Too Many Cooks? How to Choose Your College Admissions Advice Wisely

I admit it. In the last few years as I have expanded my business, I have very little time to cook. I used to love to cook for my family. But my husband has taken over that duty almost 100% of the time. I appreciate his willingness given how insane my schedule has become. I would be ordering take-out food every night for the kids if it weren't for him.

Monday night was different, though. I had just finished my last activity list session with one of my seniors before the November 1st deadlines. I could finally take a breath. I wasn't even cooking. I was simply heating up leftovers for the kids when my sweet husband, who was on a work call with his AirPods in his ears, muted himself to give me instructions on heating up the leftovers. Boy, did I lose it! I may not be making full-course meals lately, but a girl knows how to warm up leftovers!

When there are too many cooks in the kitchen, it causes chaos and doubts. It's a common problem in relationships, work environments, and even the college admissions process. I have noticed that when a family is feeling insecure or worried, they often will seek out too many opinions. Because most colleges use holistic admissions, there is a lot of room for opinions, subjectivity, and mixed reactions when it comes to how an essay resonates, an activity list comes across, or even whether to report test scores or not. The more people a student or family seeks advice from, the more they will get conflicting responses.

So, here are some tips to determine who to reach out to:

Try to limit the number of people you ask for help.
Choose one trusted person who has the most college admissions experience. And, let me be clear, being a seasonal application reader for a college is not the same as being a dean of admissions!
If the school counselor is not as knowledgeable about the college admissions process, look to someone who is. If you are wondering who to turn to, read #2 again.
English teachers are wonderful editors of essays for grammar and spelling mistakes. For advice about formatting, topics, and the delivery of your essays, rely on the person mentioned in #2. College essays are almost nothing like the writing students do in high school.
If you are getting conflicting information from more than one person, stick to the advice from the professional you trust.

There are so many well-intentioned individuals that want to put their two cents in. Heck, I am seeing more Reels from college kids who are giving advice about applying to college because they had a successful process themselves. But there is so much nuance to this process. One cannot be an expert because of their one and only experience of going through the process. The advice I give to one student could be the exact opposite for another student. One size does not fit all. Be cautious when it comes to who you turn to and who you trust. It's like teaching your kids to be safe on Halloween. Their gut often tells them who to have by their side when they trick or treat.