I'm pathetically lost.

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm the first person in my family to go to college. I don't know where to begin, what to do afterwards, or where I'll end up. I don't know who to ask for help, either. I initially went to my counselor--it's safe to say our meeting didn't go very well, as I left the office in tears.</p>

<p>I'm a senior in high school, and the furthest thing I've done is register for the ACTs. I've done most of my applications and I've re-written my essay again and again.</p>

<p>Now what?</p>

<p>Most of the schools I'm applying to have rolling admission. That means I can send my application at any time, right? My grades have steadily declined over the years, starting with all As freshman year, and ending in mostly Cs junior year. Senior year, however, is following the same pattern as freshman year--so should I wait until the end of January to apply to schools, when my first semester will be over and can be included in my transcript?</p>

<p>Most of the schools don't mention teacher recommendations, either. Does that mean they're not required? Should I send some anyway? </p>

<p>I'm also confused about everything being sent at different times. I send the application over applytexas.org. ACT sends my scores. My school sends my official transcript and teacher recommendations, right? And I provide self-addressed, self-stamped envelopes for it? It doesn't matter that all of these basically arrive at different times?</p>

<p>Also, do admissions offices get irritated when prospective students call and ask similar questions?</p>

<p>If anyone has any other advice or tips, I'd really appreciate it. Sorry this is so long, but I literally don't know where else to go for help. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Rolling admissions means that the admissions committee will consider applications as they come in. It would be in your best interest to apply early (if you wait, there will be less seats, but roughly the same number of people trying to get in).</p>

<p>Yes, your school would send in your recs, transcript, and other "official" documents. You would provide addressed and stamped envelopes for the recs; I'm not sure how schools handle the transcripts, so I'll let someone else answer that.</p>

<p>I think the only time an admissions officer would get irritated with prospective students calling and asking questions would be if the answer was plainly on the school website. Otherwise, that's why they give you the number!</p>

<p>If you don't mind my asking, which schools are you applying to? (that might help other people answer some of your questions, and give you additional tips)</p>

3

<p>Thanks a lot for the help!</p>

<p>I'm a little embarrassed, since I've been going through some posts and seeing that so many people are applying to Ivy League schools. But I will say that my first choice is the University of Texas at San Antonio.</p>

4

<p>Absolutely no reason to be embarrassed. Going to UT-San Antonio would be a fantastic opportunity.</p>

<p>You might want to post over on the Parents Forum. You'd probably find some experienced people to a first generation college applicant through the process.</p>