Alright so now that I’ve completed the written application portion of college apps, I thought I might share some tidbits of knowledge I collected. I can’t promise they’ll be helpful to everyone, but I know that if I were to go through this again, I would want to know this stuff. Here goes!
It’s ok to say “I don’t want to talk about college.” Really. If talking about college is stressful, then don’t. Figure out what is good for your sanity and mental well-being and stick to it. Your friends and family will understand.
Make a comprehensive college deadline/factoid list. I’d recommend doing this during the summer break before senior year. Even if you haven’t fully narrowed down your list yet, make a deadline list for all the colleges you’re thinking about. Include financial aid deadlines, scholarship application deadlines, interview scheduling deadlines, application deadlines. Figure out how the schools do financial aid. Are they need blind? Need aware? For interviews, do colleges reach out to you? Do you have to request an interview? This doesn’t take more than a few hours in one day but it’s so worth it! I felt a lot calmer once I made my deadline list. I didn’t worry as much about missing deadlines.
Write your “Why our college?” questions first. And start these early! I found that these questions helped me figure out why I wanted to apply to this college. These questions also require a bit of research, so it’s nice to get that out of the way so you can focus more on yourself. Regrettably, I left these for the end and I felt like I had mountains of research to do.
Talk to some current students. Maybe you know someone who graduated high school a year before you that you could talk to. Even an alumni would be nice. It helps get a non-polished, real sense of the school. Be careful talking with alumni who graduated more than 10 years ago, though. Many things can change on campus during that period of time!
Phew! Ok that was long. Good luck! But also know that you will be amazing at whatever college you go to! I have so much faith in you all.
