By Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Updated: May 21st, 2020

This is the first post in a series outlining the entire admissions process for students and parents.  As a first-generation college student and current college admissions professional, I know that the process can be quite daunting daunting (and indeed, it is unfortunately a complicated process).  The internet is full of dubious sources and my aim is to provide both an honest overview and some actionable advice.  By day, I am a Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College, a highly selective liberal arts college in Gambier, OH.  While at Kenyon, I have read and evaluated thousands of applications and counseled hundreds of students and families through the admissions process.  My hope is to impart some of this expertise on you.

The goal of this foundation series is to outline the admissions process from researching and visiting colleges to making your deposit. This post “Starting the admissions process” is just meant to give an overview of the material that we will be covering.

I do want to leave one piece of advice for parents/students:  Relax. While this is a very important process, with preparation and thought, it truly all works out in the end.  There is more than one school for each student.

I’m really excited to get started with this series and below you will find a “road map” of what is to come.

As always, let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.  I want to make sure that this is as useful for you as possible.

Navigating the College Admissions Process:

1. College Search & Selection

• Researching colleges
• Making the most of your visit
• Interviews

2. Applications

• Transcript
• Test Scores
• Essay
• Activities & Extracurriculars
• Recommendations
• Demonstrated interest
• Early Decision

3. Financial Aid

• Merit & Need-based aid
• Scholarships
• FAFSA/Financial Aid forms
• Need-Blind admissions

4. Making the final decision

Photo from Queen’s College