As you start to get to the phase of your college search where you are joining mailing lists to receive more information, or creating a Common Application, it is important to be professional.

What do I mean by that? I mean that the information you provide will be part of your profile.  That includes your contact information, which also includes your email address.  So, if your email address includes abbreviations and euphemisms for inappropriate  or sexual things, nicknames for drugs or other paraphernalia illegal in nature,  perhaps it is time for you to set up a new “mature” account.

Aside from it being a better way to advertise yourself to the schools of your interest, creating another email address just for college information makes it easier for you to keep track of it. But that also means you have to remember to check it!

What should you use for an account?

I recommend using a free email website like Yahoo or Gmail. If you have a student email through your high school, check to see how long it will be valid after graduation.  Why?  Well, if you set it up as your email account on file with the college of your choice, get accepted to the school, graduate from high school, and then the email is terminated (and you do not realize it and fail to provide a new email!), then you may miss important emails about registration, orientation, etc.  Personally, I recommend setting up the free account and then you can continue to use that through college, and eventually into your grown-up life.

What user name should you use?

My recommendation is your first and last name, or a variation of it. It is simple, and makes it easy to track. And it will also be easy for your friends, family, coworkers, and roommates to remember when they are shooting you an email.

Before you start that Common Application or fill out that college inquiry card at a fair, think about the information you are about to put on it, and make sure that it reflects the scholar that you are.