🍦 Today's Scoops Sep 10: Common Common App Mistakes

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. School of the Day: San Diego State University

2. Admissions Blueprint: Common Common App Mistakes

3. Hear From Your Peers: Conversation with Anav, senior from the Bay Area

SCHOOL OF THE DAY
San Diego State University

Every day, we cover a different school, helping you learn something new about your favorite schools or find a new school that could end up being your dream school.

📍 Location: San Diego, CA
🎓 Undergraduates Enrolled: 32,194
📊 Acceptance Rate: 39% (77,250 applicants)
💸 Tuition: $5,742 (in-state), $17,622 (out-of-state)
📅 Admission Options: November 30 (Regular Decision)
🏆 Top Ranking Programs: Business (#18), Public Health (#37) , Psychology (#40)(Niche)
📈 Most Popular Majors: Business and Management (23%), Engineering (10%), Social Sciences (8%) (Scoir)

San Diego State University (SDSU) is a part of the California State University (CSU) system, known for providing quality education at an affordable cost. Located in sunny San Diego, SDSU offers students a vibrant campus environment with strong academic programs, research opportunities, and a focus on community engagement.

Some positives

🔬 Strong Research Focus: SDSU is recognized as a research powerhouse, with initiatives like the Undergraduate Research Program and the Heart Institute allowing students to participate in impactful research across disciplines like health sciences, engineering, and environmental studies.

🏖️ Prime Location in San Diego: With its proximity to the beach and the thriving biotech, tech, and defense industries, SDSU provides students with abundant internship opportunities and access to a laid-back, sunny lifestyle.

💼 Fowler College of Business: SDSU’s Fowler College of Business is one of the top business schools in California. Resources like the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center and the ZIP Launchpad provide students with hands-on experience in launching startups and connecting with industry mentors.

⚙️ College of Engineering: SDSU’s College of Engineering offers students access to cutting-edge labs like the Bioengineering Lab and Energy Engineering Institute, fostering research and hands-on learning in emerging fields like renewable energy and biomedical engineering.

📝 Easy Application Process: Like all CSU schools, SDSU’s application process is simple and streamlined—no essays or letters of recommendation are required, making it easier to apply compared to other universities.

Some negatives

📚 Limited Course Availability: SDSU has experienced issues with course availability, particularly in popular majors, which can extend the time it takes for students to graduate.

🚗 Commuter Campus Vibe: While the location is great, SDSU is known for having a significant number of commuter students, which can make it harder to create a tight-knit on-campus community.

💸 High Housing Costs: Like many California schools, the cost of housing near SDSU is high, making off-campus living expensive and difficult to secure.

ADMISSIONS BLUEPRINT
Common Common App Mistakes

Filling out the Common App is a critical step in the college application process, but there are common misconceptions and mistakes that can hurt your chances if you’re not careful. Here are some of the key things to watch out for when completing your application:

💡 “Optional” doesn’t mean optional
Many students think that optional sections can be skipped. But using them to provide more context or highlight accomplishments can strengthen your application.

🔄 Repeating information across sections
It’s tempting to reuse information from one part of the application in another. However, each section is an opportunity to showcase a different aspect of yourself, so avoid redundancy.

📝 Forgetting to proofread
Typos, grammatical mistakes, or accidentally using the wrong school name can leave a negative impression. Be sure to carefully review all sections before hitting submit.

🚫 Misunderstanding the activity list
The activity list isn’t just a place to show involvement—it’s about impact. Describe your contributions clearly and focus on how you’ve grown or demonstrated leadership.

🔢 Ignoring word limits
Staying within word limits is important. Going over might result in text getting cut off, while under-explaining can make your response appear incomplete.

⏳ Procrastinating on recommendations
Waiting too long to ask for teacher or counselor recommendations can lead to rushed, less thoughtful letters. Be sure to give your recommenders plenty of time to write.

🛑 Not using the additional information section wisely
Leaving this section blank or filling it with repeated information is a missed opportunity. Use it to explain challenges, gaps, or unique situations that add context to your story.

⏰ Underestimating deadlines
Technical problems, time zones, or last-minute stress can lead to missed deadlines. Submit your application a few days early to avoid unnecessary panic!

HEAR FROM YOUR PEERS
Conversations with Anav

Are there any things in your high school journey that you look back upon and think, “Yeah, I made a great decision with that?”
Participating in the science fair was a great decision. It was a fun and new experience that offered great opportunities, such as winning awards, connecting with others, and getting introduced to research.

Do you have an idea of what you want to study in college and how did you decide upon that?
I plan to study computer science. Originally, I wanted to go into medicine, but after taking some computer science courses in school, like AP Computer Science A, I realized I enjoyed its problem-solving aspects. Then, I started going to hackathons and exploring other areas of computer science, and that’s when I fully committed to pursuing it.

What are some activities you participate in?
I attend hackathons, participate in the science fair, and run my own VRC robotics team.

What are some strategies you use to balance school, extracurriculars, and college applications?
I try to do my homework early to stay ahead. For things that are fun, I do them first. For tasks that I don’t find fun, I try to find ways to enjoy them or connect them to something I already like. It’s about finding a balance and making everything more manageable.

Where do you get inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from within. When I see something interesting, I pursue it. Many of these interesting things come from people I meet, my friends, or recommendations from my parents.

Our motto is why gatekeep, and as part of that, we try to share our strategies for tackling applications. Do you have a specific strategy or approach to your essay writing? What about college research?
There’s a lot of information on college websites. I suggest starting with those but focusing on one specific question or area of interest at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. Answer that before diving into something else.

Any final thoughts?
Make sure you have a good sense of everything you’re doing in life. Consider keeping a journal or diary, especially if you’re a younger student, to help track your progress. And definitely subscribe to Scholar Scoops—I read it every day and learn a lot from it.

LINK LOUNGE
Key Resources & Scholarships

In the Link Lounge section, you can find links to great resources such as scholarships during the college application process. These links can be really helpful and will be updated every Wednesday, so be sure to check back frequently!

The College Essay Guy Podcast - This podcast by Ethan Sawyer, a seasoned college counselor, provides great insights into the college application process. Currently, he is doing a series where he is recording and sharing his counseling sessions with one of his students, Cassidy.

Scoir - This platform provides great information on almost every single college you can think of. It is a great hub for finding out stats about each school’s academics and admissions.

College Application Notion Template - This great Notion template can help you organize all the work you need to complete for your applications. The author of the template also included a YouTube video explaining how to use the template.

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Important testing dates are coming up!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

September ACT: Saturday, September 14
University of Texas/UNC Chapel Hill Early Action Deadline: October 15
Most ED, REA & EA Deadlines: November 1

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
Have an idea for the newsletter?

Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!