Summer will be winding down in the next few weeks, and as high school seniors begin their college applications, there are a few things to keep in mind.

More colleges, including Columbia University and University of Michigan, will be using the Common Application this year, making it easier to apply to those schools. This means they are likely to see increases in applications.

A number of colleges received more enrollment deposits than they expected and are likely to to exceed their enrollment goals. It may sound like a good problem for colleges, but not having enough space in classrooms and residence halls is a major headache for everyone, so those schools may be more conservative with admission offers in the next admission cycle. That always makes me more cautious and conservative in assessing a student’s prospects for admission. Check out the latest statistics for your colleges, and make sure to include at least one or two schools that are attainable and affordable.

The 2010-2011 Common Application is now available, so students who want to complete a college application before going back to school can go to www.commonapp.org and get started. Some schools already have their supplements online and others should post them in the next few weeks. Applications for schools that don’t use Common App will be available by early September. 

Make sure you register with all your colleges, so you will be notified of admission events this fall. If you won’t be able to visit a college, attending a local information session is an opportunity to learn more about the school and demonstrate your interest, which is a factor in admission decisions at many colleges.

If you are applying to more than four or five colleges with supplemental essays, it’s especially important to pace yourself. Senior year grades are used for admission decisions at many colleges, and if you are taking the kind of rigorous curriculum that admissions officers like to see, the work will pile up quickly. Once school starts, you will be very glad to have some of your college application work out of the way.

With the school year ending in the next few weeks, juniors will need a break. Many of them have taken the SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP exams, and final exams, all within a few months. It is exhausting, and I encourage my students to take a little time to relax in June and not think about anything related to college admission.

But just a little time. Because your college application process will be much less stressful if you get started during the summer. You’ll be able to work on essays without trying to juggle homework and extracurricular activities at the same time. Essays take shape in the rewriting, so having time to do several drafts is important.

In recent years, ambitious students have gotten an early start on the Common Application, which would go live on July 1, enabling some students to complete their college applications before the start of the school year. But the 2010 version of the Common Application won’t be available until August 1.

Not to worry. There’s plenty you can do in the meantime. The Common App and UC essay questions won’t be changing, so there’s no need to wait until August to start working on essays. Some colleges will also make their supplemental essay questions available on their website before the Common App is online.

It really helps to get organized and make an application plan, with deadlines for each essay draft. You’ll be able to get the work done without the panic that accompanies last minute applications. Your work will also be better when you’re not rushed. And you can still find time to enjoy some fun this summer.

When you go to a college fair, it can be overwhelming to walk into a huge convention center or school auditorium and see crowds of students and parents, and row after row of college booths. Many students wander from one booth to the next, picking up brochures that will end up in the trash. This is a passive approach that will leave you exhausted and frustrated by the end of the evening, and wondering why you bothered coming to the event.

But if you approach the college fair, as well as the entire college admission process, in an organized and proactive way, you’ll have a much more productive and satisfying experience. This means you start researching prospective colleges well before the college fair, so that you know which schools you want to learn more about. Check the list of schools that will be attending the fair, and come up with some questions specific to those colleges. Bring a notebook so you can write the answers, as well as your overall impressions of each school.

Each college will have a card for you to fill out so that you can be added to their mailing list. If you bring printed labels with your name, address, email, high school name and year of graduation, you can stick a label on the card instead of having to write the information over and over.  

If you’re attending a big national fair, with hundreds of colleges, you will receive a map and list of attendees when you arrive. Locate the schools on your list, and plan your route. At each booth, introduce yourself to the representative. At a smaller college fair sponsored by a high school, some of the colleges may have alumni representatives, who can tell you why they love their college and how attending that school impacted their lives. At larger fairs, you may be talking with the admissions officer who will read your application. If you engage her in conversation, ask intelligent questions and show genuine interest in the college, she is likely to remember you, especially if you follow up with an e-mail.

In addition to asking about academic programs and student life on campus, you might want to ask admissions officers for their advice in planning a visit. Since they travel for college fairs and high school visits, they often have valuable travel tips, like which airline has nonstop flights to the closest airport. At the end of the conversation, thank the representative and ask for a business card. Sometime in the next few days, send an e-mail letting her know that you enjoyed your conversation and asking any additional questions you have about the college. You will have begun the process of demonstrating interest, which is a factor in admission decisions at some schools.

If you have time and aren’t exhausted after visiting all the schools on your list, you can stop at other booths. That’s a good way to learn about college you might have overlooked in your preliminary research.

While the number of students graduating high school and going to college has peaked in many parts of the country, California is expected to see a 16 percent increase in the number of high school graduates heading for college by 2019. That means an additional 387,000 students. With the University of California and California State University suffering drastic funding cuts that have forced them to reduce enrollment, increase class sizes and cut programs, it’s not surprising that colleges around the country are successfully recruiting California students. As families worry about the increasing competition for admission as well as the decreasing educational quality at California’s public institutions, students are applying to out of state schools in record numbers.

Applications from California students are up 22 percent this year at University of Washington and 24 percent at Arizona State University. University of Virginia is reporting a 24 percent increase. My alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, saw a 22 percent increase in applications from California students. Nearby Swathmore received 16 percent more California applications this year, and at Colgate, applications from California students are up 15 percent.

I’m seeing this trend with my students, who have applied to more schools around the country than in previous years. Tuition may be higher than you would pay at UC or CSU, but some schools are offering generous scholarship and financial aid to lure students, and if you can be assured of graduating in four years, attending college outside of California can be a smart move.

Perhaps it’s because the stakes seem so high and they are so desperate to get into a favorite school, but the stress of the college admission process seems to lead some students to do things that are really not in their interest.

Sending eight recommendations when a college asks for two will likely annoy admissions officers who already have too much to read. In addition, you are communicating that you can’t follow directions, can’t count, or have so little confidence in your application that you have to try to pump it up with as many letters as possible.

The same thing can happen with application essays.  If a college asks for 500 words and you write 1500 words, do not expect the admissions officer who has been reading applications for nine hours that day and opens your file to find a four page essay to feel kindly toward you.

Calling or e-mailing your admissions officer every week to let her know how much you want to attend the college is not the way to demonstrate interest in the school. Desperation is no more appealing in a prospective student than it is in a potential date.

Applying to college is like applying for a job in many ways. Any questions about judgment or integrity can mean the end of your application. You may be tempted to exaggerate or even lie about your accomplishments, but it is best to present yourself honestly. If an application raises some question or concern, someone will investigate. A student who claims to have won an award or done community service for an organization that doesn’t sound familiar may find that award or organization being Googled in the admissions office.

In order to be taken seriously, you need to communicate in a professional manner. That means no texting an admissions officer as if she’s your BFF. An e-mail address that seems funny to a student could be offensive to an adult. While interviews are not usually a major factor in college admission decisions, you don’t want to be remembered for getting (and even worse, taking) four phone calls during the meeting.

Of course, students aren’t the only ones who can sink a college application. Parents who call and ask questions that should come from the student are not doing their child any favor. Even worse is the parent who pretends to be the student on the phone. Then there are the parents who insist on going into the interview and speaking for the student. 

Annoying an admissions officer might not be reason for a denial, but if you’re applying to selective colleges, you don’t want to stand out for negative reasons. A student’s judgment and maturity can factor into admission decisions, so make sure your actions are communicating the most positive message about you.

If you have a high school senior who is planning to attend college next year, the coming months may be an emotional roller coaster for the whole family.

The college application process can feel overwhelming, and some kids cope with their anxiety by avoiding the whole subject. They never get around to narrowing a list of schools or writing an essay. Their procrastination makes their parents feel anxious, which makes the kids feel even more anxious, and nothing gets done.  

It may seem like it would be easier to just complete the applications yourself.  But in addition to being unethical, taking over a child’s college application process communicates that you don’t think he’s capable of doing it himself, at a time when he needs to develop the confidence to go off to college and manage his life. It also deprives him of the opportunity to engage in a thoughtful exploration of his goals and interests, an important task for adolescents. 

That doesn’t mean parents should be completely removed from the process. Most students need help getting organized. You can help your child make a chart with each school’s requirements and deadlines. Knowing what you need to do and when you need to do it makes the process less overwhelming.

If your child thinks he has nothing to write about, you can brainstorm essay ideas together. Pointing out some of his best qualities and recalling funny or interesting stories about his life can help generate essay ideas and boost his self-esteem.

You can be a valuable sounding board and supporter. Reassure your child that even though this is a stressful time, things will work out and he will go to college. By allowing him to be responsible for his college application process, you help him feel competent to manage his life.

Admissions deans at private colleges have been worried that the recession would mean a decrease in enrollment this fall, but according to a new survey by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, it looks like most schools will maintain or even slightly increase enrollment.  Many colleges kept tuition increases to a minimum, and increased financial aid and merit scholarships, in order to remain competitive with public universities.  Some schools also accepted late applications.  Admissions officers at many colleges are trying to minimize “summer melt” by continuing to reach out to students who have submitted enrollment deposits, hoping that regular contact will keep them committed to the school.  These steps probably account for the fact that about 74 percent of responding colleges are not projecting a decline in enrollment.  The problem is that many of these schools will have a tough time continuing the enhanced financial aid/scholarships and minimal tuition increases after this year.  If the recession lingers, the fears about falling enrollment will likely become reality at some colleges. 

When the wealthiest university in the country announces layoffs, it’s clear that no insitution is immune from the effects of the dismal economy.  Due to a projected 30 percent drop in its endowment, Harvard will be laying off 275 staff members, and that’s after freezing salaries and taking other cost-cutting measures during the past year.

There’s been a lot of talk about how the economy has impacted admission this year, but if you’re getting ready to apply to college, it’s even more important to know how financial pressures could affect the quality of the educational experience at a college.  Harvard is still a wealthy institution, but other schools may be forced to make changes that could impact your choices. If a college is increasing the size of the freshman class because it needs more tuition revenue, students could find larger classes and crowded triple dorm rooms.  More classes might be taught by graduate students rather than full professors.  Some courses and even whole departments could be eliminated.  If you are excited about a school’s linguistics major, or the opportunity to receive a stipend for doing summer research on campus, you want to know that those programs will be there when you arrive. Colleges could also make cuts in athletic programs, academic advising or health services.

All of this means that it is more important than ever to do your research. On college visits, you can see if the buildings and grounds are well-maintained. Ask admissions officers how the economy is impacting the school. Talking to students is always a great way to learn what’s really happening on campus. They can tell you if they have trouble getting into classes, the library has started closing earlier and it takes four weeks to get an appointment with a career advisor. As always, the more information you have, the better prepared you are to make decisions about college.

Just one more week till the May 1 deadline for making your final decision about college. Some of my students have been agonizing all month about which school to choose, and they don’t always appreciate it when I point out that this is a good problem to have. But if you’re having trouble deciding between two colleges, that means you really like both of them, and you can be happy at either school. Once you make a decision, you’ll invest emotionally in that school and you’ll start to feel excited about going to college. 

Some students decide to double deposit in order to keep their options open, but this is considered unethical, and if colleges find out, your admission can be revoked at both schools.  If you’re on a wait list, you do need to submit an enrollment deposit at another college so that you have a place to go in the fall. If you are admitted from the wait list at your preferred school, you just forfeit the deposit at the first college. 

In recent weeks, I’ve received phone calls and emails from lots of happy students who have been admitted to their favorite colleges. Many have also been awarded generous merit scholarships or financial aid packages.

That’s important, because getting into a school you can’t afford to attend is painfully frustrating. If your financial aid package is not what you expected, it is possible to appeal. If there are special circumstances, such as a job loss or death of a parent, contact the financial aid office. They may be able to improve the package. If another school has offered a financial aid package that has more grants and fewer loans, you can send a copy of the better offer and the financial aid office may match the other school’s offer. Some colleges engage in preferential packaging, where the best aid packages go to the students they want the most.

In addition to providing more need-based aid, some liberal arts colleges are increasing merit scholarships in order to make their school financially attractive. Students are in the strongest position if other, similar colleges have made better offers. You can send copies of those offers to your favorite college, which may be more likely to increase its offer this year, rather than lose a desirable student.

For students who will be applying to college in the fall, it’s more important than ever to do your research and apply to a number of similar colleges that are likely to award good financial packages, so that you can then take those offers to the school you prefer. If that school matches the offer, you have the school you want at a more affordable cost. If your preferred school does not match the offer, you can decide whether the school would provide a significantly better college experience that is worth the extra money, or whether you would be just as happy at one of the schools that will cost less.