Ashley - Mount Holyoke College - Class of 2012

I had my final list of colleges done by late summer, prior to beginning my senior year, but not because I was applying for early admission. I just wanted everything to be perfect. It did not exactly turn out that way, but it did have a nearly perfect ending.

Broken dreams—and unexpected salvation

I found 10 schools with everything I wanted: majors in international relations and language, family living within a few hours, no Greek societies, healthy lifestyle options, and ample financial aid. Women's colleges became very appealing, and one them—Smith College—became my top choice.

Waiting for decisions was agony, but even worse was a string of rejections, including one from Smith. I thought I could handle it. But each one felt like a tiny heartbreak. Why did they not like me? What more could I have done? Nothing prepares you for such rejection. I thought my stomach was going to fall out.

Then I got a call from Mount Holyoke, a college I almost skipped because I thought I was getting into Smith. They flew a group of us out for a visit. I fell in love with the campus. Not only did it have everything I wanted, but I felt right at home. I even felt a little sad that I had to go back to my old life and finish high school. Interestingly, when I did finally visit Smith, it felt completely wrong. It's so important to visit colleges before you make up your mind.

I was tempted by Agnes Scott, because I have family in Georgia. American University was the best school for my major. I turned them down because I did not visit, did not get great financial aid, and Mount Holyoke felt right.

Personalizing my application helped paint a full picture

I believe my essay and recommendations had a lot to do with getting admitted to Holyoke. They could explain the GPA roller coaster revealed in my academic record. Two of my favorite teachers wrote about what was going on in my life and could explain that I had always been a hard worker and a strong contributor in the classroom. A peer wrote a recommendation letter. She was honest about my ups and downs and pointed out a lot of things about my character.

I wrote in my essay about some very personal family issues that forced me to learn responsibility and how to care for myself. I was able to give a better picture of myself and show my skills as a communicator.

My ups and downs

My family and teachers were the most helpful, because they were willing to write wonderful recommendation letters, read and edit my essay, and pore over each application to make sure the details were all perfect. I think that without them, I wouldn't have been able to complete the applications.

My counselor was great. I was sick for a while and my grades got pretty low. She gave me an earful about it. Every time I saw her she would remind me of deadlines.

Several of the colleges I applied to did not alert me that they had received all of my materials. In one case, I had to resend my materials to make sure they were received, and then call the office several times.

What I learned

Ten schools was too many. I did not narrow my list down to those schools I would absolutely attend. I wasted time applying to some colleges completely out of my range, such as NYU and Princeton. I was not the type of student they were looking for.

Save money so you can visit campuses. Don't be afraid to ask for help. One college gave me a travel voucher as a credit toward travel to their campus.

The money factor

Mount Holyoke provided me with enough aid to attend, with very few loans. I won a scholarship that will pay for whatever costs are not covered by financial aid.