By Amy Haskell, founder of Total Writing Enrichment, where she helps teens master college admissions essays that stand out; she founded her company with a mission to ease stress, build confidence and teach writing skills to teens.
Imagine what it would be like if you could wave your magic wand and hear your rising senior proudly comment to you, “Mom, I know exactly what I need to do for my college applications!” And then, you notice a simple yet effective list of things on your teen’s neatly organized lap top: from application due dates to expectations of essay writing for each college. Pop! Day dream over!
Or, can you make that vision a reality for your child? Can you help your teen see the benefits of planning the steps to take for the upcoming college admissions process?
As you start thinking about your rising senior’s college applications, you probably already know the attention to detail, diligence, and information required to sail through this challenging time in your teen’s life.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if your teen agreed with your dream of pre-college application organization? Well, let’s turn that dream into a reality!
Here are three important steps to help your rising senior get a jump start on her college applications!
1. Clarify your big picture: how many colleges actually appear on your child’s list and mark down in your calendar the due dates for each college application.
2. Research how many essays will be required in total. (I once had a student write 27 different essays, of varying length for college applications!!)
3. Gather materials needed to complete applications: a resume (or list of activities), as well as reference letters from teachers, coaches, mentors (first, need to kindly ask for these letters of rec.!). Stay a Step Ahead.
This spring and early summer, your goals should take advantage of optimizing the time you have to create your best applications possible. I think you’ll agree, that right now, time is on your side. Wave your magic wand, start now, and feel the benefits of staying organized, in control, and confident as you move forward to another exciting life transition!
About the Author, Amy Haskell:
I love helping teens with their writing! Whether acing an essay on Macbeth or checking off the Common App essay for the tricky college application process, seeing a stressed out teenager smile, breath a sigh of relief, and start believing in him/herself means the world to me!
While teaching at a large, nationally ranked high school in the northern suburbs of Chicago, I started tutoring kids and realized the positive impact on these teens when one mom confided in me, “Thank you! You have no idea the peace you’ve brought to our family!” The demand for my help sky rocketed and in order to reach more students, I created online writing lessons, utilized technology to help more kids, and the rest is history!
When I’m not reviewing essays, I’m attempting to whip my muscles in shape with my Charlotte Masters Swim team, where I proudly remain one of the slowest members of this fun, supportive group of swimmers!
