I graduated from an “okay-enough” high school—not bad, but without the kind of ranking that impresses college admission committees.
I was a serious student with great grades and serious aspirations despite a most disruptive learning disability. Spend half a day with me and watch how I mix up left and right.
Balance a checkbook? Forget about it. I often see the number 3 as number 8, and number 5 as number 6. And I can turn the plus sign “+” for addition into the “x” sign for multiplication.
But my two worst limitations, from a college acceptance perspective, are when I merge lines in a text, and when I mix up the small letter “b” with the small letter “d.”
Imagine how many times I chose the wrong answer on the college SAT exam. (Yes—I hear you: “Why don’t you just go back and check your work?” Sounds good—but too often I just repeat the same errors—and don’t know it.)
Now, many years later, whenever I read an article, I can hold a piece of paper under each line as I read the sentence. But back when I was taking the SAT test, no accommodations existed—and, in fairness, reading disabilities were not known.
So, you probably already figured out that my SAT scores were so low that, despite my high school performance, all my college admissions letters came in thin envelope where the first sentence began with: “We are sorry to inform you that we cannot offer you acceptance to…”
My parents panicked. My mother chewed on her knuckles, and my father kept shaking his head.
I was calm. I had what I believed were two foolproof plans.
The first plan is to attend a two-year community college that is a “feeder” into one of your state’s schools.
If you have in mind a particular hard-to-get-into-college, then consider my winning plan—that I now pass on to you.
But I give you fair warning—this plan requires hard work and discipline.
First, I had my parents make an appointment with my high school guidance counselor. She found me a somewhat better than “okay enough” college. I applied, I was accepted.
Second, I promised myself that I would get involved in school activities.
Third, I would learn what the professor wanted. I would not skip classes, and I would pay attention.
Fourth, I would take my time to write outstanding papers, and I would study effectively. No all-nighters. No just underlining and underlining.
Fifth, I set my goal to spend even my weekends studying, studying, and studying. I had a few dates, went to a few parties, but I didn’t do anything that interfered with keeping my mind and body alert.
And just why did I take all these steps? Because I knew something about college acceptance strategies that are not often utilized:
Every year, there is almost always a student who drops out of college or transfers to another college. This behavior results in less revenue for the colleges. They have slots to fill for the sophomore year—so why can’t you be the one to fill it!
If you follow my steps, you could be one of those students who earns acceptance as a sophomore to a college that is even better ranked or more appealing than your previous choices.
I am a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, where I double-majored in History and English. I also have two other master degrees from two other universities, and a doctoral degree from another.
You can do it!
LeslieBeth Wish, Ed.D. MA. MSS, LCSW
drlesliebethwish48@gmail.com
