Have the rules for college admissions changed? According to the good folks at College Coach they have.

College Coach, a private educational consulting firm asked ten former admissions officers to reveal the secrets of college admission in the twenty-first century. Their advice, however, isn't much different that that I received from my high school counselor back in the 1980s.

The basic rules still apply apparently:

• What you do while in high school matters! Choose courses wisely, do your best, attempt honors/AP level courses if you can, and don't blow off your senior year.
  
• If you're interested in extra-curricular activities, pick one or two activities and stick with them—don't overdo, especially if your grades start slipping. If you're not interested in anything in particular, find that one activity you can do, and make sure you do it well.
  
• Its very likely you're going to have to take a standardized admissions test. Plan for it. Prepare for it. Do your best and keep on going.
  
• Apply to a school that fits you. Start your search early and have your final list of potentials ready by senior year.
  
• Carefully prepare your application and all supporting materials. Put a lot of thought into what you're going to say, draft it, then complete it.
  
• Essays and personal statements count.
  
• Letters of recommendation are still popular, even if not necessarily “required.”
  
• Interviews matter. Prepare for them!
  
• Apply for financial aid, even if you don't think you'll qualify.

The College Coach manual really only had one new rule. Parents and students should:

• Consider preparing your application and other materials using a thematic approach. Focus on a few key points that represent you the student and make sure those points appear wherever appropriate throughout the application.

College Coach's The New Rules of College Admissions, edited by Stephen Kramer and Michael London, doesn't really shed new light on the college admissions process. But, the admissions officers that contributed to the text did go the extra mile to help the reader understand how admissions processes may work at U.S. colleges and universities—or at least how these processes worked at the colleges and universities where the admissions officers were formerly employed.

There are quite a few good college planning guides available from your local bookseller or online retailer. If you have the opportunity to take a look at The New Rules of College Admissions, send me a note and tell me what you think. For me, I'd rather put my $14.00 USD towards one of the many step-by-step guides that are available; rather than College Coach's New Rules.

Until next time!

Lynn Byrne

Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:

• College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
  
• Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
  
• The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.