How to Stop Procrastinating on College Applications

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Dec 16, 2010, 08:40 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Some high school students procrastinate on college applications because they are intimidated by the essays. Other students procrastinate because the myriad of college choices is overwhelming, making it difficult to prioritize what colleges to apply to.

The book "The Career Within You" helps students get clear about their top two greatest strengths so that they can weave that message into their essays and help admissions officers understand what is unique about them as applicants. The book also helps students find direction about career fields that interest them so that they can prioritize schools with strong academic departments for their fields of interest.

"The recent favorite guide for identifying personal strengths, 'The Career Within You,' can help a procrastinating junior or senior take stock of life's goals and values, assessing the quality of their college list," said David Montesano, college admissions strategist and founder of College Match. "Second, it helps them get a handle on their value to each college -- something they should express clearly in their supplemental essays."

"The Career Within You" co-author Ingrid Stabb said that high school students who know their greatest strengths can use that knowledge to write better essays that highlight what makes them unique.

"Knowing your strengths can also help you think about what you might eventually choose as a major in college, so that ahead of time you can choose schools with strong departments for that major," Stabb said. "Getting a jumpstart in high school on knowing yourself and your general direction of interest can make all the difference in decisions that will set you up for success a few years from now."

In a recent career coaching assessment, Stabb consulted with a high school student and his parents who were overwhelmed by the college application process. Based on an assessment that categorized the student as a Peace Seeker among the nine personality types outlined in "The Career Within You," she advised his parents to help him think long term.

High school students can be motivated to complete daunting college applications in many ways with varying success, Stabb advises. Having students participate in an assessment of personality type in "The Career Within You" can help parents, guidance counselors and teachers find the best way to approach each student.

Stabb said that, in many cases, it can be impossible to "make" a high school student do something. He or she needs to have a strong desire to go to college to even begin the application process. Encourage the student to think about what he or she gains from putting together solid applications.

Stabb is a sought-after speaker and a national media source on the topic of careers. Stabb writes a column for "TALK," a trade journal for career coaches and psychologists, chairs the Career Management Committee of the Yale School of Management Alumni Association and is a prominent social marketer in San Francisco.

"The Career Within You" (HarperCollins) was released earlier this year (http://www.careerwithinyou.com).

Stabb has an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and an MBA from Yale.

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