Tips to acing the college application

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- As 2014 comes to a close, many high school students are approaching college application deadlines.

The stressful process gets more competitive each year, but there are businesses that help students increase their acceptance chances.

About twice a month, Clear Lake High School senior Makenna Krist visits Bright Futures Consulting. When she's there, she is looking for help from the experts on getting into college.

"Coming into this you're just like a little fish being thrown into a huge pond. You don't know what you're doing," Makenna said.

That's where Dr. Beth Dennard and the rest of the Bright Futures staff steps in.

"Every year this process of getting into college becomes more competitive," Dennard said. "You have the application, you have your essays, your transcript. You have to make sure you're getting things in on time."

With more than 30 years of experience in education, Dennard's company is part of a growing industry of college guidance services.

The guidance services cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Their goal is to help students pick the best school for their talents and personality, not necessarily the most well-known schools. The ultimate goal is for the students to receive a coveted acceptance letter.

But in order to do that, college planning companies say the application is key.

"There's over 100,000 students who graduate from Harris County alone, and you look at just the flagship universities who can only handle about 7,000 students," The College Resource Center's owner Sandra Newton said.

Newton combs through papers, applications, and packets to make sure her clients stand out to college admissions counselors.

"I am that investigator that scrutinizes everything to make sure are you answering that question, did you answer that prompt, there's a little part here we need to cover," Newton said.

The benefits that guidance companies offer are not just to students, but making the home stress-free for parents too.

"Why not put your children in the hands of an expert, is the way I look at it, and try to enjoy your children's last year at home," said Makenna's mom Kim Krist.

This process worked for Makenna's older brother, and she says it's working for her too.

"I honestly think I wouldn't be done with my applications at this point," Makenna said if it hadn't been for her help from Bright Futures.

Now, she has to work on filling out her application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA), which opens on Jan. 1.

Tips from The College Resource Center

1. Do research on the program/academic department that interest you. Colleges want to know that you are making an educated decision for applying to their school or program.
2. Give detail and applicable examples in answering your essay question. Cite what they are doing on campus that will meet your academic needs/interests.
3. Know your audience/reader. For example, will your reader be an engineering/science school or liberal arts school? Know the college's mission statement.
4. Be yourself. Find a personal or unique, but appropriate, story to tell that will distinguish you from all the other applicants.
5. It is your responsibility that the admission's file at each college is complete. So request respective items to be sent to the colleges: application materials, standardized test score, favorable letters of recommendations, transcripts from your high school registrar, and application fee/waive.
6. WATCH OUT FOR DEADLINES! So colleges are "received by" deadlines and some are "postmarked" deadlines.
7. Don't forget to check out scholarship opportunities.
8. Get to know the college admissions counselor for your region at every school.
9. If possible, do an on-campus tour to get more familiar with the college or unique program of the college. Another option is the virtual tour on the college's website. It will help you make career decisions and identify internship opportunities.
10. If needed, communicate about financial aid.

Tips for Students Applying to College over the Holiday Break

From Dr. Beth Dennard at Bright Futures

Seniors:

1. Before the break starts, Now, Today - request transcripts and letters of recommendation from high school personnel so they will arrive at the college before the deadline. Once the school is closed for the break it will not open until after most colleges' deadlines. Important admissions documents, such as the transcript, need to reach the college before the deadline, if not, the student's application will be incomplete and that is sad.
2. Start today to prepare and then submit all application materials at least 2 weeks prior to the college's deadline. This cushion of time will give students time to track down any missing documents and get them to the college before the deadline.
3. Enter all account login information (passwords and usernames) for the Apply Texas (www.applytexas.org) applications, Collegeboard and ACT into a phone or write them down and keep this information secure, but handy, for checking the status of applications after submitting them.
4. Create a resume of activities, volunteer work, employment, summer activities and special skills (such as languages) prior to completing the college application. This will make the work of entering this data into your college applications more comprehensive and seamless.
5. Have an adult, who knows you well, who is also trained in reading for content and grammar, proof your essay and entire application before you send it. Check and double check the spelling of your name, yes, your name and make sure it matches with your high school transcript as well as your test score reports. Also, make sure you enter your email correctly because colleges will communicate with you via email to let you know if you are accepted or denied admission. You don't want to miss the good news!
6. Financial Aid: Parents use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for grants and college loans. Find the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a FREE website. No cost will be incurred to apply for federal, state and institutional aid through this website. If applying for financial aid, plan to file taxes for 2014 and do this by March 15, 2015.
7. For seniors applying to colleges that offer merit scholarships based on SAT and ACT scores and accept new scores after the application is completed, they may wish to take additional SAT/ACT tests to increase their merit scholarship amounts. SAT is offered in January, March, May, and June.
8. After pressing the "submit" button on the college application, be sure to check your email inbox. Colleges you applied to will normally send an email with a couple of days to indicate whether or not they received your application. They will also provide next steps to follow to log into a website where students can check the completeness of their application. Colleges will also use this website to communicate acceptance.
9. If, when filling out the application, you cannot fit a complete description of your activities into the spaces, you may desire to "snail" mail your paper resume to the college.
10. After all of the work of applying to college is done, keep your senior year grades up. College acceptance is "provisional," which means colleges can un-select students who do not perform well academically all the way through to graduation.