There are a lot of stressful events in high school, but applying to colleges might be the most stressful of them all.
From gathering together all of the right application materials and taking standardized tests, to fitting college visits into your already busy schedule, it can be a challenge for even the most organized student.
But have no fear. With a little planning—and help from your parents and school administrators—the admissions process doesn’t have to be too painful. We have all the tips you need.
NARROW YOUR COLLEGE LIST
The first step in the application process is figuring out which schools you most want to attend. You should start putting together this list during your junior year. Your final list of colleges should be completed by the beginning of your senior year.
Deciding which schools are right for you requires research. Consider factors such as college size distance from home academic programs and athletics and narrow down the list to two to five of the most important characteristics. To narrow down your list Sarah Neal senior assistant director of admission at Agnes Scott College (GA) suggests consulting resources such as The Princeton Review or CollegeBoard.org to sort through colleges and finds ones that specifically fit your most important factors. Plus talk to high school counselors for their professional input go to college websites to learn more about specific programs email questions to college admission counselors and (later) tour as many campuses as possible.
While there’s no “right” number of schools to have on your list in general six to 10 schools is plenty. Make sure you include some “reach” schools as well as some “safety” schools.
If you follow these steps by senior year the bulk of your research will be done and you can focus your attention on actually applying visiting colleges and getting scholarships.
GET ORGANIZED
Each college application has many components including recommendations test scores interviews and personal essays. After you finalize your college choice list your next step should be to organize your deadlines.
One way to do this is to make a folder (one on your computer and one hard copy) to keep things such as college recruitment brochures and outlines for personal essays tailored to each institution. Also create a spreadsheet to easily track and compare college information including your research notes about each school and a schedule of deadlines not to miss.
Justin Roy, vice president for en-enrollment and marketing at William Peace University (NC) recommends that you make a spreadsheet column that breaks down the cost of attending the school as well as scholarship deadlines. “If you get your dates mixed up it can end up being a costly mistake,” Roy notes.
Another way to get organized is to download an app like the College Application Organizer which you can find at the iTunes store. Apps like this digitally organize all of your deadlines according to each school’s requirements.
Beth Wolfe, director of recruitment at Marshall University (WV) says that staying organized also can help the teachers and administrators who are writing your recommendation letters and sending your transcripts. “If you have a full picture of what needs to be done you can save them a lot of time.”
PUT GRADES AND STANDARDIZED TESTS FIRST
Before you focus on your essays or teacher recommendations keep in mind that grades strength of curriculum and test scores remain the most important factors in college admissions. So keep your grades up and take as many AP/honors courses as you can handle.
By the spring of your junior year you want to have taken both a practice and a final round of standardized tests—ACT or SAT—at least one time. Wolfe recommends taking both exams. “I’ve seen students barely make it on one test and qualify for honors programs with the other” she says. Take your best-scoring test a second time.
Make sure you devote enough time to study for your standardized tests. “I see a lot of students not giving themselves enough time to study” says Amy Lines Whaley, director of recruitment at Wesleyan College (GA). “If they don’t prepare early they miss the opportunity to be able to take the tests multiple times.”
Also remember not to slack off your senior year. Even though you’ll be busy with your applications colleges also take into consideration senior year grades and course loads. As Hannah Brown, assistant director of admissions at the University of North Carolina Wilmington points out colleges want to see that students are going above and beyond the minimum course requirements even after they have completed their applications.
GATHER YOUR RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
If you’re going to approach a teacher coach or guidance counselor to write a letter of recommendation give them plenty of advance notice.
It’s easy to approach teachers who have given you good grades but it often impresses colleges more if you ask someone whose class was more challenging. “An easy A is going to make for a boring letter,” says Brown. “I want to read a letter from a teacher who says that the student . . . showed a lot of determination to succeed.”
Wolfe a former high school chemistry teacher who has written many recommendation letters suggests examining what type of student you are. If you’re a quiet student she recommends participating more in class—and even asking the teacher to meet personally to get a better sense of who you are.
Most importantly—don’t be intimidated! Teachers expect to write many recommendation letters for college. And you’ll be complimenting them if you ask them—it proves that they’ve made a difference to you especially if they taught one of your favorite classes.
SHOW OFF YOUR SKILLS
If you aren’t already involved in extracurricular activities then choose at least one or two to get involved in during your junior year. The activities should reflect your passions—and if there isn’t a group or program at your school that currently supports these passions ask an administrator if you can create one. “Most institutions would rather see a student be really committed rather than dabbling in multiple things,” Wolfe says. In other words don’t join a club or a sports team just to impress a college admissions office.
Chris Beiswanger, director of the Office of Student Recruitment at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs says that even if a student finds his or her passion later in high school it doesn’t mean that the activity can’t have a big impact. He suggests finding an activity you know you’ll want to carry over into a college—hopefully one that you can earn scholarships for doing.
Devoting meaningful time to an organization or activity as well as taking on a leadership role where possible can help prove that you made a serious commitment.
DEMONSTRATE YOUR INTEREST AND WRITE ERROR-FREE ESSAYS
After grades and test scores the most important factors are a student’s “demonstrated interest” and essay or writing sample. In fact demonstrated interest is the one factor that has in-creased in importance the most over the last 15 to 20 years.*
Admissions counselors often will look favorably on students who have made their interest in the school very clear. In addition to visiting the campus it’s also a good idea to stay in touch with a particular admissions counselor at your preferred institutions—without harassing them of course.
For Roy the best essays are the ones that take full responsibility. For example a student who writes that she didn’t apply herself to the best of her ability freshman and sophomore year but has really found her passion junior year would make for an interesting read. “It’s so refreshing to read an honest essay,” he says.
FOLLOW UP ON YOUR APPLICATION STATUS
Because all of the different components of your application won’t arrive at the same time it helps to call each college you applied to or check your application status in the college’s online portal before the deadline to make sure that they’ve received all of the necessary materials.
Lines Whaley recommends getting a head start on meeting deadlines by sending in your junior-year transcript before your senior year begins. A benefit to narrowing down your college list early Roy notes is that when you take the SAT or ACT you’ll know the five schools to send the results to on the form. “Scrambling to log in to the College Board website is just another task that takes time,” he notes.
If you follow all of these steps you can lower your college admissions stress and focus on what’s important—enjoying and excelling in school your senior year!
*National Association for College Admission Counseling’s 2013 State of College Admissions report
Brienne Walsh is a writer and photographer based in Brooklyn.
5 Time-saving Tricks
The earlier you get organized for your applications the easier you’ll make your life. We asked some admissions officers to suggest time-saving tricks to streamline the process.
1. DON’T WASTE YOUR HOLIDAYS OR SUMMERS.
When school is in session you’re likely overwhelmed. Chris Beiswanger, director of the Office of Student Recruitment at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs suggests using periods of downtime when your head is clear to get a head start on tasks such as writing your essay. “Just like writing a paper for a class the more time you spend in advance on things the better they turn out in the end” he says.
2. BE CLEVER WITH ESSAY PROMPTS.
Although some colleges ask very unique essay questions most will have prompts that are similar to other applications. You may be able to use portions of your essay for more than one application.
3. MAKE FIRM DEADLINES.
Even if a college has rolling admissions Roy suggests giving each component a specific deadline. “You need to make sure you hold yourself accountable to a date so that you don’t make a costly mistake” he says. Depending on what kind of organizer you are you can put breathing room in between deadlines for different institutions or clump them all together.
4. CREATE A MASTER DEADLINE LIST.
When you have your college list finalized create a document that lists the deadlines for transcripts and recommendation letters. Give these deadlines to administrators and teachers writing your recommendations so they have the information in advance.
5. PURCHASE A PLANNER OR CALENDAR.
While a digital calendar or spreadsheet will keep you organized a physical planner will help you to visualize upcoming deadlines. The good news Neal says is that you’ll need a planner for college anyway—so you might as well get used to using one in high school.
ADMISSIONS TIMELINE SPRING OF JUNIOR YEAR
• Register for and take college admission exams including the SAT the SAT Subject Tests and the ACT.
• Meet with your school guidance counselor to make sure you are on track to graduate and fulfill college admission requirements.
• Begin to visit the schools that interest you.
SUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEAR
• Take on a summer job internship opportunity or study abroad program to add more substance to your applications and gain skills you need to succeed in college.
• Narrow down the list of colleges you’re considering.
• Start researching available scholarships. A good place to start is the Federal Student Aid site at www.studentaid.ed.gov/scholarship.
• Visit college websites and www.commonapp.org to find applications and the deadlines for early action early decision and regular decision.
• Begin brainstorming ideas for your college essays.
FALL OF SENIOR YEAR
• Visit colleges you’re considering if you haven’t already.
• Ask guidance counselors and teachers to submit a recommendation letter to colleges you’re applying to.
• Request your high school transcript be sent to your colleges of choice before the application due dates.
• Write your college essays.
• Prepare and submit your college applications on time.
WINTER OF SENIOR YEAR
• Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafsa.gov) any time after January 1. Submit it to schools as soon as possible since financial aid is usually given on a first-come first-served basis.
• Request your midyear transcript be sent if required by your colleges of choice.
• Submit all scholarship application materials by the required deadlines.
SPRING OF SENIOR YEAR
• Review your college acceptances and make your final decision.
• Contact your school of choice and ask any questions about the financial aid the school has offered you.
• Notify your school of choice that you’ve selected them and submit any required deposits by the deadline.
• Keep applying for external scholarships (scholarships offered by organizations other than your college of choice.)”
