Teacher Feature: Mr. Carnelley’s Tips for College Success

With college application and tour season upon us,  I met with Mr. Carnelley, one of our guidance counselors, to ask about his best tips and tricks for this upcoming application season.

To start our interview, I asked his thoughts on the most important part of the college application process. “All of it. Everything matters. You have to fill your application out in time. You have to make sure your I’s are dotted and your T’s are crossed. Your essay is also very important,” Everything about the process is important, but one thing stands out: deadlines. “There are usually different time frames for colleges and their applications, with early decisions occurring between October and December, and regular admission occurring between January and April,” he noted.

When it comes to touring college campuses, Mr. Carnelley believes it is best to try touring before sending in your applications to save time and money. He also explained that while not all colleges need to be toured, it's important to take a deeper dive on your top three schools: “You definitely want to take tours while school is in session if possible. It might be a great time to visit two or three schools if you and your family can do that.”

Most colleges ask for recommendation letters as part of your application, Mr. Carnelley explains that “not every school asks for recommendation letters, but it's good to know who you would choose to write them just in case. It's best to pick two core teachers of different subjects and a third adult, maybe a boss or community leader, all of whom know you pretty well. It’s also good to look around town and on college websites for scholarships that match up to what your interests are.”

In the end, applying for colleges is what you make it, but as Mr. Carnelley says, “Be organized. Be timely.”