It's not too late but it will be soon!

Hello and thank you for joining. Shellee Howard with College Ready. I am so excited to speak with you today. We have a great opportunity. So college application season is here. It's no longer the thing we talk about to come. We actually have had two students get accepted into their first choice school and are completely done with the process. So if that makes you a little nervous that there's still a lot more to do on your activity list, we should probably have a conversation. So today what I want to share is some things that students have asked me, and I'm sure you have the same question. So today we're going to talk about the Common App, the UC App, and what does it take to make that happen. So the first question that a student, um, wrote in about is, how does the Common App activity section differ from the University of California UC activity section? So there's 3 really important things to note. Number 1, the number of activities. The UC application allows students to list up to 30 activities versus the Common App's 10. That could be huge, could be a benefit if you don't have many, and it could be a detriment to some. The categories are different. The UC application asks that students enter up to 5 activities in each of the following categories. This is where I get a ton of questions. So if you are not sure what constitutes a category Please reach out and I'm happy to help you. The third one is character count. As you know, the Common App allows 150 characters for each activity description. The UC application allows 500 characters. This is a huge difference because if you need to describe what you did, you are going to have a tough time in 150 characters. So I recommend that you start with your UC top 10 activities and then add all of your other activities. There is a way to rank them. You want to be very mindful. Don't just put down what was really hard for you or you spent a ton of time. Get motivated. Figure out What did you do? When did you do it? What makes it important? So, when I work with my students, I tell them this: Was it a national award? Did you have leadership? How many hours per week? How many weeks per year? Please describe. Does everybody get to do it? Were you selected? Were you chosen? Did you lead? These are all conversations that we're having right now. So if you're stuck, please call. Second question: How should I list a summer job? Should it go before the grade or after the grade? So summer job activities should be listed with your child's rising grade. So if they just did the activity or the job or internship over the summer, you would put that with the senior year if they're a senior. What should my child do if their activity type is not listed on the drop-down menu? Well, the most important thing is if it truly doesn't fit in any category, you're going to want to choose "other." And from the drop-down menu, describe that activity, um, further. Make sure that you're understanding, um, quality of words. Don't speak we did this or they did this. Colleges want to accept you, not you and your friends, not you and your group, not you and your organization. What did you do is what they want to know. Next question: Is it a problem if my child has fewer than 10 activities to list? Oh, we get this one often. Not always, and I know that's kind of vague and ambiguous, but let me explain. If a student spent a ton of time in an activity, it could be Eagle Scout, it could be choir or band or leadership or whatever it is, and they did it all 4 years to a very high level, that's what colleges want. It's not a bunch of stuff, it's quality that they're looking for. Next question: Should my child list their honors and awards in the activities section? No, there's a separate section on the Common App that allows your child to list up to 5 honors and awards. Honors and awards— think about what those mean. How high was the honor? What was the award? I always tell students, look at pictures, look at certificates or trophies. These are the things that will trigger you to remember. How can my child explain major achievements or significant effort devoted to an activity? That can't be covered in 150 characters. So your child can use the Common App additional information section to go into more detail about their most meaningful activities. Don't feel stuck. Think about what you can share, but please make it meaningful. So when we talk about, you know, it's not too late, it's not too late, but we're getting close. So what do I mean? Have you completed your college admissions application? Have you Got your essay written and edited twice? Have you requested your letters of recommendation from your teachers, and have you given them a resume? Have you recorded your community service hours and can quantify what you did specific and measurable? Are you organized? Are you stressed out? Are you working with a strategy? Are you just throwing a bunch of darts at a dartboard? Have you confirmed your deadlines? Are you motivated? Are you being held accountable? So if you are questioning any of these, I would encourage you to get help. I'm helping seniors, new seniors, every single day. It's like nothing before. Prior to COVID, you might have had a plan Now what? Please call me and I'm happy to gift you a strategy session where I can simply just help you answer those questions and get you on the road. Some students are feeling really stuck right now, and that is not going to get any easier if you don't change what you're doing. If you need any help with the FAFSA, the CSS Profile, the Expected Family Contribution, We can help save you money for college. So please know it's not too late, but it is getting close. Big deadlines are just a couple weeks away. We're here to help and support you. Thank you so much, and we wish you a very successful application season.