Common Myths About Colleges
- It is better to get good grades than to take challenging courses.
Even modest success in advanced or accelerated courses indicates to a college that you seek and can handle challenging courses like those you will find in college. A challenging college preparatory program will help you get into more selective colleges. - I need to decide on a career before I can choose a college.
College is a time to explore. Except in a few specific cases, you can choose a major in your sophomore year and still complete the degree in four years. A surprising number of students discover the field for them while taking a course they didn't expect to like. - You can't get into a selective college if you did poorly in 9th or 10th grade.
Colleges look for improvement in performance as a sign that you can and will do the work. In fact, a vast improvement as a junior and senior indicates to a college that you have settled down. However, do not expect to catch up for three poor years in one good semester as a senior. - A lot of extra curricular activities will compensate for poor grades.
Admittedly, colleges consider extra curricular activities when reviewing an application. But colleges look at academic performance first. - You should go to the most prestigious college to which you are admitted.
You should go to the college that fits you best. If it happens to be prestigious, that's fine. However, it has to do with how you feel when you are on campus, the match with how you learn and how the professors teach, and the academic pressure you can handle. If the college and you are not a good match, you will be unhappy regardless of the prestige. - The best time to visit colleges is after you have been admitted.
Many students fall into this myth only to find that none of the colleges to which they were admitted to felt right when they visited. If possible, visit before you apply and again after you have been admitted. If you can visit only once, make it before you apply. - Taking the SAT more than two times will hurt my chances of acceptance.
Colleges will take the highest Math, Verbal and Writing Skills score from each exam. Therefore taking the SAT three to four times can only help. Although studies have shown without taking a prep course your score will only go up or down approximately 40 points the more you take the test. - Is it O.K to visit a college during the summer?
I believe the important thing in the college admissions process is to visit, visit, visit. Oftentimes, summer visits to colleges are very revealing. Yes, only a small portion of students are there during break, but things are more relaxed. You can talk to a lot of interesting summer students. Go visit when you can, even during the "quiet" summer. - Your life will be ruined if you don't get admitted to your first choice college.
Thousands of students each year do not get admitted to their first choice college and most are happy, healthy individuals today. Yes, rejection is hard on your ego, but you will not be alone. Additionally, the vast majority of students who settle for their second choice ends up just as happy. Some applications stand out. Some don't.