Parents: Are you Making These College Admissions Mistakes?

For parents who grew up in the 1980’s and 1990’s, it can be a shock to realize how much the college landscape has changed. The process is significantly more competitive than it used to be. Many schools that admitted 70% of their applicants decades ago are now harder to get into than Ivies were at the time. For instance, the University of Pennsylvania had an average acceptance rate of 47% in 1991 – it’s now around 5%. Furthermore, does it surprise you to learn that for the class of 2027, Northeastern had a 6% admit rate? (This is a sharp contrast – Northeastern used to be dramatically easier to get into.)

Given how much more selective the admissions process has become, it’s obviously critical to apply to the correct range of schools. Parents who overestimate their student’s chances of admission are doing them a grave disservice. While it’s great to apply to reach schools, for your student’s sake please include targets that they have a reasonable chance of getting into. And try to keep an open mind about what those targets should be: many universities have changed dramatically in recent years and might now offer much more than you remember.

College essays are a great opportunity for the admissions committee to get to know your student. Understanding this, it can be incredibly difficult for parents to let students write their own essays, but it’s crucial to do so. Schools are looking for genuine, age-appropriate insight – essays that sound like they were written by an adult can backfire and hurt your student’s chances. (And yes, the admissions officers can often tell when parents have gotten too involved. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t reflect well on the applicant.)

Did you know that private schools can actually be more affordable than public ones, if your student is offered a merit scholarship? (Merit aid is offered to strong applicants that the schools want to yield.) Or that you don’t need to apply for financial aid to be considered for these merit awards? Finally, were you aware that applying for financial aid can make it harder for your student to get into many schools, as the committee considers your family’s ability to pay when making admissions decisions?

Have you heard that early decision and early action are “harder” rounds, and that you should avoid them? Or that your student should always take as many AP classes as possible? How about the pervasive rumor that you need to complete independent research in order to get into the most selective schools? All of these bits of advice are wrong, and can be especially damaging to your student.

Looking for accurate, ethical, insider advice to guide you through the college admissions process? Hoping to minimize stress and optimize results? I leverage my experience as an Ivy League admissions officer and a parent of three to help your family get great results and enjoy the experience. Please email me at

ka***@no*****************.com











for a free 20 minute consultation, and to learn more about discounts for listeners of Connie Whitman’s Enlightenment of Change.

Karen has more than 15 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $70 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.