

Dear Elizabeth: My daughter carried a 3.7 GPA prior to her junior year, when she was hired at a local water park. During her all-important junior year she earned a 2.5 GPA, which has drastically lowered her cumulative GPA. How do we explain that her work is cutting into her schooling? She worked in order to contribute to our family. I am a single mom with three children. She bought a car, pays for her own insurance, cell phone, clothes, and all her extracurricular activities. She also has a savings account for college. — Marie in Michigan

Dear Marie: Your daughter should probably focus one of her college application essays on her work experience at the water park, which I assume is a year-round job, since you say it cut into her school work. The admission officer should gain an understanding of why this job was so time consuming and how it impacted her grades. The essay, however, should be upbeat and focus on one of her most impressive deeds or innovations at the water park. Did she save a life? Did she help the park to double its business? Did she design a new water ride? Did she design a publicity campaign? Did she help the other workers get along? She should not necessarily emphasize the material things that she used the money to buy, even though a parent might think that such purchases demonstrate responsibility. Not all college admissions officers will share these values. Most won’t be impressed, for example, that she worked to buy her own car, cell phone and wardrobe, rather than devoting her out-of-school time to excellence in education. Lots of kids with higher grades don’t own cars.  

Dear Elizabeth: My son is group commander for our JROTC program. He’s in the top 25 percent of the class and has an SAT score of 1030, but that doesn’t seem to be enough these days. His goal is to attend Texas A&M, become a member of ROTC and then have a career in the Air Force. What can he do to boost his chances for getting accepted? He will need a scholarship in order to attend college. — Patty in Texas

Dear Patty: Your son should maintain his goals and continue to work towards them by raising his SAT scores. You’re right that a combined SAT score under 1100 (math and verbal) isn’t “enough.” The key to obtaining higher SAT scores is practice — lots of practice. Your son should plan to devote at least two hours a day to practice tests, memorizing vocabulary words, and mastering the material. Just like the military, test preparation is a discipline. He should purchase review books for practice, SAT training software, and a book of SAT words. (I spent three hours — in one single sitting — studying the entire Barron’s “Picture These SAT Words” with a student and her score jumped 100 points.)

As a parent, you can help your son study. Keep him company when he practices. (You could do your own work beside him.) Or take practice tests along with him, and compare your answers. Reward him at the end of a full week of study (10 hours of weekday study). Think of this as a team effort — just like ROTC  —  to get him that scholarship. Let him know that you believe he can do it. And he will.

Dear Elizabeth: My child is seven years old. We have funded a 529 fund for him, but I’m wondering if I should wait to tell him he’s got college money until near the end of high school. We don’t want him to slack off, knowing that he doesn’t have to earn a scholarship. We want him to be competitive and earn excellent grades — we’ve already told him that if he earns a full scholarship we’ll buy him a car. We can’t afford a top college and we want him to set high goals for himself. Are we doing the right thing? — Kim in Florida

Video: How to get into top schools Dear Kim: It’s wonderful to plan ahead academically for even the youngest of children. But I’m not in favor of discussing one’s income with a seven-year-old. Nor am I in favor of using a material incentive like the promise of a car to get your child to study, as if learning is an unpleasant task that requires bribery. That teaches the wrong lesson. Besides, that’s not the way the top achievers are motivated to work hard. Instead, you should focus on teaching your son to love learning — and that learning is fun. You want to inspire your child. Expose him to interesting books; discuss interesting ideas with him; do difficult puzzles and problems with him; take him on fieldtrips (movies, architectural sites, artistic endeavors, and geological wonders), and show him what intelligent people are able to achieve in a world that awaits his exploration. Your lives as parents will be much easier if you have a self-motivated child whom you don’t need to spend the next 10 years bribing and badgering to work hard.

Dear Elizabeth: My daughter is a highly motivated student who wants to go to a good school. She has high aspirations, is well rounded, is outgoing, a cheerleader, a varsity tennis player, a member of student government, and treasurer of National Honor Society. She has good grades (3.9) adjusted GPA, but mediocre test scores — ACT 25 and SAT 900. We have about $60,000 saved so far for her education, so I’d like to keep total costs to less than 25,000 a year. We won’t qualify for any financial aid other than loans. What should we do? — Richard in Maryland

Dear Richard: First of all, she needs to bring those SAT scores up, if she wants to have a good selection of colleges. Her grades don’t match her standardized test scores, suggesting that she is capable of earning higher scores, if she studies seriously. (Also her ACT is stronger than her SAT, so a college that takes ACTs instead of SATs might also be a better option.) As a parent, you can help her set up a structured study schedule to improve the SATs. I recommend two hours a day of study and practice tests until those scores start coming up. Take practice tests alongside her. Help her memorize words for the verbal portion. Provide snacks and encouragement. She also could apply to some of the colleges that claim not to care about test scores. See the list at www.fairtest.org. On the list, check out the University of Maine system in particular — you’ll like the prices, the student body size and mostly the academic and athletic opportunities. The Kent State system in Ohio also offers lots of options within budget, and her ACT score would put her in the running.