The following tips come from college admissions counselors and are based on examples of the negative experiences they have had with students in the application process.

Email Etiquette, Social Networking and Other Electronics

• Use an appropriate email address
  
  
• Use full words and sentences, not text message abbreviations




• Have an appropriate message on cell and dormitory phone voice mails
  
  
• Double-check any facebook or myspace accounts for appropriateness

College Visits/ Interviews

• Turn off your cell phone
  
  
• Wear clothing appropriate for a visit that you will be potentially judged on do not wear clothing representing another college, especially a competitor




• Stand out for a class visit for the right reasons (stay awake, ask reasonable questions)




• Favorite movies and books should be well considered
• 
  Solid and accurate reasoning for choosing a college should be stated to this standard question




• Be attentive – don’t tap, yawn, look out window. Nervousness is expected, and mentioning this feeling can put both the interviewer and interviewee at ease.
• Don’t chew gum

Applications

• Make sure that the major or college division you enter on the application actually exists at the college you are sending the application to.




• Double check envelopes and essays – do not send information for College B to College A




• Proofread Proofread Proofread and ask teachers and advisors to look everything over




• Select colleges based on your research not exclusively on your friends’ opinions or who attended in previous years




• Be honest




• Hanging out with friends or going to the mall is not an extracurricular activity to list




• Read the instructions including word count
• 
  Type when possible

Parents

• Students going to college are expected to be independent and should take the initiative in the process, contact the schools, write the essay, etc. Help can certainly be given, but all contact
  should be made by the student.




• Should attend the interview if/when invited by the admissions counselor

Question: Who proofreads the application?
The primary proofreader should be the applicant, but have a guidance counselor double-check all applications prior to submission. As a general rule, students should not submit any applications without a guidance counselor or a parent’s/guardian’s approval. Parents can view online applications by obtaining their child’s username and password, but be mindful that college admissions counselors are quite adept at noticing inconsistencies in styles of writing within an application.