Applying to College from the not-so smart
If you’re anything like me, you’re a “smart” kid, but not as smart as a lot of other studyblrs or even not all A’s kids. If you aren’t or even if you are, then applying for college can be a bitch and I know that time of year is coming up for a lot of you high school seniors and so I thought I would give my advice on the whole application process: things I did, or things I didn’t do but wish I had, and all in between. So, let’s begin!
Just to preface, this is just my experience and it may or may not work for everyone!
Okay! So in my experience I personally got an 1150 the first time I took the SAT. I didn’t really study for the test and I definitely didn’t try my hardest to get. good score. The second time I took the test I got an 1160, so not that much of a jump and I actually studied.
1. Actually study. I know its literally the worst but studying once or twice a week won’t kill you. Some good sites to help study are Khan Academy, that’s what our school used to help us study.
2. Study what you aren’t good at. It’s really easy to study what you’re good at, and thats because you know it all! It’s better to study what you aren’t good at, in my case it was math but for you it could be anything!
3. Don’t over-study, or burn yourself out. Standardized tests are literally the worst and they stress out a lot of upper level and advanced kids or really anyone, so some people will burn themselves out studying all the time when its really not necessary! You will remember much more if you take it a little at a time.
4. Take the writing portion! My #1 mistake was to not take the SAT writing portion! Yes, most of the time you have to pay for it, but its worth it I swear! I wasn’t able to apply to my dream school because I realized the day before the application was due that I needed the SAT writing portion. It was literally the worst day and i cried.
5. Don’t forget! You can retake the test! My only advice would be to re take as soon as possible so if you don’t like your score you can retake earlier before the college app process.
6. Don’t forget to send your scores to your schools or scholarships! You can do it on the College Board site and I think you get 3 or 5 send in’s free so use them wisely!
7. And finally, realize that the scores matter but it won’t make or break your college’s decision. Not to knock on my own bff, her score was way higher than mine, in the 1300′s i think. But she applied and got accepted to UCLA when the average SAT score is in the 1450′s. She got in through her experience and essays as well!
For those of you who know what you want to major in, skip to step 2, but for those who have no clue or haven’t exactly decided, read on!
1. If you’re going in undecided, my advice would be to at least think about (maybe 3-5 options) of what you might like to do for a job after college. Give yourself questions like
“What do I enjoy doing?” Even if it means judgement or anything from anyone.
“What can I see myself doing?” When you picture your life, what do you see?
“What do others see me doing?” It’s a good idea in my opinion to ask what others can see you pursuing. They see a different side of you you might not see so it’s interesting to ask. You could even talk to a school counselor or a favorite teacher or mentor.
“What is something Ive never explored before?” Personally, I’m majoring journalism, even though we didnt have a blog or newspaper or writing club for my school so I never had experience. I just know I liked writing and it seemed fun. So, think about what you’ve never had the opportunity to explore.
2. Take your 1-5 options and explore school options! I liked to look up ‘top schools for _____’ and it gave me an idea of which schools had the best programs. When you are undecided and you have multiple school, try to find those that have some of your major options. Say, 2 schools that have both Journalism and Business. This will help narrow your school list.
2.5. Some things to take into consideration when thinking about colleges:
How much is it to go to school here?
Is it in-state or out of state?
What does the city it’s in feel like?
What club and organization options do they have?
What does their school spirit look like?
What housing options do they have?
Also, if you happen to be interested in a major that they have a lot of places, try to use the questions above to narrow down your options!
3. Use the match, safety, and reach system! Now I know people who had 10 schools they applied to and i know people who had 1. I had complications with my applications so I applied to 2, but a good system most people use is this one
Safety Schools: This is a school you are over confident, you know you’re gonna get in. This could mean the college in your home town that everyone goes to, this could be a community college, its all up to you! For me this was UCCS, in my hometown. You can have 1 of these its up to you!
Match Schools: You fit their criteria to a T, not to much over, not to much under. You are most likely to get into this school if you put in some effort. For me this was the school im at now, CU Boulder. Usually you might have 2-3 of these.
Reach Schools: You are a little or a lot under their criteria. You could get in if you tried your hardest and you write awesome essays and tried on your tests. These schools you might feel less confident to get in to, but it can’t hurt to try! If I had my essay in, My reach schools would be U of M and NYU.
4. Okay so you picked the schools, now it might be time to look at other things about them. You might have done this earlier, but demographics are very important. Look at their teacher to student ratio, their ethnic diversity, their gender diversity, religious preferences and how much it costs to go there! Sadly, college is just getting more expensive every year so looking at the cost and seeing if it’s realistic is super important in this process.
5. If money and time is available for it, visit the school! It can make a huge difference when you hear about it versus being physically there. However, if you have no way to, they have virtual tours and you could ask or look up videos about what the school is like! Even finding out if the campus is open or closed can be important!
The process in the US for financial aid to get into any school is FAFSA. You fill this out before applying so you’re more likely to get aid to pay for college.
1. Apply as soon as the application opens! I think it opens in October but I am not positive.
2. You should have a parent sign on your FAFSA. I started with my mom, but realized I would get more aid with my stepmom, so i refiled under her.
3. If you file as independent, there is a whole process to go through that should be on the fafsa.gov page!
4. Apply for scholarships! Im deadass. I know its absolutely stupid and it seems like a waste of time but DO IT.
5. There isn't “a scholarship for everything” whoever told you that isn’t true. There is a lot of scholarships that are super hard to look for, but you have to dig for them. A lot of scholarships I didnt even find i qualified for.
6. Use Scholarship websites. Some include Scholarships.com, niche.com, but theres tons. Also check at your potential schools to see if they may have any scholarships through them you could apply to!
7.Slightly contradictory to #5, but apply for scholarships you may not even qualify for. Most of the time, they only get like 5 people to apply so you may automatically get it.
8. Essays for Scholarships will also apply to a later section in this post! Follow those guidelines!
9. Never stop applying! I’m applying still 1 month into the school year for next semester.
Sorry all, I’m no expert on Financial Aid and Scholarships, just because it was hard for me to get and understand scholarships and whatnot.
Okay, awesome! You have chosen the schools you want to apply for! This part is about the actual applying part.
1. Figure out where the schools have their application. Nowadays most schools use CommonApplcation or Coalition. These sites use the same or mostly the same for all the schools you may want to apply to, its all on one application!
2. Check it out! Once you figure out where the application is, before you even start it take a gander at it. How many essay questions are there, how many recommendations do you need, what other forms are they asking for? This information is an easy way to say “Yeah I started applying” without actually starting!
3. Figure out when the application is due! Not all of them are on the same day, write this down! Put it in your planner, phone, whatever! You don’t wanna forget to turn in your app!
4. If you have to get transcripts transferred to schools, ask for that ASAP! There will likely be a list and the higher you are on that list, the earlier yours will get sent. Most of the time you can ask for this in the counselors office.
1. If you have any teacher or counselor recommendations that need to be turned in, ask ASAP! Like I literally mean as soon as you decide you’re going to apply there, it’s never fun for the student or the teacher/counselor to write it last minute!
2. Maybe pick a different teacher or counselor for each school or for a couple of schools! Its nice to get some diversity in there, yes its easy to just use the same letter but your teachers or counselors will really like it if you ask them!
3. Don’t be afraid to bug them about it. My biggest struggle was thinking that my teacher forgot about it. Maybe they will! It’s not wrong of you to check up on them!
4. When they finish and turn it in: thank them. I know senior year is hard on the wallet, but writing them a thank you note will make them feel appreciated that they took the time to write this for you.
I know, probably the worst part about the application process. It’s okay though! We got dis.
1. Don’t write them all at once. writing them takes time and thought so doing your worst is not a good idea.
2. Look over the questions you got! None of my questions for my applications overlapped but yours might! Take the time to read through the prompt. I made a separate word doc and copied the prompt. Before writing I outlined what I wanted to say using bullet points. This helps you outline the essay before you write it.
3. Actually answer the prompt. I know that sounds silly, but with most people when they start writing they forget what they are actually supposed to be writing about. And that’s okay!
4. Try to make it as personal and true to you as possible. So many people try to act unlike themselves just to impress the college. However, they’re accepting you into the school for you not how smart you sound. Of course, make sure to make it professional. I would suggest using life experiences to write your essays. Use your greatest attributes and things you may consider weaknesses to your advantage!
5. Get someone to read over your work! They can find any mistakes or they can give you an outside perspective! I would suggest an english teacher but even a friend or family works
6. If you want no one to read it, try reading it out loud! This will help find spelling and grammar mistakes.
7. Some essays aren’t supposed to be essays. Some are called short answers, don’t feel pressured to write a 5 paragraph essay when you could write a nice paragraph instead. Make this easier for yourself!
Turning in the Application
1. Check and make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Do you have your essays in? Recommendations? Other files? Test Scores?
2. The earlier you turn it in, the more likely the college will contact you if you have anything missing.
3. Make sure to check the status of your application even after you turn it in. You want to make sure the school got the application!
4. Keep in mind when the decision date for those schools is released! Some may not say, but most will! Know that for the most part if they are a highly accredited university, acceptances probably won’t be released until months after the application is due.
All in all, the process is a long one and some things to keep in mind, is to work on these at least once a week, on your free time. Don’t wait until the last minute and ask for help or suggestions when you need it. Your teachers are there to prepare you for this so don’t hesitate to ask!
Also, where you go to school doesn’t say who you are as a person or your worth or value. Everyone has their own path and you may or may not go with people you know and thats a whole other post!
Senior year is hectic, so don’t slack on your grades! They matter as well!
And finally, do what you want in your life, you have to live with it. Don’t let others influence where you want to go, go where is best for you.
Leave a question in my ask box if I did address anything you might wanna know! I don’t bite!
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