Many factors, like GPA and test scores, go into college admissions. Beyond that are subjective factors such as essays and letters of recommendation, two areas in which MilKids can use their military upbringing to their advantage.
Most colleges make holistic evaluations, meaning they look at more than quantitative measurements like GPA and test scores - they look at everything. College admission panels want to see what an applicant can add to a school, what they're passionate about, what makes them unique, what their personal traits are, et cetera.
Considering these answers gives MilKids the opportunity to apply their upbringing to college admissions, thus setting themselves apart from their civilian counterparts.
For instance, if a MilKid has a shortcoming in their GPA or hasn't always taken rigorous courses, they can mention in an essay how they moved to different cities during high school, lived overseas, or had a parent away on deployments. To an admissions panel, life factors like these can spotlight an applicant's adaptability and resilience.
Even with a strong GPA and test scores, the strength of a MilKid's experience can still set them apart. They should make sure to describe their unique experiences and resulting traits in essays. In addition to hardships, they can cover the worldliness that comes from the adventures and multicultural experiences of military life.
My children used their college essays to talk about starting first grade in a local German public school without speaking German and playing soccer for the local village with teammates who didn't speak English. They also wrote about being exposed to diverse cultures through the travel adventures we dragged them on every long weekend.
Essays offer MilKids an opportunity to reveal traits and uniqueness not seen in a GPA, test score, or application. As MilSpouse and college admissions consultant Kerri Beckert of Anchor Collegiate states: “An essay should reflect the characteristics, information, and personality not otherwise reflected in your general application.” And for MilKids, there is more to their characteristics, information, and personality than typically reflected in numbers or application answers.
Beckert offers another good piece of advice for MilKids and their essays: “It's not just content on which you are being judged, you still have to write well.”
Along those lines, here are some links for assistance in writing a college essay:
- 10 Tips for Writing the College Application Essay
- Quilts, Cows, Money and Meaning: College Essays That Stood Out
- Admissions Officers Reveal the Worst College Essay Grammar Mistakes.
And, some information on what not to write about:
Finally, another facet of college admission a MilLife can affect is the letter of recommendation. Not all teachers or coaches will realize the experiences of a MilKid because they might only know the applicant through the classroom or athletic field. Therefore, MilKids should make sure to provide their letter writer with a résumé and background to make the full extent of their experience - including the hardships and the adventures - clear. This knowledge will help the writer create a more personalized letter and tie in the traits they see in the MilKid with the experiences of growing up in the military. College admission panels are looking to see letters of recommendations from writers who truly know the student being recommended.
I hope this helps. If you have any tips based on your MilKid's college admissions experiences, please email us at msc@moaa.org.