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Colleges want more applicants. In the college business, they are more highly rated when they have more applicants than they can accept. Anything a college can do to get more applicants will allow them to reject more applicants, and the higher rejection rate raises their perceived value. It's not a fun fact, but it's one we have to live with!

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How do colleges attract more applicants? By making it easier to apply. Here are four of the ways colleges do this:

1. They use the Common Application, so you can apply for multiple colleges with one click of the button. While the application itself is long and tedious, once done it can be sent to multiple colleges. Need to know more about the Common Application? You can read more about it here, in my article, One Common Application.

2. They remove the essay requirement for some students. The essay is hard to write, and most teens would rather not go to the effort. By eliminating the essay, more teens are likely to reply. If your student needs Tips for Tackling College Application Essays, you can find them in my article.

3. They become a "test optional" colleges, where SAT® or ACT® scores are not required. Any teen who hates taking bubble tests will immediately want to apply. The college isn't any more likely to accept you without test scores, but it does increase the number of applicants they receive.

4. They can allow "self-reporting" of critical parts of the application. On the application, the student will input their GPA, specific grades, and test scores, as requested in the application. After they are admitted, the transcript and test scores are submitted and checked. If inaccurate, the student is then rejected from admission.

Your child's transcript needs to be as complete and as descriptive as possible. That way no matter how the application takes place, your child can always stand out. Learn how to put homeschool activities on the homeschool transcript with Lee Binz's free downloadable ebook, How to Put Fabulous Fun on Your Homeschool Transcript: Convert Natural Learning into High School Credit.

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