College, Apps, and Beyond: Step-by-Step Guide for High Schoolers [Updated]
Aug 27 '01 (Updated Aug 28 '01)
The Bottom Line GET EVERYTHING DONE EARLY EARLY EARLY. PLEASE.
Ah, late August. The summer heat begins to dwindle down and the anticipation of a crisp new fall fills the calmed minds of…anyone who’s NOT going to be a senior in high school!
I’m sorry, but you saw it coming. *shrug*
Or maybe you did and didn’t care, but now suddenly you do. Either way, you’re stuck in a crappy, stress-brimmed, frustration-filled, do-or-die situation. Are you scared? Nervous? I would be, er, was. I remember how horrible applying to colleges was last year and wouldn’t wish that hell even upon my worst enemy…so that is why I’M HERE TO HELP YOU. Those 6 months of my senior year were brutal. I wanted to shoot myself (figuratively speaking). I was under so much stress and pressure and never got more than 6 hrs of sleep. And when the deadlines were drawing near, 3 or 4 hrs. I was a zombie. The applications are an overwhelming project as it is, and I applied to 11 schools, a few with more than one essay! I can vividly recall late nights – or shall I say early mornings – of just sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper and whimpering over the fact that the words were coming out so slowly, or not at all – pretty pathetic I know LOL…but hey, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my entire life – no joke.
In case you’re wondering who I am or where I’m coming from…I’d like to call myself a moderately competitive student. I wasn’t the smartest kid in my class, but I wasn’t dumb either. I took lots of honors and AP classes – except for math! I am shamefully pathetic in math! AND I’m Asian! Go figure. I also had my sports and clubs, so I guess I wasn’t a complete nerd. :p Hm. I guess you could me call the “Wannabe Nerd.” Haha.
These will be the mottos of your College App Challenge. Take heed of this wisdom :) :
#1: Be Assertive
No one’s going to do the work for you. Only you yourself will be able to get things done. Don't be pushy, but don't be a passive wimp either! Be firm, but reasonable w/ your requests and needs. You will be going to a lot of people for necessary help, and though they may be older than you, this is YOUR shindig! YOU are the boss.
#2: Be Disciplined
Like I said, no one’s going to be doing the work for you…unless you can find some fool who’d be willing (but personally, I wouldn’t trust ANYONE w/ my apps/future). You have to be serious about this. Chances are you already are if you’re reading this epinion! College apps are just as important as school and a job if you have one. Do your best.
#3: Be Organized
I can’t stress this enough. Organization is so important. SO important. You should be concentrating on what’s going into the app instead of worrying about where the app is.
Anyways, I’ve compiled a few steps for you to follow:
1) End of Junior yr: make a list of any schools you’re thinking of applying to.
2) Send out/request for those apps ASAP. The more the merrier. If possible, get 2 copies of each application.
NOTE: Many schools now have online or downloadable apps at their websites. Just an option. My friends and I opted for the actual paper apps. I guess we’re old-fashioned like that. :)
3) When you finally get them, read through them carefully– especially the essays.
4) Type up a list of the schools, their deadlines, and their essay topics. This makes life much easier for you. TRUST ME! I did this to organize myself, then many of my friends followed suit. It also makes it easier for you to see rather than having to take the time to sift through the pages of the individual application.
5) Type up a page of personal info for easier access. This way, you only have to ask your parents once (credit card #s, work phone #s, SS#’s, etc.).
6) Type up a list of the activities/jobs/etc. that you done so far. Add accordingly as your senior year progresses.
7) Periodically visit the colleges’ websites for possible changes and/or updates.
8) Fill out the general info on ALL the apps, even if you’re unsure of whether or not you’ll be applying there. It’s BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. Leave the activities section open – that’s subject to change as you get into your senior year. NOTE: Filling out apps by hand (in blue or black ink…I went w/ black) is pretty much accepted by all schools now. They understand that typewriters are starting to become obsolete…BUT, if you can get your hands on a typewriter, by all means use it. Otherwise, PRINT IN ALL CAPS AS NEATLY AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. If you choose to do the traditional caps+lowercase, that’s OK too…just make sure you keep it uniform throughout. Also, if you happen to have 2 copies of an app, makes one your practice app. White-out is OK, but it’s better to avoid it. Your app should be immaculate!!
9) Sign up for the Oct/Nov SAT ASAP if you want to take them again. The earlier you sign up, the better chance you have of getting the testing center you want. When you do sign up, opt to get the college handbook package (if they offer it). It’s a bit pricey, but worth the extra money. I wound up not even using the Financial Aid and Scholarships handbooks because I was too lazy and didn’t have the patience, but feel stupid for it now because they offered A LOT of useful info.
10) Invest in some college help publications. After buying an insane amount, I found that the College Handbook (published by the Collegeboard…it’s the one that looks like a phone book) and the US News and World Report’s Top 5o American Colleges & Institutions (or some title very similar to that) were the most helpful.
~*~NOTE: This should all be done BEFORE senior year starts. I repeat, do this all by the end of the summer. TRUST ME. If I could go back, I wouldn’t have procrastinated so much and at least have gotten the preliminary work out of the way – it’s really not a lot (just wait until you get to the essays! Now that’s punishment!). Don’t get me wrong, though…I really do understand that you want to enjoy your summer, or that you have a job, but think of it this way: the work you do now – which isn’t even that much – will lessen the work you’ll have to do when school starts. At least during the summer there are no classes, homework, clubs, sports, etc. to worry about. I mean, would you rather be unable to go to your dream school just because you missed the deadline?
Senior Year Starts!
By now you should have had steps 1-10 completed, no if’s, and’s, or but’s. You shouldn’t even have to worry about that at this point. One thing that’s very important is for YOU to be DISCIPLINED and STRICT W/ YOURSELF. Sure, you have the aid of family, teachers, and guidance counselors, but in the end, YOU are the one filling out the forms, writing the essays, and sending them out. YOUR NAME goes on the app – not anyone else’s. Don’t bother hiring those people who supposedly help you get into your top schools – it’s a big waste of money with no guarantee. If you read and research enough and organize yourself, you’ll be just fine.
The Final College List
In addition, you should have made a decision on which colleges you will be applying to. Here are my suggestions:
- 2 or 3 safeties
- 4 realistic, good-chance-of-getting-in schools (THAT YOU WOULDN’T MIND GOING TO…yeah, I made that mistake last year… :o )
- 2 or 3 reach
Off on a Tangent
Anyway, senior year’s going to be very hectic, especially if you play a fall sport and are in several clubs and activities. It’s going to be pretty difficult to get everything done and balanced, so try not to bite off more than you can chew. Your main objective is to maintain good grades and get the apps done. The clubs and more minor activities should be 2nd priority, especially if you’re just a member. Colleges don’t care so much about how much, but rather your dedication to the activity and your influence on it. Doing an activity for all 4 yrs or more is what they look for and is even better if you can get to be an officer/captain. They want quality, not a laundry list. In fact, here is a quick run-down of what the college reviewers look for, starting w/ the most important:
1) SAT scores (1st time is the MOST CRUCIAL!!!)
2) Grades/GPA (honors, AP)
3) Sports/activities
*** #3 is supposed to COMPLIMENT your SAT scores and grades, NOT bring them down!!!! ***
Ahh, I’ve gone off on a tangent! I apologize. It’s just that I wish someone had told me this while I was in high school! *sigh*
Using your resources
Simply, use all the help you can get. The school hires guidance counselors for a reason. I went to see mine ALL THE TIME, even if it was to double check on something small. )I swear we were on the verge of being on a first-name basis. Haha. :) ) GO TO THEM. Have them become your best friends – they will be of the most help during this time.
You can also go online and look for tips and advice as well (like here! :) ). Your local library should have tons of handbooks, books, magazines, etc. that may enlighten your college knowledge and clarify/answer any questions/concerns.
Personal Deadlines
An extremely vital thing you should do right when school starts is set personal deadlines. Make a deadline for teacher recommendations (set it EARLY – there will be many others going to the same teacher! And besides, teachers have lives too, as surprising as that sounds! :) ); I’d suggest getting them all a month before the school’s deadline. Make a deadline for essays. Have them written a month before the deadline. I say one month because it’s ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that you leave more than enough time to edit and peer review them. Perfection takes time, Grasshopper. :)
Essays
You’ve written your essays, but they’re not even close to being sent out. That’s OK. Take the time to FIRST edit and proofread them yourself. Get them into good shape, THEN have your smart friends edit them. (My friend and I used to edit each other’s essays during our lunch period.) I must remind you though, do not drag out the editing process! Don’t procrastinate either! You have yourself extra time for a reason – don’t waste it! I’d spend about 10 days on editing – MAX. That includes bringing it to a teacher, if you so desire.
Early Decision
If you really desperately want to go to one school in particular, do early decision. It shows that you’re very interested in the school and would be willing to be under a binding agreement (for most), which is a good thing. They like to see deep interest and know that if you get in, that you’ll definitely be giving them all your money. :p Plus, if you get accepted, while everyone’s worrying and waiting, you’ll already have gotten in! Early decision students also have 1st dibs on financial aid and loan packages.
Moving On: Copies
Once your essays are complete, finish filling out the extracurricular sections of your apps, and basically any other loose ends of the forms. Now you are ready to send them out…ALMOST. Before you say goodbye to those puppies, make photocopies of every sheet of every app (even the check your parents wrote). Keep them for your records…you never know what may go wrong.
After making copies, be sure to follow the procedures/directions of the app. Read them very carefully. Check and double-check to see that ALL the RIGHT forms are in the right envelopes…and, of course, don’t forget the app fee!
Moving On: Guidance Department
The actual sending out of the apps may vary from school to school, and w/ my school, our guidance dept. sent them out for us (because they had our transcripts). Now, if your guidance dept. is anything like mine (nerve-wrackingly slow w/ STUPID, incompetent secretaries…grrrr…), I’d STRONGLY SAY to ALWAYS check up w/ the status of your app. Bother them daily. Make them hate the sight of your face. You must push them to get your apps out. Don’t feel bad – this is their job and this is your FUTURE, and you’ll be damned to have lazy guidance dept. employees ruin it! Besides, after your senior year, you’ll NEVER see them again. :p
Moving On: Thank You’s
At last, those wretched apps are out of your hands!!! It took a lot of time and effort…and HELP! You’ve probably sought the aid of numerous people, so it’s customary for you to show your appreciation by giving your teachers and guidance counselors a little something.
Just When You Thought It Was Over…
…you have to apply for financial aid. Luckily, it’s not nearly as bad as those apps. Nonetheless, you still have to apply. Check the schools you applied to to see if you'll have to register for and fill out the CSS PROFILE. You can do this online. www.collegeboard.org should be able to direct you to that.
In addition, you’ll have to fill out the FAFSA form. I’m not sure if it’s online (though I don’t see why it wouldn’t be online) because I filled out the paper application that I got from the school and local library. I think the deadline is around late Jan/Feb, but get them done as early as possible. It’s on a 1st come, 1st served basis (corresponding to your financial status).
The Skinny on Scholarships
Actually, it would have been better if you had been looking at some throughout this entire college app process. A lot of scholarships have different deadlines - some very early, some very late. I feel SO STUPID for not checking out the scholarships my guidance dept. had earlier because I missed so many easy ones! Even if money isn't an issue w/ your parents, I'd look into them anyway - there's NOTHING WRONG w/ saving money - even if you have some/a lot to spare!!!
However, don't think applying for scholarships is easy. A good friend of mine received about $10,000 worth of assorted scholarship money last year! Yeah, she was practically perfect in every way, but then again, she was the only applicant in many cases. In short, you have to do the work in order to get the rewards. Also, just give **ANY** SCHOLARSHIP A SHOT!!! Believe me when I say this. At my school's awards ceremony, many people who I thought would have gotten a particular scholarship got beaten out by someone I thought didn't even have a chance!You never know - you may beat out "Ms./Mr. Perfect"!
Accepted :)…Rejected :(
Whether you got into your top-choice schools or not, you will eventually have to decide on which one you’ll be calling home in a few months. I know for me I didn’t get into any of the schools I wanted to go to, so deciding for me was not only a slap to the face, but also what seemed like an impossible decision. So ~CONGRATULATIONS~ if you got into the school of your dreams! But don’t feel too bad if you didn’t. when I applied last year, it was literally labeled the hardest, most competitive year of all (and I’m sure this year won’t be easy either). Many friends of mine who are very smart didn’t even get into their top-choice schools and have decided to go to the state university; many of us had to settle. If anything, you can always transfer if you don’t like the school.
**Psssst!** I’d recommend visiting the schools AFTER seeing which ones you got into. That way, you might not be AS crushed if you get rejected. Anyways, it saves time and gas. :)
Conclusion
That about does it w/ my advice for applying to college, and all the other related topics (At last! Could this have been any longer? you must be thinking. Haha. :p). I truly hope my advice has helped you! I hope I haven’t sounded to preachy (god knows we get that enough from parents!!) Good luck applying, and remember:
Be assertive
Be organized
Be disciplined
Notes/Tips
- Repeatedly call all the schools you applied to to see if they’ve received your app, or to see if there’s anything wrong w/ it. Holding is a huge pain in the neck, but it’s honestly a very necessary measure.
- Use those sticker stamps instead of the ones you lick. :p
- Keep a file caddy/folder of all your college-related info. Organization is key!
- Use your time wisely. You shouldn’t be partying the 1st half of your senior year at all. Give yourself some down time, but stay focused on the apps and schoolwork. You’ll have plenty of time to have fun AFTER.
- Start saving money early – apps are expensive!!
- Exercise regularly, if possible – it releases a lot of stress (for me at least)
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