Our team at DC College Counseling is full of current and former teachers. And as educators, it is really important to us that students do more than slog through their college applications. We want this process to be fun and exciting, and we also want to help students begin to adopt a growth mindset when faced with tasks that may seem unpleasant at first glance.

Can applying to college be frustrating and tedious? No doubt about it. But this period in time also presents a unique opportunity for students to be able to develop skills that will benefit them in college and beyond. Best of all, they don’t even have to try or focus on building those skills - it will happen authentically, a positive bonus of sorts!

By approaching each task with a positive outlook and active appreciation for the personal and academic growth that occurs during this time, the entire process will feel much more pleasant. Here are just a few of the skills with which DC College Counseling students will walk away after they’ve finished this process!

1. Writing Multiple Drafts

Those of us who have taught college freshmen know that the most common thing we hear in a first-year writing class is, “In high school, I just wrote it the night before.” This strategy just isn’t going to cut it in college! Our students get a head start on their college-level writing because they definitely go through multiple essay drafts in this process. In the course of writing a Common App or supplemental essay, students learn important writing skills like brainstorming and pre-writing, outlining, and getting content down on paper before going back and correcting for syntax and structure. We hear from so many parents that their students become better writers through this process - and that is our goal!

2. Time Management

This is why a lot of students and families come to us in the first place - the process has them feeling overwhelmed and wondering how they could possibly complete their applications by the deadlines. We step in and help kids learn strategies for making (and sticking to!) a schedule, by breaking each task down into manageable parts and ensuring that they are prepared for success each step of the way. College is a much less structured place than high school, so the ability to set aside time to make a schedule is essential for helping our students perform to the best of their abilities, long after they have submitted their applications.

3. Self-Advocacy

There is no doubt about it - self-advocacy is an essential skill to have as a college student and later in life as an adult. Our students practice it early, and with help! From writing emails to admissions offices to preparing for stellar interviews, we help students learn the most appropriate way to reach out to an adult and advocate for themselves. Students can head off to college confident in their ability to write a succinct, polite, and appropriate email to a professor to set up a meeting or ask for help in a class. And again, take it from current and former college-level instructors - this is a skill that most college freshmen need to work on! 

We love working with our students because we get to see them grow throughout the process and finish with skills that they can use far beyond application submission! To learn more about all that we do, you can book a Meet & Greet with us.