Your Guide to Admitted

How to make the most of this Substack

Photo by The Jopwell Collection on Unsplash

Welcome! Here’s an orientation and guide to our newsletter and community.

Admitted: The Basics

Admitted is a monthly newsletter for families who want to help their teens prepare for, apply to, and get into college.

It’s geared towards parents with teens applying to college now (or within the coming year); families with younger students will find it useful as a “preview of coming attractions.”

Each issue also features special sections for freshman, sophomores, and juniors on setting yourself up for success in college admissions.

Admitted is published on the first Tuesday of the month. In October, November, and December – peak admissions season – we also publish an extra issue on the third Tuesday of the month.

So what’s in Admitted?

Successfully applying to college means simultaneously working on several “streams” that combine to form – if we push the metaphor – a beautiful river that carries you to a college where you will flourish.

Those streams would be:

1. Your Overall Strategy: What kinds of schools are you applying to, and how you are presenting yourself to those schools?

2. Your College List: The actual list of schools where you’ll apply (typically 12-15 schools, a balanced mix of reach, target, and safety)

3. The Essays: The dreaded Common App personal essay, and the supplemental essays for various schools

4. The Rest of Your Application: All the other “stuff” you need as part of your application, including your resume/activities list, teacher references, and the Common App itself

5. Standardized Testing: Test prep, SAT/ACT tests, and AP/IB tests if those are part of your curriculum

6. Financial Aid: Budgeting, understanding costs, filling out the FAFSA/CSS Profile & financial aid applications, applying for scholarships

In each issue of Admitted I’ll be sharing important deadlines, as well as things that are cooking (or should be cooking) around the various streams. Think of it as personalized, timely guidance on college admissions, from someone who’s been there before.

What would help YOU?

I want this community to evolve over time, and I want it to be useful, meaningful, and relevant to YOU!

So when you have suggestions of what would help you navigate the process, please let me know. I’ll do my best to encourage Admitted to develop in a direction that serves its readers, helping them navigate a confusing, stressful process with a bit more clarity and grade.

Good luck, and keep in touch!

– Eric