One of the things I love most about what I do with students is that we learn so many things together. Yes, we learn about building a smart college list, and how to put together an excellent resume, and what types of essays make a committee applaud. But we also learn so great life skills: how to address an envelope and where the stamp goes (this one kills me – technology has really changed communication!), how to understand debt in the context of projected future earnings, and how to write a professional email to an admissions officer, dean of an honors college, or professor.
 
There are quite a few reasons why you might find the need to email your admissions officer. These include:

1. Requesting a meeting when you are on campus visiting during a weekday
2. Asking a question about the college’s programs or application process
3. Checking on your application status after you’ve submitted your app
4. Letting them know you saw a bug on your morning walk (Just kidding. Don’t do this. AOs are busy people. Don’t annoy them with a pointless email or a question you could easily find for yourself).

 
There is a good chance you will find yourself needing to email several admissions officers or college faculty in the course of your college planning process, but many students are stumped with how to do this. We’ve put together a little guide to help (life skills are where it’s at!).
 
First, let’s get one thing out of the way: The email has to come from the student, sound like a student wrote it, and be responded to by the student. Mom and Dad, definitely help and guide, but students have to own their process and be in charge of their communication. Colleges expect this and might flag an applicant’s file if there is too much evidence the student is not college-ready or independent enough yet to handle the college environment.
 
Here’s an outline of how to do this:

1. The subject line: Keep it simple and to the point.
   1. Examples

                  i.On Campus Interview Request
                  ii.Meeting request during campus visit
                  iii.Checking on application status – CAID 975674
                  iv.Inquiry: Ability to double major in CS and Electrical Engineering

1. The addressee: Check the title you are using to address your recipient. For women, use Ms. instead of Mrs. or Miss unless you have met their spouse last week for a quick golf game and are certain she is still married. If you are emailing a dean of professor, there is a good chance they have a Ph.D. Use Dr. in this case. If the professor has a masters degree (you can find all this in their faculty bio and/or CV online on the faculty page for the department in question) use the title “Professor”. Bonus tip: spell their name right (this happens A LOT. Take your time and be thorough)
2. Writing the email: Start by introducing yourself. Include your full legal name  (you don’t have to include your middle name, especially if it’s Thelma and you are still salty for having to write that out on the forms for all your college apps), your high school and home city, your year in school (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior), and your date of birth (this part is helpful for admissions to match to your file). You might also include your application ID if you have already applied and have one.
3. Ask your question: Jump straight in to your point. Keep it to one brief paragraph. If it requires more than that, you should be setting up a phone appointment/calling in the question.
4. End with gratitude: Say “Thank you” or “Thank your for your consideration” or “With gratitude” – something to show you appreciate their help with your process and are a lovely, polite, amicable human being (which you are!)
5. Wait for a response (give it three business days), and respond (if needed) when the email comes in: This means you need to check your email once a day! It’s a good habit to develop. Maybe do this right when you get home from school each day.

 
Here are a couple real example emails students have sent recently.
 
Dear Mr. Pederson,

My name is Firstname Lastname and I will be touring SMU this Friday. I'm emailing you to ask if there is a class I could sit in on, preferably an intro to journalism class or any class involved in the Fashion Media major. Going into SMU the Fashion Media major is what I would like to pursue and I would like to see a preview on how the classes interact and the involvement of the students. Thank you for your consideration! 

Firstname Lastname
 
                                                      _________________________
  
Hello Mr. Jackson,
 
My name is Firstname Lastname from Flower Mound High School here in North Texas. I wanted to give you my thanks for hand-writing that postcard in regards to my acceptance to KU! That alongside the notification of the KU Distinctions Scholarship really meant a lot to me.
 
I went to the NorTex College Fair in Denton that The University of North Texas hosted, and I had the opportunity of meeting Allyson Peters! She was extremely helpful and gave me a lot of useful information.
 
I wanted to point out something I discussed with her: The KU Excellence Scholarship. I had mentioned that I have taken the ACT exam three separate times, and that my highest score was a 26, which qualifies me for the Distinction scholarship. Would it be wise to take the ACT exam a fourth time to try and score a 28? The lady at the college fair mentioned that I could email you if I scored a 27, and while my tests superscore up to a 27, I'm aware that you guys don't superscore. Getting the Distinction scholarship is such an honor, but knowing that I'm still on the college search, should I take it one final time to see if I can raise it up higher than my past three exams?
  
Thanks so much!
-Firstname Lastname
 
These both sound very much like high school students because they were written by high school students. We as adults might look at a phrasing here or there and want to correct it, but resist that urge. These are great – they are authentic, they reflect the student’s actual questions, and they communicate very professionally in the way that a 17 year old would communicate professionally.
 
Guide your students to learn to write great emails and communicate well on behalf of themselves. Empower them by giving them examples and offering to review their work and give them feedback. And encourage them to reach out to build rapport to do the best job they can in their college planning process.
 
Questions? Email me at erika@guruacademicadvising.com

I get it. It’s just barely August, and you aren’t ready to think about school yet. But there’s still that copy of Grapes of Wrath sitting on your nightstand to read before AP Lang and Comp starts up, and the school year will be here before you can say “Number 2 pencil,” so it’s time to be proactive!
 
Soon to be juniors and seniors: the next year will be full of a lot of college stuff for you (exciting!). One important part of those college plans should be a couple of college visits.
 
As we are coming off summer, many of you may be just returning from adventures at various campuses around the US (or even the world!). These are valuable in their own right, but a summertime college visit isn’t the same as a visit when the university is in session, so I have a suggestion for you to consider now, while you have plenty of time to plan for it.
 
Plan your campus visits for the next year (at least the fall) now. Whip out your high school’s academic calendar, and take a look at all the student holidays. Some of them are bound to be on random, non-holiday days. That’s what you are looking for!
 
The best campus visits allow you to do four things:

1. Take a general campus tour
2. See students “in action” in the dining halls, studying in the library, playing Frisbee golf on the lawn…
3. Observe a class or meet with a professor in your area of interest
4. Meet with your admissions rep

 
These are the four things I ask students to do AT MINIMUM when they visit a school. You can’t do some of these during the summer, or even on the weekend. This is why the best campus visits are taken during the weekday when school is in regular session.
 
Of course, it’s a pain in the booty to miss a day of school (just like it’s a pain in the booty to miss a day of work – this post is less helpful for the latter, but we have the school part covered!). So plan ahead by looking at the academic calendar and find those couple days in the school year where you have a school holiday but most colleges will be in regular session. Make a circle around them in 24 karat gold leaf, and then plan some visits.
 
LISD kiddos, for example, you have some awesome prime-visit real estate on the calendar October 9th and 10th (a Monday and a Tuesday!). Want to go see Vanderbilt? Book it! Tulane calling? Start Google mapping it now.
 
Here are some academic calendars for quick reference. Happy touring!

• LISD Academic Calendar
• Liberty Christian High School Academic Calendar
• Founders Classical Academic Lewisville Academic Calendar
• Denton ISD Academic Calendar
• Argyle ISD Academic Calendar
• Plano ISD Academic Calendar
• Frisco ISD Academic Calendar
• Grapevine Colleyville ISD Academic Calendar
• Carroll ISD Academic Calendar
• Highland Park ISD Academic Calendar

 
And one more pro tip: when you finish a visit, take time to write down EVERYTHING in DETAIL using a college visit reflection sheet. You can download ours for free right here.
 

College visits can be one of the most helpful ways to find out if a school is right for you. Often times, these trips mean driving for hours or taking a plane, getting a hotel, renting a car. These things add up, so it makes sense to carefully plan your trip ahead of time. For a school you are serious about (or think you are serious about) it's never a good idea just to show up on campus. Instead, plan at least two weeks in advance and make sure the school knows you are coming. Not only will you get a better visit, but the school will know you were there which is important for demonstrating interest. Read on, aspiring Aggies! 

Address: 
Office of Admissions, 
750 Agronomy Road, Suite 1601, 
0200 TAMU, 
College Station, TX 77843-0200 

Phone: (979) 845-1060

Recommendations:
1.     Take an official tour
              a.     Can schedule online: http://campustours.tamu.edu
2.     Sit in on a class, departmental information session, housing seminar, etc.
              a.     Departmental seminars and housing tours can be scheduled using the regular tour link. 
              Information on all options here: http://visit.tamu.edu/visitor-center/visits.html
              b.     Arrange a possible class visit through admissions: admissions@tamu.edu
3.     Contact members of the department of your intended major prior to your visit to see if any have a couple minutes to meet with you while you are on campus or any recommendations for you to check out while you are there.
4.     Check out the student newspaper
              a.     Online here http://www.thebatt.com
5.     Go to the bookstore and get a pendant/sweatshirt/etc: http://tamu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBLocationAndContactView?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=17552
7.     Events calendar – See what’s happening on campus: http://calendar.tamu.edu
8.     Eat in the dining hall on campus: http://www.dineoncampus.com/tamu/
9.     Record your reflections in a journal (sounds cheesy but will be helpful to you in a couple months)
10. Take pictures, if possible
11. While on campus, chat with current students (or these can be good to ask your admissions officer, if he/she is an alum). Good questions to ask:
            a.     Why did you decide to attend Texas A&M?
            b.     What other schools were you considering?
            c.      What have you most enjoyed about your time here so far?
            d.     Is there anything you don’t like about the school? 

Happy visiting! 

School is out (or nearly out for some of you -- sorry! Keep studying!), so is it time to click the brain off and the new "Summer Jam" playlist on? Not completely, but there's a happy medium here. Let's talk about that.

Everyone needs a break, and provided you've worked hard this academic year, you should take a little respite (see how I snuck in that SAT vocabulary?! Clever, huh?) to recharge your jets. Burnout is real thing, and one you really want to avoid (junior year is classic burnout time, which is dangerous as junior year is the year eyed most closely by your list of desired colleges for application). 

Because of this, we don't recommend cramming your summer full of nonstop intense activities like volunteering in South Africa in June, attending Calculus summer camp in July, then rounding things off by winning the national golf championship in August, all while taking an online SAT prep course. You need some down time, and you should use this opportunity to take it. On the other hand, sitting on the couch watching MTV's "Awkward" for three months isn't exactly fueling your intellectual, spiritual, and cultural well-being. Somewhere in the middle of these two summertime extremes is the perfect zone in which to find yourself. Here are some questions to help you figure out how to spend the next three months both challenging yourself to grow and recharging in preparation for next year's adventures:

1. What do you enjoy doing most? 
During the school year, it can be hard to find the time to do the things you love to do. Summer is a perfect chance to pursue things you love simply because you love them. Don't choose activities based on what you think will look best to colleges someday. Instead, choose to unabashedly pursue your passions to their full potential. Colleges actually love to see you doing this; your passions are what make you YOU, and that's what colleges want to see. Love cooking but can't fit a class into your AP-packed schedule during the school year? Do it in summer. Got an itch to satisfy your creative potential by learning to use that nice camera your Dad has in the closet? Teach yourself this summer (there are awesome blogs out there for this!). Do what you love, and don't feel like you are wasting your time doing it if you enjoy it. That's what summer is for (at least, while you are a teenager that's what summer is for. Once you get to be old like me, summer is like the other three seasons, only hotter). 

2. How can you give back? 
Summer is a perfect opportunity to volunteer. There are too many volunteer opportunities out there to name, so when deciding where to volunteer, think first about what you can offer, next about what you enjoy doing most, and then about whom you can be of service to. Search local volunteer opportunities through your city or online. However, don't be afraid to contact an organization, non-profit, or business to see if they could use your help. Often times they can work with you to find a way to utilize your skills, even though they may not advertise the volunteer opportunity elsewhere. In other words, don't be afraid to talk to people to create the opportunity you want to pursue. Colleges consider it a big plus to see you spending your spare time bettering not only yourself, but the community in which you live. There is much to learn from volunteering, and you might be surprised by how helping others recharges your own batteries and fuels your soul (cheesy, I know, but true!). 

3. How can you keep your brain running?
This is important, but it doesn't have to be the main event of your summer. Keeping yourself in the habit of using your brain is a good thing. You can do anything from practicing a vocabulary list, to reading ahead with your lit class book list, to spending a week studying physics at a university camp. These are all great options and not so intense as to put you into burnout mode. Choose one or two academically oriented things to do this summer and that should suffice. 

The key to your perfect summer is to blend these three pieces in a way that works best for you. Do the things you love (travel, write poetry, build a fort), find a way to help others, and keep your brain active. 

The last piece of advice we have is, if you are going to be traveling, see if there's some time to tour colleges along the way. Even if you aren't interested in the school in the city where you're staying, you can still learn a lot about the options available to you in higher education by learning about that university. As always, we can help by answering your questions, talking to you about options best suited for you as an individual, and most everything else related to college planning. Call or email with questions!

Years ago, my mother forced me to be in cotillion. That meant once a month I had to put on some dumb dress with a doily wrapped around the neck, dig in my drawers to find a matching pair of white gloves, and go stand around a stuffy country club ballroom with a bunch of other awkward middle schoolers. I was a good seven inches taller than all the boys, which did not make things any easier on my self-esteem.

I hated it. I was much more comfortable in a ponytail and dirt rubbed sweatshirt from the softball field. But she made me go dutifully every month (matching gloves or no), and despite my grumbling, I actually learned a thing or two.

At the end of the night, after all the waltzing and choosing of the correct fork was over, we had to say thank you to the evening’s hosts. There was a formula for the thank you, which I recited so often it was thoroughly committed to memory.

Now, in my work helping students plan for college, I teach the formula for the perfect thank you note. I ask students to send charming, memorable notes to most everyone who helps them along this journey: teachers who write recommendation letters, high school counselors who give good advice, college tour guides and professors, admissions officers, and so many more.

It’s important to say thank you. It takes the support of all kinds of people to help you get into the school where you will be most successful. Thank you notes are not only the right thing to do, but they can make a difference in the quality of support you get, the impression you make, and the way you are remembered.

Colleges want polite, mature students. That means if while you are on campus a professor takes the time to talk to you about a program you are interested in, or if a tour guide helps you to explore a school, or if your teacher agrees to write you a letter of recommendation despite the zillions of other things she has going on, you need to say thank you.

So how should you do that? Here’s the formula:

 Dear So-and-So,

 Thank you so much for…  I especially appreciate how you/the way you… (INSERT SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO THE PERSON/WAY PERSON HELPED YOU HERE).  I’m excited about the opportunity to...  Thank you again for all your support/encouragement/advice/counsel/assistance/guidance.

Sincerely,

You (full name, legibly signed) 

There’s nothing too fancy about it, but you’d be surprised how many students do not send these important little notes. Of course, you are not just any student and will certainly send thank you notes along your way.

Remember to be prompt and proper. That means no emails or texts. Send a handwritten note, and send it right away. Address the envelope legibly and include your return address.

That’s it! You are well on your way towards being the type of student a college would be lucky to have on campus.

Have more specific questions? Want help? Email me: Erika@guruacademicadvising.com