Beaverton High School Shares College Tips for Seniors

High School seniors have a lot on their plate: application deadlines, fees, letters of recommendation, taking (and retaking) the SAT. But it doesn't have to be the end of the world. When prepping for college, the counselors at Beaverton School District are a great resource. Patch talked with Tracy Muilenburg, a School and College and Career Counselor at the International School of Beaverton. She's embarking on year 5 with Beaverton School District- her fifteenth as a counselor.

Q: In your experience, what is the biggest mistake that high school students who are preparing for college make?

A: I think the biggest mistake seniors make is not considering a wide-variety of options when applying to college. Typically, I tell students to create a list of “reach, target, and safety” schools. I recommend no more than 1-3 reach schools, which is a school that is either highly selective (i.e. Stanford, the Ivies, etc.) or a school that typically accepts students with a higher academic/standardized test profile than the student has.

It is fine to apply to a couple of reach school, but don’t get your heart set on them – look at them as a “bonus” if they happen. Students should spend the majority of their time and energy on target-range schools. These are schools where their profile matches what the school typically accepts. Students with excellent grades and test scores, but may not qualify for need-based scholarships, should also look for target schools that are generous with merit aid. I sometimes find that top students get their heart set on top-tier schools, but either don’t get accepted or cannot afford the schools if they are accepted. With around 2000 four-year colleges in the U.S., there are many wonderful institutions that are looking for great students and will offer scholarship money.

Finally, always, always have a back-up plan – this is your safety school, both financially and acceptance-wise. Typically speaking, this will be a public in-state university or a community college. Some good websites to evaluate whether a college is a reach, target, or safety for you are College Data and College Board (use the College Search tool) - there are many others, as well. Additionally, all schools are required to have a net-price calculator on their website where students can enter their financial information and get an estimate of what their tuition will be if accepted. This is a great way to gauge reach, target, safety as far as finances are concerned.

Q: For students who aren't applying to schools Early Action/Early Decision, what are some important dates to keep in mind?

A: I think it is important to look at whether the college is rolling admission or not. Colleges that offer rolling admission make a decision on a student’s application once it is received, so even though there might not be a close deadline, you may have a greater likelihood of gaining acceptance if you get your application in earlier. An example of this would be University of Portland. Beyond that, regular deadlines are typically after the New Year – January, February, and some in March. There are always some schools that accept applications even after the deadline. The Common Application offers a search tool for this throughout the school year.

Q: In your experience, which people typically provide the strongest letters of recommendation to prospective college students?

A: Typically colleges will want a core-subject (math, science, English, social studies) teacher who taught the student in 11th grade or is currently teaching them in 12th. Pick a teacher who knows you well, but, even if they know you well, always provide them with information about yourself, including examples of assignments and projects you did in that teacher’s class and how you participated as a student. Teachers are busy, so the more information you can provide, typically the better the letter will be.

Outside of teachers, you can ask for letters from people that create a picture of who you are outside of school. Only ask for these letters if they will add to your application in a way that other recommenders can’t, and only have 1-2 outside recommenders. Colleges don’t need (or want) 10 letters of recommendation, 1-4 will do! Examples of good outside recommenders are employers, internship supervisors, leaders of a group/organization you have been a part of for several years, teachers from a summer school activity or course, etc.

Take-away Tips for High School Seniors

High School Seniors should:

• Continue to study. Letting your scholastic performance slip simply because you're focusing more of your attention toward the application process is a common mistake.
• Test and retest. Whether its the SAT, the ACT or both, be sure you've taken these standardized tests more than once.
• Consider putting together a calendar with important dates: application deadlines, dates and locations of test taking centers and academic deadlines for current classes.
• Always have a safety school.
• Have at least 1-4 recommenders on your list.
• Check to see if your school accepts rolling applications.

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