by Colleges receive hundreds of thousands of applications each year, and to narrow down this number, they have teams of qualified experts to scrutinize and compare applications. That’s how they determine who makes the cut. Mistakes, mediocre grades, and generic or clichéd essays are certainly not an option. But, good grades, outstanding test scores, and a full range of extracurriculars aren’t enough either. That’s why some applicants opt for a college application coach.
Top Benefits of Partnering With a College Application Coach
Students stand to benefit in the following ways:
1. Insights From an Expert
The goal of a college application coach is to make you more competitive. The coach fully understands what is needed and guides students to deliver precisely that. The reason? They have graduate-level education, proven success in academia, and a love of teaching. They’ll create a plan in line with the student’s goals and areas of strength, and guide them through it. The coach can identify areas where more effort is needed, or unnecessary, depending on the particular student’s unique strengths and needs. School work, specific extracurricular activities, or community service, along with test scores, all factor in. An application coach can help students maximize their efforts in the exact areas that would pique the interest of the application reviewers.
2. Getting Help Figuring Out What Matters
Getting accepted into college is hard enough, but before that happens, a student still needs to figure out what their goals are. A college application coach steps in to help them figure out how to find their drive, and what makes them special. Then, they help identify the academic institutions that would be ideal. Academic interests, geographical preferences, personal identity, and cultural values all factor in. That’s what counts when finding the perfect college.
3. It Takes the Pressure off the College Application Process
Acceptance into a first-choice college is a dream come true. It may also be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Parents, teachers, peers, and employers also build on the weight of the application. Adding to that pressure is the amount of work the application process warrants, the intense competition, and the possibility of rejection despite the student’s best efforts.
While a college application coach will not eliminate all this pressure, they can offer dependable advice to ensure the student makes the right decisions with their application. They will help determine the best colleges to apply to, when to apply, and how best to present oneself in the application. Consider the coach a stress reliever and confidant who listens and offers feasible solutions to make the process more manageable.
4. Discover Strengths
It’s common to see college students switch majors. Often, the student chose an area of study without fully understanding what it entailed, succumbed to pressure from loved ones and peers, or hadn’t discovered their actual interests yet. Once they discover what they truly love, they may be at the wrong university, and already be thousands of dollars in debt. With a college application coach, students identify their true interests, discover their strengths, and know how to utilize them.
College application coaches understand the importance of identifying short and long-term life goals as well as the career path that a student may be interested in. Without pressure from external influences, the coach will work with the student to realistically evaluate their interests, strengths, and abilities. They’ll assist in weighing options and strategizing how to achieve the student’s unique goals. This may require selecting and reselecting a new list of schools or an entirely different study area. The goal is to understand the student, their aspirations, and to guide them towards achieving them. This can make a huge difference for students planning to continue in academia and eventually apply to graduate school.
5. Help With the College Essays
The college essays are the most prominent pain point of the application process. Unlike the analytical writing most high school students are used to, the essay requires an introspective and creative approach. It’s stressful to think about what to write and what not to write. Some students end up understating accomplishments that could have given them a competitive advantage. Many other college essays sound the same. A college application coach gets to know the student and their goals well, and can help them plan the essay, supervise their writing, and advise on revisions, until they achieve a unique, competitive essay.
6. Staying on Time and Meeting the Deadlines
With the tremendous work it takes to apply to one college, it’s easy to get carried away and miss deadlines. The work multiplies exponentially when a student is applying to 6-10 colleges, which is the average. An application coach keeps students on track, ensuring that each application is well-crafted and completed well before the deadlines. With supervision, nervous teenagers avoid procrastination and distractions that would derail their progress, thereby giving their best in every application.
Find a Coach Now
The college application process can be overwhelming and feel like a maze for students. Getting a coach to collaborate with takes the pressure off, and introduces help navigating the process. Students become more competitive and boost their chances of acceptance, which is the ultimate goal!
