Filling out a college admissions application can be nerve-wracking, but once you learn a little about the process and what the college admissions officers are looking for, it becomes a lot easier. The truth is, these applications require a lot of thought beforehand, and it all starts with an email. The first thing to keep in mind about sending an email to your college admissions office is this: emails must be professional. Treat it like you would a written letter because it is just that important. Below are some tips to construct a sample email to a college admissions office that helps you score an acceptance.
A Few of the Basics
Before you send your initial email to the admissions officer, you will have (hopefully) done your homework and researched the college a little bit, and you should know the name of the admissions officer. Never just send a generic email to the admissions office. Instead, find out who the main contact is and send it to that person by name. If there is more than one officer, just choose one and send the email to that person. You can get this information on the school’s website.
Before we get into the email itself, let’s talk about the subject line. You’ll want something that catches their attention but not something inappropriate or too casual. It’s a good idea to consider that these people get tons of admissions emails from people they don’t know on a regular basis. Still, like anyone else who has an email address, admissions counselors are bound to get a lot of spam. This is why it’s so important for your email to sound just right.
In the end, the best thing to do is stick with basic information, such as the semester you’d like to start and the type of information you need. Take a look at these subject lines:
- Fall 2020 Admissions Application: Need Information
- Prospective Student 2023: Need Admissions Information
- Fall 2020 Freshman: How Can I Get Started?
- Fall 2020 Freshman: Financial Aid Information Needed
In other words, you’ll want to provide specific information in a professional way to let the recipient know that this isn’t a spam email and that you’re looking for specific information. You don’t have to mention any specific details regarding your test scores, your social media accounts, or anything else. Just give them the basic details so they can know you need additional information. Remember, they’re used to receiving emails that are requests for admissions information, so you don’t want it to sound too different from that.
Don’t Go Overboard
Some prospective students get a little carried away when writing these emails. Some will ask a specific question in the subject line or put contact information there. There’s no need for that. Don’t put personal details there or try to be funny; instead, stick to the basics of what you’re trying to tell the admissions counselor. Remember, counselors are used to receiving admissions requests, and if your email sounds too different, they may consider it to be spam and delete it automatically.
When you say things such as “Are you sitting down?” or add an emoji, or even write in all caps, the recipient may assume it’s spam and delete the email. Remember, when writing an email to admissions counselors, you want to be to-the-point and professional. They should be able to look at the subject line and immediately know what it is you want from them. Don’t try to be funny or cute. Professionalism always works best when writing these emails.
Different Ways to Apply to College
Before going any further, know that most college post significant application and admissions information and instructions plainly on their website, so you don’t want to come across as overly needy or unresourceful by ignoring that information and running straight to a “query” email asking what you need to do to apply to their school. The best way is to begin by looking on their website to see what they require of you – for example, SAT or ACT scores, personal essay, strong college recommendation letters, etc.
However, there may still be instances in which emailing a college admissions officer with a unique inquiry is valid. In fact, there are some universities that only accept applications (or some portions of the application materials) through email, in which case they’ll be expecting to hear from serious candidates. That said, many schools these days use online application portals, so emails are often reserved for recommendation letters, supplemental materials, or one-off questions.
Nonetheless, the admissions process is different for each university, and the application deadline will be different as well. You’ll need to start early regardless of the method you choose to use to apply, so the best way to make sure you give yourself time to get everything together to send with the email is to – you guessed it – start early. The college application process can be a long one, but fortunately, colleges usually list all of their deadlines on their websites early enough for you to start getting everything together.
Things That You’ll Need to Have to Apply
While each college is different when it comes to the items you need to submit to them to apply to their school, there are certain things nearly all of them will require. Keep in mind that the list might be different for transfer students than it is for high school students, but be prepared to submit the following items for sure:
- A copy of your high school transcripts
- Letters of recommendation from teachers and mentors
- A description of any extracurricular activities you participated in while in high school
- The main reasons you wish to attend their school
- Any miscellaneous information you think sets you apart from other students
Remember, you’ll want to show these people that you are worthy of attending their college and that you’re an excellent candidate, so feel free to show off a little when writing your email and putting together the items they want you to send to them. At this point, you don’t necessarily need to know what specific program you want to major in, but you do have to have a commitment to academics and try to get a high GPA every semester.
Getting Back to the Email
The email you write to the people making admissions decisions is crucial and should be taken seriously. For starters, let someone else – maybe your parents – look it over carefully to make sure it is free of typos, grammatical errors, and sentences that don’t make sense. The admissions team will appreciate this because all of them are used to getting emails that are sloppily written and filled with mistakes. Even if you love English classes and excel at them, a second set of eyes is always a good idea.
Researching the college before writing that email is also important because just like they want you to be a good fit for them, they need to be a good fit for you as well. It works both ways, and the admissions team knows this. You shouldn’t hesitate to ask a question when writing the email because this is usually an indication that you’re seriously considering that particular college. It will look good to the person receiving the email that you’re paying attention to every aspect of the admission process, so long as you aren’t asking overly obvious questions that would indicate your lack of research or preparation.
If you’re wondering what instances might appropriately warrant an email, a few specific examples are inquiries into the status of your application (if you’ve been waiting on a decision letter for an abnormally long time period), emails regarding application follow-up questions or discussing your career goals to determine if the college is a good fit, or requests to attend an information session or make an appointment with the admissions department for a guided college tour.
When emailing and sending in college applications (or supplemental materials), you’ll also need to include complete contact information. If the counselor decides to send you an email or pick up the phone and call you at that moment, they shouldn’t have to look far to find an email address or phone number. All of your contact information should be provided at the end of the letter and be accurate. In other words, no incorrect numbers or links but instead, make sure all of the contact information is there and is error-free.
Think of your email as a starting point. You’re a prospective college student, and your desire is to get into a certain college. Your email has to pique the recipient’s interest if you want them to read the entire letter. Yes, they’ll review the items you’ve sent them regardless of what your email says, but you’ll be starting out on the right foot if you send them an email that sounds good, is professionally written, and will get them excited about moving forward with your application.
Here are some other tips for making sure the email you send to admissions makes an impression:
- Structure it just like a real letter – date, heading, greeting, body, and close/signature.
- Use a traditional and not outlandish font, such as Times Roman 12-point or Arial 11-point.
- Be clear and succinct, and don’t make the letter too verbose or too long.
- Include information on your achievements, skills, qualifications, and other relevant information.
- Don’t stress over the format; it doesn’t have to follow a specific format to be effective.
Feel free to use bullet points to emphasize your accomplishments, and when you first start writing, make sure you spell the recipient’s name correctly. If you have additional questions that weren’t answered on the school’s website, go ahead and include them in the email. But don’t include a list of questions because if you get an invitation to visit the school in person, you can make a list of the questions you want answers to at that time. One or two questions should be the limit.
How Important Is This Email?
To be sure, you’ll need more than just good luck to get into the college of your dreams, and even if the college you’re applying to doesn’t require a letter or email, you should submit one anyway. Again, it is a professional move that shows them you’re taking the process seriously. It also shows them you’re willing to go the extra mile to get into the right college. You should be very courteous when writing the email, and always thank them for their time at the end.
Even better, if you want some examples of well-written letters to college admissions departments, you can go online and find tons of them online. And if your academic record isn’t the best, you should apply to the colleges anyway. Counselors know that not everyone who applies to their college is going to have a 4.0 grade-point average. If you have any extenuating circumstances that caused you to make less-than-perfect grades, you can include that in the email, though you always want to take responsibility for solving problems and explain how you’ve overcome the hand you were dealt, rather than playing the victim and using those circumstances as an excuse.
What to Expect After You Send the Letter
Emails or letters that accompany your admissions materials are important pieces of information, and once the college has gone over all of the information you send them, you should get an acceptance letter of some sort. But each college is different, so some of them may take a little longer to get back in touch with you. If you’ve received interest from more than one college, scheduling campus visits is highly recommended. After all, a lot of them don’t automatically send out an acceptance letter as a response to the information you’ve sent them. A lot of them consider this the first step only.
Unless you’ve already visited the campus because you live nearby, taking a campus tour is always recommended. You’ll want to learn as much as possible about every school you’re interested in, and this takes time in most instances. Make sure you do research before and even after your application materials are sent to each of the schools. For many students an in-person visit is often the deciding factor when choosing a college to attend, but it all starts with that initial email.
Conclusion
Deciding what college to attend is usually a time-consuming process, and each step requires a lot of thought on your part. The initial email letter is crucial because it sets the tone for the rest of the process, especially when it comes to the impression you’re providing to the admissions team. Once you learn a few tips and rules, the process is much easier, but be prepared to treat every step as being extremely important, critical, and professional. College applications are not all too different from job interviews in that impressions matter the whole way through, and the more prepared, eager, competent, and interested you come across, the more likely you are to gain a positive reception from your decision-making counterparty.