The college admissions season is in full swing, so I was pleased to hear from Mike Sexton, the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University. When asked what he thinks every college applicant should know, Mike offered these five tips:

• Be yourself in your essay. College applications are not the time to try to become someone you're not. Whether you write about your trip to Mexico or your grandmother's banana pancakes, the essay needs to showcase and reflect who you are and what you bring to the table. If you can substitute your name with someone else's, the essay isn't about you.
• Imagine how your life is going to look in an admissions folder. You control what goes in that folder, so know what's in it. Get a copy of your transcript - does anything look odd? Is there a dip in your grades? Do you have an explanation for that? Is there something about you that colleges should know but there wasn't a space for it on the application?
• Print out the application, fill it out with a pencil, and then fill it out online. You'll make fewer mistakes, and you'll see it from the admissions point of view.
• Follow directions. Some schools require extra information; others specifically say they don't want it.
• Ask questions if you are unsure about requirements. There's a reason why universities have toll-free telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web sites, so don't hesitate to use them.

Coming soon: five tips for the parents of college applicants.

CNN Living recently published a list of "10 Offbeat College Essay Topics." I think my favorite comes from the University of Chicago where they ask, "How did you get caught?" It might be dangerous to be too honest...

For samples of some quirky essays, check out this essay on milk published on MSNBC last year. And on this site, take a look at Felicity's essay on Lisa Simpson and vegetarianism, or Lora's essay on eating eyeballs.

Do you have ideas for an offbeat essay? Share your thoughts below.

The Yale Daily News reported this week that the number of early applications dropped 5 percent from last year's numbers. This isn't necessarily cause for early applicants to celebrate -- last year was a record high, and the percentage of early applicants who are accepted is expected to remain near last year's low 13.4 percent.

In general, acceptance rates for students who apply early decision and early action are higher than those for students who apply through regular admissions. Some high profile universities such as Harvard, Princeton and the University of Virginia have eliminated early decision because of concerns that the early application process privileges affluent students.

Last week I discussed the financial and enrollment pressures facing the California State University system. An article in today's Silicon Valley Mercury News looks at problems in California's community college system. The article reveals that only 4 out of 10 students who enter community college with the goal of transferring to a four-year college actually ever reach that goal. The difficulty of the transfer application, the increasing competition for transfer admissions, and financial challenges were cited as significant factors in the low percentage of students going on for a bachelor's degree.

California is not unique in facing these problems. The combination of decreased funding for public education and increased demand for low state tuition means we probably haven't yet seen the worst when it comes to challenges facing community college students.