Let’s face it – most of us have at some point in our lives felt as if there was a game being played around us that we weren’t given the rules to win.

I hear this a lot about the college admissions process.

As in, ‘it’s just NOT fair.’ For the most part, they’re right. The College Admissions ‘Game’ (which includes both access and affordability) is NOT played on a level playing field.

Those students with greater access – to test prep, to good guidance, to an engaged parent who graduated from the college they’d like to go to – do have a leg up on those who don’t. It doesn’t mean they are necessarily smarter or better students, but they do have more resources and they are utilizing them to be better prepared for this particular process, which ultimately makes them better candidates for admission. And therefore the odds do seem to tip in their favor.

Decades of standards, pricing models, procedures, and relationships are fully baked into how admissions decisions are made by competitive colleges. If you don’t meet those standards; if you neglect to follow those procedures; if you cannot benefit from those relationships, then quite simply you can feel as if you’re playing a game with a huge disadvantage.

Which is frustrating. So what do you do? Do you complain, get angry, rant at the system?

I’d certainly understand if you did. I’m not the guy who will tell you NOT to get mad. I’m mad. Which is why I do what I do for a living. But, as a parent and a professional who is working to democratize the game, I know that it’s far better, and more productive, to get educated (about the process) than to get angry about it. I guarantee you that your ranting won’t move the needle on your admissions chances – at least not in a good way.

Learning the rules of the game with enough time to make the rules work in your favor – now that can make a deferred student in October an accepted one in April… or help parlay a relationship with an admissions representative into a yes when 92% of the applicants being considered have the exact same stats… or even convince a school that you’re deserving of a five-figure institutional scholarship. (Please see our results section or previous posts to see for yourself).

So while it may not seem fair to you at the moment, there are a lot of things (other than ranting) that you can be doing right now to learn how to make it ‘fair’ for you and/or for your students.

For starters, we’ll be holding a free webinar next Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm ET to explain how we are closing the gap by making college more accessible, regardless of your resources. We’ll share simple steps that you and your students can take in order to increase their odds of admission to a great college, and in securing the dollars to make that college affordable.

Over the past 12 years, we’ve helped over 1,000 families stack the odds in their favor and find their college match. Your children deserve a similar advantage.

I invite you to join us. Register now by clicking here, and we’ll “see” you next Tuesday.

Best,

Peter​​​​​

PS Don’t make the mistake of substituting venting your anger for action, doing so may make you feel better, but it may also cause you to needlessly limit your post secondary opportunities.

Join us on May 15 @ 7:30PM to ensure you’re on the right path.