Nor'easters, Hurricanes, and College Applications

With Hurricane Sandy on its way, we are about to encounter another scary Halloween. Remember last year's freak Halloween snowstorm, that left so many without power for days and days?

As a local college consultant, I view Halloween storms from a unique perspective. Many applicants have Nov. 1 deadlines for Early Decision, Early Action, or Priority Applications. Today, all these applications are electronic: not a good recipe for timely submission in the middle of a monster storm that knocks out power and the Internet.

Last year, many colleges and universities on the Eastern seaboard actually granted extensions to their early deadlines, because so many applicants had no power and could not submit their electronic applications. We cannot predict what is going to happen this coming week, but it behooves families with Nov. 1 deadlines to get ahead of the game now.

I recommend that high school seniors with Nov. 1 deadlines talk to their guidance counselors on Friday, Oct. 26, to make sure they have "all their ducks in a row" in terms of teacher and counselor recommendations and transcripts. This weekend, while parents are buying flashlight batteries and candles, students  need to be adding finishing touches to the essays, reviewing the Common App, and pushing "SUBMIT!"

Best of luck to all high school seniors in the college process, despite wind, rain, snow, and power outages.