5 Common Application Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

College application season is upon us!

Yes, we know it is difficult to keep your unbridled excitement in check, but we ask that you do refrain from whooping—it scares the Admission Counselors (they're rather twitchy this time of year).

Though AVID and AP classes and general experience have no doubt made you an expert already, we at Marymount California University thought it might be helpful to let you know about five common application mistakes we see almost daily...and the best way to avoid them.

So, yeah. Here they are.

Marymount California University Sustainability - We're into being green

This summer our campus underwent some massive changes. First, we ungraded from Marymount College to Marymount California University. Which was pretty epic. Then we built a brand new website. Also epic. We could have stopped there, but we're nothing if not achievers, so our new Office of Sustainability made some other pretty nifty upgrades. Check 'em out below!

Our Newest Campus Addition Deserves Its Own Glamour Shoot

Yeah. I know. There are those of you out there who say that there is nothing glamorous about a parking lot. 

Those of you who say that have obviously not tried to park on our Palos Verdes campus during finals week. Think Hunger Games meets Fast And Furious 6.

[It was never actually our fault—our footprint in the beautiful Palos Verdes hills was necessarily restricted to preserve the land around us—but that didn't change the fact that one of our top complaints from students, staff and faculty was a lack of available parking.]

Check out a video about all our campuses here. 

Mariners, we have heard (and felt) your pain! Now, as part of the school-splosion we've been undergoing since 2010, we've transformed what used to be our practice field into the world's most beautiful parking lot.

Rejoice! Rejoice as you ease your car into a comfortable spot without making enemies of your fellow Mariners! Rejoice as you stroll about 8 1/2 feet to the door of your class! Rejoice, Professors, as the "I-was-late-to-Biology-because-I-couldn't-find-parking" excuse will soon go the way of Potorous platyops! 

Seriously, though. I've never been so excited about asphalt. Check out the pictures after the jump and let us know what you think. 

Something Has Been Eating Our Campus...

Through the banks of nearly gelatinous fog (also known as "June Gloom," the So Cal curse for being able to get a tan in December), you can glimpse an invading army of ravenous creatures marching inexorably up the hill to our campus. 

They are devouring everything in their path.

Nothing can stop them....

Except the little fence we put up.  

Marymount Media Studies Student Headlines the LA Harbor International Film Festival

If the name Johnnie Jenkins Jr. isn't meant for the film industry, nothing is. 

Each spring, the LA Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) showcases film projects that embrace the culture and heritage of Los Angeles Harbor cities. The festival is by invitation only, and this year a short film directed by one of our Media Studies students, the eminently talented and academically astute Johnnie Jenkins Jr., made the cut.

Johnnie's film, The Aesthetic Spirit of San Pedro, explores the community and culture of the vibrant city of San Pedro, and is lauded by the LAHIFF as "connecting the festival to the cultural, historical, and business interests of San Pedro on the tenth anniversary of the LAHIFF and during the city's 125th anniversary celebration."

We congratulate Johnnie on this honor (and want to remind him that, if he ever needs a writer when he makes it big, he should look no further than this blog's author...Ahem), and are thrilled that he is representing Marymount College.

Here is the schedule of events so you can check out his film. 

Marymount College Changes Its Name To...

Don't worry, we aren't going to change it to a symbol or anything.

But, we are thrilled to announce that the institution formerly know as Marymount is now officially known as.......

...Wait for it..........

.....Waaaait for it...

We asked our students: "What Makes A Mariner"

...And here is what they said: 

So...What defines you? 

Happy Valentine's Day From Marymount College!

Need a Valentine card? Use one of ours.

Finding Nemo is property of Disney /Pixar. 

Brought you to by the wacky minds of Marymount College Admission.

Admission Essays: The Good, The Bad, and The Embarrassing

I love this topic, because personal statements are my favorite part of reviewing a student's application. Sure, it's fun to look at a transcript and piece together a "high school story" from the grades and activities listed (I always feel like Sherlock Holmes when I do that...the one from BBC, not the bromantic Holmes from the awful sequel with Jude Law), but I do prefer reading the personal statement for two reasons: 

The really good essays, and the really bad essays.

Read on for examples of each.

12/12/12 - Let Marymount Come to You

You know what would be awesome? Teleportation. I keep waiting for them to invent it, and I remain disappointed. I mean come on. Google made a car that drives itself. They need to get on the instant travel app STAT.

In the meantime we're stuck with flight, driving, hot air ballooning, horseback riding, and other inefficient methods of travel--particularly in Los Angeles. Last time I took my horse on the 405 freeway, it was an absolute disaster.

RIP, Lightning...

Anyway, until teleportation becomes as mainstream as the iPhone (but hopefully with better navigation), college visits will remain a hassle. Of course they're the best way to feel out a college, but sometimes they just aren't in the cards.

That's why we're utilizing the technology that does exist and offering the opportunity for you to Live Chat with our amazing admission staff (including yours truly) on Wednesday, 12/12/12. We really recommend you attend if at all possible. It's a great chance to get to know Marymount better and get the answers to all of your burning questions. Just click the appropriate link below to join the conversation. Talk to you soon, and definitely email us if you have any question.

International Students: 

18:00H (GMT) (8:00H PST)

Domestic Students: 6:30 p.m. PST

Walk-In Application Day 11/30/12 - It Should Really Be Called Walk-In Decision Day

Do you like to wait for stuff? Me either. You should see me when it takes Facebook longer than 1/10 of a nanosecond to load. Don't even get me started on traffic, lines at Disneyland, or the last 30 minutes of the workday. 

That is the reason that we created our WIAD (Walk-In Application Day) events: Waiting sucks--especially when you're waiting on your admission decision. 

The reason we named the event WIAD, however, remains a mystery (perhaps because "Why-Add" sounds cooler than "WIDD..."). 

You see, this is how the event works:

1. You submit your application online, from home (or a library, internet cafe, via wireless stolen from your neighbors--basically anywhere that isn't on our campus), sometime before you "walk-in" to our office.
   
   [See? The name is kind of a poor description of the day. But this is where the good stuff starts.]
   
2. You RSVP for WIAD this Friday (or just "walk-in")
3. When you arrive, you hand us your transcript(s) and anything you want us to consider when making an admission decision. 
4. You go on a student-led tour of our campus. 
5. You return, and help yourself to our tasty array of snacks. 
6. We call you into our office, and you'll meet with one of our Assistant Directors of Admission. 
7. They will tell you if you've been admitted. 
   [If you haven't, they'll give you tips about how to improve your chances and give you another shot at it.]
   
8. They'll award you an academic scholarship (if you qualify). 
9. You'll walk out, happy that you know at least one college's decision. 

Easy, peasy, right? Now, if only we could get the name right...

Anyway, if you don't like waiting for stuff, I invite you to attend this Friday, 11/30, from 9am-5pm. RSVP here. 

The Ten Commandments of Nailing Your Final Exams

Once upon a time, I went to college. In that age of yore, Facebook was still restricted to ".edu" email addresses, the iPad didn’t exist, and people actually drove to Blockbuster if they wanted to rent a movie. Still, even in that backward era of limited technology and entertainment options, there were one or two things I would rather be doing than dutifully studying for my final exams. In fact, I could probably list several hundred. But—as the bleary-eyed graduate students working as TAs in my classes kept reminding me—exams were important. Vital, even, if I intended to ever earn a diploma and a handshake from the President of the College (which my parents insisted would be vital to my job prospects. They were correct.)

That being said, I was a firm believer then—as I remain now—that during college you learn as much outside of the classroom as you do sitting in a lecture hall. In an effort to limit the time developing a peptic ulcer as I attempted to memorize the order of succession in the Ming dynasty (less vital to my job prospects), while maximizing my, ahem, “in-person social networking” (actually quite vital), I decided to devise a way to study smarter, so I could play “effectively maintain a balanced array of co-curricular experiences” longer. 

So, harken and I shall bestow upon thee the Ten Commandments of Nailing Your Final Exams:

Fall Preview Day Pt. III - The Return of the Ancient Mariner

The right side of Robert Pattinson's face does not endorse FPD.
He, uh, won't be there. 

You know the number one thing that sets our generation apart from our parents?

We enjoy the previews at movies. 

[Ok, maybe it isn't the number one thing, but opening a blog post with, "You know one of a myriad things that sets us apart from our parents," just doesn't have the same hook.]

Think about it. We—the generation that was raised with a DVR, the generation who supposedly hates and innately mistrusts marketing—will intentionally sit through fifteen minutes of commercials before every movie we go to (I even play a preview game: each person in the group picks a number from one to five. The corresponding preview is a commentary on that person's life. Try it; it's hilarious). 

I remember my parents would always arrive late to movies in my youth, with the same excuse every time: "It's ok. At least we missed the previews." Not me. I want to see them. I get disappointed if I miss them. 

But why? 

October Advice - College Applications: My Personal Horror Story

Ladies and gentlemen, it is near the end of October. That means it is time to begin completing your applications.

...My condolences. 

When I applied to college, there was simply nothing I loathed quite as intensely as the act of actually applying. I HATED it. All caps.

Part of it was the repetitiveness. There is only so many times a sentient being can be forced to type their zip code before the brain rebels. 

Part of it was my naturally scatter-brained personality. I found it exceedingly difficult to sit at the computer and hack out an application when there were other pressing things I needed to take care of...like, football. Or homecoming. Or the new video game that just came out. Or watching my fingernails grow.

The majority of the reason I was so reluctant, however, was my mother (no offense, mom). As time progressed and my list of target colleges didn't, she became more and more "insistent" that I buckle down and apply. As a mature and wise 17-year-old, this drove me crazy. 

"I know, mom! I have plenty of time," I maintained.

Until, suddenly, I didn't.

Woah, Son. Marymount College Has Master's Degrees on the Way...

Oh, they grow up so fast...

Just a few weeks after our President took a fully-clothed jump into our swimming pool to celebrate enrolling over 1000 students at Marymount (the highest number ever), yet another awesome milestone has been reached by the college.

In addition to our Bachelor's and Associate Degrees, we now have two Master's degree programs pending WASC approval. 

Woot, woot, and, I say again, woot. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, in just a few short years we've gone from a two-year school of just over 400 students to a 1000-student school offering advanced degrees.* 

*Pending WASC approval. (That's all I am required to write, but as a creative writing major I never get to write legal jargon, so: asterisk, italicized qualification, long parenthetical, habeus corpus, "we hold these truths to be self evident," Reese Witherspoon, "Hah-vad yahd", "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!", yadda yadda.)

How did we do it, you might ask? 

By being awesome (duh), and by constant attention to what makes Marymount College special: our students. We strive to live our mission of serving our students in every way possible, so when they expressed interest in completing a master's degree at Marymount, we bent over backwards to make sure that happened... 

...And, boom! We delivered (asterisk, etc.) two awesome programs specifically tailored to our students' interests. Check them out below: 

• Leadership and Community Development
• Community Psychology

A particularly attractive option is completing your bachelor's and your master's degree within just 5 years of study! That means that while many non-Marymount students are still finishing up their undergraduate work, you've already beat them into the workforce with an advanced degree. ...Where was this when I was a student?

We're starting enrollment for 2013 (asterisk, etc.) on March 1, ladies and gents. If you're interested, contact Kevin Grant, Director of Graduate Admission, at kgrant [at] marymountpv [dot] edu. 

What do you think about the changes? Let us know below! 

September Admission Advice: Applications not on your radar yet? That's OK!

Via Teusje, and, of course, Disney Worldwide.

September is always a strange month for me. It's not really summer anymore, but the soft fuzzy glow of three months of beautiful weather and greatly decreased responsibility has yet to fade (and the angry red glow has yet to fade from my overexposed shoulders).

• The good news: the NAIA soccer season has started (go Mariners!), and football--glorious, amazing, lovely football--is back on T.V. Life is good.
  
• The bad news: life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
  
• The mitigating news: that's probably a good thing. Complicated can be fun. 

In the admission world, September is a crazy month of launching our recruitment travel (look for us in a cafeteria/college center near you!), making sure our new students are settling in, and prepping to receive all the new applications.

In your world (assuming you're a high school senior) it's likely even crazier. The beginning of your last year of high school is a heady event. You're most likely adjusting to new classes, marveling at how young the freshmen look this year, cheering on your sports team (or lamenting their poor performance...), and planning for Homecoming. Most likely the last thing on your radar is, ironically, the only thing on our radar: college application season.

...And that's OK.

Gasp! The college admission dude said it's OK to not have college applications at the top of my list! Shenanigans!

But it really is OK.

A: I'm a realist. I was once a senior, too.
B: Applying to college, like your senior year, is a long, complex process. Both will be stressful. Both will be rewarding. Both are best if taken at the right pace and approached with a serious, yet calm attitude. That's what we advocate: pace yourself and the whole thing will be easy. Fun, maybe (we can dream).

So, below are the college admission steps to check off in September so you can otherwise enjoy this glorious month--and the rest of your senior year.

5 Things NOT to Consider During Your College Search

The search for a college can be stressful, terrifying, and confusing—but most of life's truly rewarding events are. The biggest mistake you can make while searching for a college is to become overwhelmed and give up. Neither of us wants to run into each other at a drive-thru, right?

So, above all, remember to persevere and keep the following "don'ts" in mind:

Bulldozer Exhaust and Napalm Are Both Best Smelled In The Morning

If Ironman were to fly over our campus right now on his way to battle Loki's otherworldly army, he might assume that we had been the victim of an attack by The Langoliers.

(If there were any more nerdy references in that sentence, someone would find me and shove me into a locker.) 

Seriously, though, our campus looks like Clifford the Big Red Dog went on a search for the thigh bone of a Brachiosaur after we were hit by a direct blast from the spaceship in Independence Day. 

(It's dark in here. Let me out.)

The real reason, however, that our campus currently resembles where Harrison Ford could discover the glass skulls of an ancient alien race... 

(Seriously, guys. This isn't funny anymore...)

...is that we are in the process of adding more parking, upgraded infrastructure, an athletic field, and I suspect a bunker for the upcoming zombie apocalypse.

Great infographic from our friends at OnlineCollegeCourses.com

I'm a sucker for infographics, and this one from OnlineCollegeCourses.com does a great job of listing what we really look for from an admission standpoint. You can check out other great content on their blog here.

From: OnlineCollegeCourses.com

Email Etiquette is as Neglected as Sun Block on the Jersey Shore

Photo of Nikki's awfulsome attire from Sodahead.com

In Pt. 1, "The Problem," I detailed the decay of electronic communication, which is nearly as advanced as the decay of Nikki Menaj's fashion sense. If you read that post, you may have gleaned that while reclaiming the electronically-written word is a personal crusade of mine, it's also a pretty big deal when it comes to college admission (and, subsequently, the rest of your life).


Never let it be said that I was the type to present a problem without offering a solution. In fact, I offer 10. 


So, without further ado I present Pt. 2, "The Solution."