must be present
While many high school students use other ways to communicate, colleges still use email as their primary way to communicate with you. Imperfect if high school students are the target audience, right? Some schools have moved towards texting and using social media like IG and TikTok, but you still must stay on top of critical information when applying to colleges. Instead of skimming the subject line or first few sentences, you want to develop a strategy for opening and reading emails to get the necessary information, respond quickly if appropriate, and Demonstrate Interest so it works in your favor. I often say to students I work with that I am “practice” to help build the necessary communication skills needed for their college journey. Yet, it seems like it wouldn’t be an application season if I didn’t hear about a student who skipped over an email and either scrambled to fix something or missed the fine print about requirements, which impacts their application outcome.
Open emails and read them within 24 hours of receiving them, so if you need to respond or act, you can take advantage of every opportunity or key piece of information.
Organize emails in a way that helps you manage the flood of college emails.
Create a college folder in your inbox.
When in doubt about something, ask questions, email an admissions representative, your high school counselor, or mentor. Don't hesitate to get in touch.
Emails from colleges can be a two-way process, providing you an opportunity to learn about a school and a way for a college to gauge your interest, aka Demonstrate Interest, which can be important if a school ends up on your college list. And guess what? Schools know if you're opening their emails. This Washington Post article is worth a read – “Some colleges are tracking students before they even apply.”
Have more questions or looking for more support? Email me at dane@collegeu.solutions
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