Tips for Seniors/Juniors in High School who plan on going to college
So when I was a Junior/Senior i remember freaking out about what college I wanted to go to and what I wanted to be and whatever
NOW I know I want to be an educator and help teens through this time because I remember how stressful this process was.
So here’s a 10 Tip thread I made for Jr/Seniors in HS who plan on applying to college
Look first of all, let me just say a disclaimer: I am not a college admissions person, this was just my experience with the California’s college application system.
So in my experience: I had the luxury of applying to 10 colleges (8 pub, 2 Priv) all in California #blessfeewaivers
The schools I applied to all ranged from prestigious to average but most of them happened to be my safety schools.
I wanted to point this out bc that was one of the things you SHOULDN’T DO when applying to college.
When applying to college, many people get too caught up on rankings and whether they can get in the college or not.
And I was the same way. I even made a list
When I was applying to college the main factors I looked for in a school were 1. Prestige 2. Size of school 3. Weather 4. WOKE OR NOT 5. Difficulty to get in 6. How far was it from home 7. Etc
So make a list of what you want in a college. Especially if you want to dorm. You know what you want whether it be a school by the beach, or a school in a large city etc
Colleges won’t fit everything on your list, but if they do, congratulations you have found your dream school.
Apply to dream schools even if your dream school is insane to get into or it’s far away or whatever, apply to it!!
DREAM SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE BEST SCHOOLS, THEY ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS ALTHOUGH THEY SOMETIMES CAN BE
Your dream school is the place you feel like you’d flourish AND fits the criteria you have set for yourself
Nobody should ever make you feel ashamed of your dream school because in the end if you get in you’ll be happy
Also, apply to places even if you doubt you’ll get in. They may not be your dream school but they might turn out to be.
You’ll have a better chance of getting in if you apply compared to the literal 0 chance you’ll have if you don’t apply.
Just have the guts to apply to your “dream school” or a school you really like aight.
But also realize that if you’re applying to less that 5 schools, then maybe you should consider some safety schools.
Apply to safety schools but not too many like me :)))))
These schools are not even schools that are low in “ranking” They are just schools you wouldn’t mind going to but the point is you’ll def get in.
Apply to schools you feel are what you want without focusing on your major too much
Be aware that yes your major might “matter” but apply to places that interest you as a whole. Your major might change. Your school, probably not.
And know what your comfortable with. Personally, I wanted to go to a school close enough to come home on then weekends but still be able to dorm.
Apply to private schools if you fit any of these 1. You got a dank scholarship 2. You’re not planning on dorming 3. Dream school 4. You’re rich 5. You got a fee waiver and why not
Private schools can be fucking expensive. They are smaller and have a “better quality education” but know that price is the main factor.
Many private schools in Cali offer really good education such as Stanford and USC
But unless they offer you a private school education at a public school price they can put you into some serious debt
Many of them also offer very little financial aid but do give out substantial scholarships. I was offered a $26,000 scholarship to a $65,000 school ???
So unless you have a fee waiver, applying to one of those schools and doing the work for it may not be all it’s cracked up to be in the end.
Work on your personal statement EARLY ASF
THE BIGGEST THING WHEN APPLYING TO COLLEGE IS THE PERSONAL STATEMENT SO IF YOU STRESS OUT ABOUT ANYTHING IT SHOULD BE THIS
Your personal statement is the only place in your college application that you can bluntly state: “IVE STRUGGLED IN LIFE PLEASE ACCEPT ME”
Depending on your past you either dread writing about you or you have nothing to write about.
But seriously start early. And if you don’t know where to start, just free write.
I had a dream and the following day I wrote about that shit and I actually used it in my essay. (As a metaphor)
Apply to Financial Aid and Look & apply for scholarships!
My decision on the school I finally chose had SOO much to do with financial aid.
Some schools sometimes will offer you little to no financial aid and if your a broke bitch like me you’re counting on that financial aid
If paying for college is a factor in your decision plan ahead, like start now.
Career Centers are your holy grail when talking about financial aid and colleges in general.
Look for scholarships to apply to ahead of time and get all the shit you need in order for you to submit them. (Letters of Recs)
Speaking of Letters of Rec, if you are planning on applying to a private school, most likely they will ask you for 2 or more letters of rec
So… 8. Make a Bragging Sheet
A bragging sheet is like a resume but for high school. Make a google doc and put down EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE IN HS OR ANYTHING THAT IS WORTHY OF MENTIONING
For example - Associative Student Body 2020-2024 - (Leadership Role: if any) [And then put a brief description of what y'all do but in a profesional manner]
My teacher made me do this after I asked him to write me a letter of rec and it helped me sooo much bc
This helps bc it will give your teachers (those who will write your letter or rec) something to say about you in their letter.
And make sure to give it to every teacher/ counselor that way they know exactly what they should put in your LetOfRec
If you’re a person who has done a lot of activities in HS, this will help bc most applications will ask you what you’ve done
Scholarships ask you what activities you’ve done in HS and you’ll have them all written down on this doc and all you have to do is copy it
It honestly comes in handy guys and it’s really easy to make. Google Bragging Sheet/Letter for more info about how to set it up
Do test scores matter when applying to college? ACT? SAT? AP? Answer: Yes and No
AP scores only matter if the schools you’re applying to actually give you credit for the test you’ve passed
However, if you are planning to go to a UC, AP English Scores are SUPER IMPORTANT so pass them at least with a 3. Or retake them if you can.
AP scores are also important depending on your major. If you are heading towards a STEM major they can help you gain credit in that area.
As for SAT and ACT scores, they matter depending on the school you’re applying to.
Applying to a more prestigious school, and having a better test score puts you at a greater advantage
But there are many cases where people get accepted to their dream school having really good curricular activities and average test scores
The actual college application is fairly easy to navigate. Especially the UC app. But do not wait until the last day!!!
For a couple of years now the website to submit your application will crash the day the app is due so try to finish it at least two days before
But if you do your bragging sheet, those applications will be so easy bc all you have to do is copy and paste what you already have.
Colleges want to see that you saw high school as a 3 sided Pie Chart filling in Academics, Sports, and Extracurriculars
They want to see that even if you didn’t play sports, you excelled in academics or sports.
In the end, any school is going to help you get to where you want to go as long as you also put in the effort to make your dreams happen.
Maybe some schools will get you there faster but how would I know, I’m barely starting that path myself lol
