Fall semester of your senior year – it is finally here!
For years, students have had visions of graduating from high school. The seniors always seemed so much older, wiser, and almost untouchable. Now you are finally a high school senior. But, before all the fun senior festivities begin, there are the ever-looming college applications. Fall semester senior year can seem like an overwhelming time of college application madness – finding and deciding on the right colleges to apply to, whether to apply Early Decision/Action, filling out applications, asking for letters of recommendation, finalizing standardized test scores, and the ever-dreaded essays.
The entire application process does not have to be madness. If a student is relatively organized the process can actually go quite smoothly. Here are a few suggestions to make the process go a little easier for you:
1) Start by researching colleges that may be interesting to you. Pick some states where you would like to live (California, the south, northeast etc). Give some consideration to the type of weather you would prefer, and the type of environment where a college is located (rural or urban). Also, think about other elements such as small/medium/large size student-body, student-teacher ratio, academic rigor, majors, strength of alumni relations/support, sports, and groups you may want to join. Today you can find endless information on the internet and all you have to do is put in a few of these factors in your search query with the word college and/or university and many options will pop up. Or, it is relatively inexpensive to buy a book on colleges such as books by The Princeton Review (Complete Book of Colleges, or The Best Colleges).
2) Make a list from your research of the colleges that sound the most appealing. Reach out to your school community for more information on these schools – counselors, teachers, and administrators are an endless source of knowledge. You can also reach out directly to the colleges you are thinking about and ask for more information. Make a final list of colleges to which you want to apply.
3) Make a checklist for each college with the following factors: application deadline, complete application, draft main/supplemental essays, upload/pay application, SAT/ACT/SAT II/AP test and scores sent, letters of recommendation requested/sent, high school transcripts sent, financial aid forms sent, campus visit (time permitting), and interview requested. If you’re interested in a special major like performing arts, make sure to look on the college website to see if supplemental materials have to be uploaded with your application. If so, add a category for supplemental materials onto your checklist.
4) Start your applications – log on (i.e. Common Application, University of California Application, California State Application, Coalition Application, Universal Application, and College Specific Applications), create a file with a user name and password, and start filling out your application with the information requested.
5) For each college go through the tasks that need to be completed from your checklist made above (#3).
6) Set some time aside a few days a week to work on your applications. As you complete a task for a college, check it off your list. Little by little your tasks will be completed and before you know it, each application will be filed and you’ll just be waiting for a response!
Today the process of college applications can seem daunting. But, if you break it down into a few simple tasks, you will be done with the process before you know it. And don’t let all the chatter from friends, teachers, and the media discourage or intimidate you. There is a college out there for everyone, you will be accepted somewhere, and there are ways to pay for it. The application process does not have to be madness!