January 3, 2012 How to Deal with Deferral

Some of you who applied to college via early decision or action programs may currently be living in the purgatory known as “deferral.” When colleges can’t decide yet whether to accept or reject students, they defer them. What this basically means is that they’d like a little more information about them before making a final decision. Here’s how to help yourself on the journey to that decision:

1. Don’t freak out or slack off.

2. Contact admissions for information on how to boost your application.

3. Update your application with a recent grade report, as well as a cover letter stating your intention to attend if accepted.

4. Consider a campus visit.

5. Send another recommendation from someone who knows you well.

6. Try retaking the SAT or ACT if your scores may have been a barrier to your admission.

7. Work as hard as you can at academics.

8. Step up community or school involvement to show colleges that your commitment to service doesn’t end when your application is submitted.

9. Add any recent accomplishments to your mid-year report.

10. Get excited about the other schools you’ve applied to! Remain open-minded about the future.

Filed under: College admissions — Sandweiss @ 9:01 pm

Lee Bierer at The Charlotte Observer offers these tips for a successful college interview:

Do your homework. Demonstrate how well you know the college. Research the website thoroughly, including possible majors of interest, study abroad programs, extracurricular activities, etc.

Be yourself, but don’t be shy. Allow your personality to shine, but if you are a natural introvert, use this as an exercise to try coming out of your shell.

Make it a conversation and not an interrogation. Change up the pace and rhythm of your responses. The more you can make it a two-way street discussion with questions for the interviewer, the better off you’ll be.

Share new information, but not too much information. Don’t restate your application, don’t blame teachers and don’t talk about boyfriends/girlfriends or conflicts with your parents.

Don’t sound rehearsed. You want your responses to be fresh and not sound as if you’re reading off a teleprompter.

Come prepared with questions. You can count on the interviewer leaving time for your questions. Make sure your questions are ones that can’t be answered on the college website.

Dress for success. Use your common sense. Boys don’t need to wear a suit, but everyone should look neat and professional.

Remember the basics. Arrive early, bring a copy of your resume, thank the interviewer and go it alone. Parents should not be seen or heard from in alumni interviews.

Be prepared for a variety of questions. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes alumni want to “test” applicants and will ask questions such as “If you were a color, which one would you be and why?” Practice thinking on your feet in a mock-interview with your parents.

Stay in touch. Be sure to send a thank you note. Handwritten and delivered via postal mail is the best, but email will suffice.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Sandweiss @ 8:35 pm

Law schools have long emphasized the theoretical over the useful, with classes that are often overstuffed with antiquated distinctions, like the variety of property law in post-feudal England … “The fundamental issue is that law schools are producing people who are not capable of being counselors,” says Jeffrey W. Carr, the general counsel of FMC Technologies, a Houston company that makes oil drilling equipment. “They are lawyers in the sense that they have law degrees, but they aren’t ready to be a provider of services.”