3 biggest college mistakes made by students and parents

Rising high school seniors and parents hoping for a smooth transition into college in fall 2027 have their work cut out for them this summer. And it’s all about the planning.

With that in mind, here are six major pitfalls to avoid — three for students and three for parents.

If you’re going to be a senior

Mistake No. 1 — Applying to too many schools: This summer, narrow your choices to your top eight to 10 schools. Applying to more than that means more application fees and essays to write. Yes, the Common App makes applying to multiple schools easier, but each will have their own essay prompts. Plus, you can’t decide if a school is a good fit socially, academically and geographically by looking at a website, and how can you possibly visit 20 schools?

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Among your eight to 10 schools should be:

• Target schools that offer the majors you want and have 20% to 30% acceptance rates;

• Dream or “reach” schools, which you would love to attend but which only accept 10% or less of applicants;

• And several safety schools, where your acceptance is guaranteed.

Then, build a calendar (ideally shared calendar with parents) with all the application and essay deadlines.

Mistake No. 2 — Relying on your GPA for acceptance: Another mistake students make is not differentiating themselves from the crowd.

Everyone going to college has a decent grade-point average. Everyone has community service hours. Everyone has activities. Use the summer to create your story. What makes you unique? Here’s an example:

A student wanted to attend a top engineering school to study robotics. He had good grades and 100 hours of community service at a food bank. So far so good. But not different enough.

He was able to find an organization that introduces low-income grade school students to robotics with gadgets and toys and shows them how they can be come engineers. He had a good story for his essays and was accepted to Cal Tech. He has an internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory this summer and is guaranteed a job upon graduation. Grades tell, stories sell.

Mistake No. 3 — Waiting too long to write essays: Essays are the hardest part of a college application. Find out when your schools post their prompts on the Common App, or look at previous samples so you can be thinking about and drafting essays before your hectic senior year.

By the way, admissions offices can tell if an essay was written by AI. Use it only for research or as a prompt.

If you’re the parent of a senior

Mistake No. 1 — Not getting involved in timeline management: Your student is smart and capable, but they’re still a kid. They’re busy and will probably underestimate how much work senior year will be and how much time college applications take.

Help them manage the timeline and tasks between now and May 1, 2027, which is College Decision Day. What colleges are on their list? What are the application deadlines? Can you plan summer trips around initial campus visits?

Mistake No. 2 — Not planning for how to pay tuition. The first tuition bill will arrive shortly after decision day. Well before that, research the costs of attendance, discuss with your student which colleges are within reach financially, and figure out how you would pay for it.

If you find yourself saying, “We’re hoping for scholarships,” remember: Hope is not a plan. The reason the country has $1.9 trillion in student debt is people wait too long and have to wing it with college loans.

Mistake No. 3 — Not understanding the financial aid process: The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) won’t open until fall, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t familiarize yourself with it, what it’s asking for and what kinds of assets disqualify students from grants. You want to understand the SAI, or student aid index. The lower your SAI, the more free money your student may qualify for.

The FAFSA requires prior-prior year tax returns, which for you will be 2025 — too late to make meaningful changes in asset allocations for fall 2027. But you still have the rest of 2026 and two more years after that to work with a college planning expert or financial adviser to properly position income and assets for subsequent years and subsequent college students.

Students and parents can still enjoy summer while being proactive and giving themselves peace of mind about the college application process.

• Brian Safdari, who founded College Planning Experts in 2004, is a Certified College Planning Specialist. He and his team have assisted more than 7,500 students nationwide using their My College Fit System and financial planning tools. For more information or to set up a consultation, visit collegeplanningexperts.com.