Looking Back...Tips from a Graduating Senior

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello everybody. </p>

<p>Well, college decision time is almost here. In a little over three weeks, millions of seniors will know whether or not they got into their dream school. The process was harrowing, complex, confusing, and often seemingly hopeless. </p>

<p>Now that all that is behind me, I can look back with a clearer head and examine what I could have done differently. But I feel it would be wrong to keep this all to myself. </p>

<p>So this thread is for all those freshmen through juniors that want to have someone who made all the mistakes tell them how to avoid blundering along the way. If there is no interest, I'll let this thread slide away into CC oblivion. But if anyone is interested, I am more than happy to give y'all some tips and pointers, as well as answer any and all questions you might have about the college application process.</p>

2

<p>This sounds interesting. I’m in the same position as you so I’m curious what you have to say :)</p>

<p>I keep coming up with great ideas for what my personal essay could have been about (and is not), and that is s frustrating.</p>

3

<p>I’d rather turn this around. The kids (and parents) don’t know what they don’t know. Rather than us asking questions, I’d like all you '09ers to tell us what you wished you’d done differently.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for making this thread!
I have a couple questions…</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If there was one thing you could change on your application what would it be? </p></li>
<li><p>What do you feel are the top 3 things I, as a junior, should be concentrating on to get into my dream school?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thaanks</p>

5

<p>I don’t know where to begin as I could probably ask a million questions. I agree that it’s a better idea if you list the tips and thoughts that perhaps stand out most to you as you reflect on the admissions process.</p>

<p>Much appreciated.</p>

6

<p>For some advice…from a senior 09</p>

<p>I’d wish I would of studied more the summer of my junior year for my SATs when I took them over in Oct. Also I wish I wrote ALL of my college application essays during the summer of my junior year. </p>

<p>I’m soooo glad I visited most of the schools I applied to…a full 13 and got a feel for the school. Also I visited some while they were in session during my spring break…I highly recommend this!!!</p>

<p>I’d say just keep a positive attitude and keep up your grades the first half of your senior year…then I guess it really doesn’t matter haha.</p>

<p>Good Luck juniors and fellow youngsters. It’s a confusing and stressful time!</p>

7

<p>^Thanks for the input!!</p>

<p>Yeah, the original reason for this thread was for me to give tips!! I think that theme got lost in my OP!!! lol</p>

<p>OK, now on to tips!!</p>

8

<p>Nyorker:</p>

<p>Question 1: </p>

<p>Hmmmm…well I rushed my first application!! I looked back at it a few days later and saw some serious blunders!! I totally freaked. Don’t rush. Get your apps done days in advance. </p>

<p>Question 2:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>KEEP YOUR GRADES UP!!! The transcript/rank/GPA is the most important things on a college’s mind!</p></li>
<li><p>Get ready for your SAT IIs (start studying), and sign up for them for the summer. The score you need varies with what schools you wish to attend. Find these average scores and prepare to blow them out of the water!!! If you start studying now, it will remove a lot of stress and cramming later. </p></li>
<li><p>Make sure you are investing time into two or three important Extracurricular activities. Colleges don’t want to see a smorgasbord…just dedicated service/attention to a few activities. Make sure you are taking an active leadership role in these activities. Be a doer, not watcher.</p></li>
</ol>

9

<p>Tip #1: Don’t procrastinate. This one is a very broad brushstroke, but DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. There have been times I procrastinated and I paid for it dearly. Start weeks, even months in advance for anything (studying for standardized tests, applications, essays, whatever) so you aren’t rushed at the end. Everything I have rushed during the college application process came back to bite me. DON’T PROCRASTINATE. If you read nothing else, remember this tip!!! It is #1 for a reason!!</p>

10

<p>Dont slack off your freshman and sophmore year. I bet the places I applied to had a fun time figuring out why i had a 90% freshman and sophmore years, but during my junior and senior years, it was bumped to a 97-98% (unweighted), including college classes that were reported as a percentage.</p>

11

<p>I totally agree that the most important thing is not procrastinating. I wasted a lot of time and then I had to rush things I wish I had more time for. So take this tip really seriously.</p>

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<p>heres what i would have done differently.</p>

<p>Some background info, I go to a school in Vancouver, Canada… SAT 2200, GPA 3.8 ish</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I would have tried for A’s more in grades 8-10, because although i had mostly A’s, i never realized it would be so heavily impacted on my GPA (we don’t calculate GPA here… and canadian unis only count 11/12)</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldnt have taken band after grade 8, knowing that the same teacher gave everyone Bs. rather i would have continued that instrument by taking private lessons.</p></li>
<li><p>I would have taken the SAT for the first time early junior year, rather than may. that means that i would have started studying in my soph year.</p></li>
<li><p>I would have tried to read more books from 8-11… made more time for them</p></li>
<li><p>I would have focussed on planning my schedule so i would get the teachers i wanted… so id learn the material well. I should have spoken to older students.</p></li>
<li><p>I would have made it so my accelerated ( a year ahead) chem, physics math classes in grade 10 were honours/AP… m aybe not physics, but i would have switched my bio so i took it a year earlier… so id have a score already. I would have taken AP stats last year.</p></li>
<li><p>I would have done wayyy more math contests… and science contests.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>any more questions?</p>

13

<p>DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!! **************
I didn’t submit my Yale application until 2 minutes before midnight! Had a major fight with parents because I had to ask them for their credit card at midnight… and having to wake them up! haha</p>

<p>GET HELP! ****
You’re parents or a trusted adult can be a goldmine! My essay that I thought was great seemed terrible the next day! My parents read it and helped me make it amazing!</p>

<p>WHEN IN DOUBT- APPLY! *
Don’t think you aren’t good enough for Harvard or Yale or the state school or wherever! You probably are- they just don’t have room! When in doubt, apply! 1% chance is better than no chance! And the lottery is much less, and I’m sure you’ll go out an buy lottery tickets… so apply wherever you can, want, and where funding permits!</p>

<p>GET INVOLVED! **
Being involved is key. You can tell a boring person within 5 minutes of reading an app. Being well rounded and interesting is key for private universities. No one wants some robot kid with perfect grades and no life/involvement unless you’re going to cure cancer, or invent something amazing. Run for that student gov. office! Try out for that sport! Start that club you thought of! Apply for that internship! Do that job!</p>

<p>CREATE A THEME! **
Don’t be boring. Give them something! Most of the time your application can be summed up in a few lines.</p>

<p>i.e.
Soccer jock that attains average grades, but is involved extensively in student government and has been for 4 years. Founded a food sampling club and enjoys cooking.
-weird example, but try making a short bio of your application like this. Are you enticing to the college? Or boring?</p>

<p>Busy atm hunting John Kerry’s address (dont ask lol)… I’ll post more later. Didnt have time to clarify really… so I hope it was helpful.</p>

14

<p>this is a very helpful thread. thanks to all & junior year sucks, lol.</p>

15

<p>1) - I would have studied for the SAT subject tests in junior year.
-I would have started on my essays in the summer
-I would have asked teacher recs earlier</p>

<p>2) I would say that juniors should focus on starting to find a real interest or major they want, so they can tailor their application.</p>

16

<p>Don’t procrastinate, and if you miss the deadline, don’t worry! Because, honestly, the deadlines the colleges give you aren’t set in stone, which I realized when … oh, several of the colleges I applied to extended the deadlines. Actually, I decided to send in my Duke supplement in mid-February at my parents’ urgings (and the interviewer who randomly decided to call my house), and everything’s turned out fine right now–and I just sent in my midyear report yesterday after they contacted my school. So … not set in stone. Right. Not that I’m saying that you shouldn’t get the apps in on time, but don’t worry about it if you miss the deadline by a couple minutes because I missed the deadline by a whole 1.5 months or so…</p>

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<p>You’re tear is an awesome trinket. Haha couldn’t resist- been many years since I played.</p>

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<p>Hey guys! I’m an '09er…here’s some advice specifically for juniors!</p>

<p>Right now in March, you should get your SAT done as soon as possible. Then, plan/start studying for all correlated SAT IIs/APs. It sounds like a lot of testing for may, but really, it’s only 2-3 extra hours in May to save you a whole 'nother month of trying to remember x fact about chemistry or whatever). </p>

<p>Make up a list of what characteristics you want in a college. The biggest, for most people, is probably location. Do you want to be home within an hour? Do you hate flying? Then, consider city/suburban/rural. Finally, determine if you want to be at a large school, medium, or small. Consider if you are better in discussion groups or lectures, and your ideal class size. Put all this into a computer search engine to get a prelim list. A caution, however-Do not solely rely on these! Some colleges, though perfect for your list, will never be found with a search engine b/c of a lack of promotion or whatnot. So, you will have to search, but this gives you a good place to start looking. Also, be sure to actually visit a school of your type (mine was big city/big universities), so you are sure this is what you want. I went to medium and small LACs to make sure that wasn’t an environment I wanted.</p>

<p>Now, you can narrow! Make a list of other considerations.
----Merit money important? Look on the school’s website to see how many people get it. Then, check CC’s individual forum to see what the stats of accepted with those stats got.
----Do they have your major? Are they strong in your vague area of talent (math/science, for example?) Don’t get completely wrapped up in this; your major will probably change as you change, but you don’t want to go to a school that doesn’t have what you initially want.</p>

<p>Then, visit as many schools as you can on your list. Some schools, you know you won’t even want to go to as soon as you get out of the car. Don’t try to force a school just because it is prestigious or whatever. </p>

<p>Hopefully your list should be significantly smaller now. Then, divide your list into reaches/matches/safeties. Your new bff is the Collegeboard SAT ranges (put the college name into the search box and look at the ranges). Keep in mind, I am using SAT as a rough guide-if you have a 2400 but have no ECs, you will have to adjust your reaches/matches etc.
A reach is a school that realistically, will be hard for YOU to get into. It is either an impossible school for most with a lower than <15% acceptance or you have lower than 50%.
A match is a school that will probably want you, but will not need you to be in their class. For CC-type applicants, this is probably a 30-35% acceptance school where your stats are around the middle to 75%.
A safety is a school where you are OVER the 75th in every SAT portion AND they have a high acceptance rate (>45%).</p>

<p>Personally, for me, I either wanted a reach (full pay) or a safety w/a large merit scholarship. I liked safeties more than any matches I encountered. Other people have very low EFCs, so it makes sense to apply to more reaches and matches than safeties. I’d also advise to apply to a lot of schools if a) you want a very specific program like med school guarantee, biomedical engineering, etc b) you need merit money or financial aid c) your SATs, grades, ECs are not on the same level, so it will depend on what the school thinks is important
If you are just Joe Blogg, it makes very little sense to me to apply to more than 10. Unless your list is really unbalanced, you will get into some. It’s better to really focus on 10 than to just do 20. Also, DEFINITELY apply to any schools you want, even if they are insanely high reaches, just don’t get caught up in that, and focus on max 3-4. I have a friend who applied to 25 schools total, and 20 of them are straight from the top 20 of US news. Her other five applications (to still very difficult schools) suffered because she was so excited to do the essays for the other schools.</p>

19

<p>Don’t be afraid to be eccentric. You’ll communicate who you are far more effectively if you are passionate about what you do and have done while you write your application. This also means that you should find ways to have fun and b yourself while writing your application. Get started early, take periodic breaks, and make sure you are in the best space possible while you are writing.</p>

20

<p>Another '09er. Here are some tips and things I would have done differently if I had the chance:</p>

<ol>
<li>Don’t Procrastinate</li>
</ol>

<p>Every year, the seniors are going to share this tip with the juniors, and 95% of the juniors will ignore/forget it. Get started on those apps and essays when you have an ample amount of time before the deadlines. This will save you from hassle and stress, and from sending in crap essays that you know you could have written/edited better.</p>

<ol>
<li>Give Your Application a Theme</li>
</ol>

<p>Someone already mentioned this, and it’s a great advice. Give your application a theme, whether it’s the animal-loving athlete, or the theatre techie who’s also in charge of NHS. Make sure the application represents your personality, characteristics, and passion through your EC’s and your essays.</p>

<ol>
<li>Make Your Essay Scream YOU</li>
</ol>

<p>One thing I regret is not writing an essay that I felt was exclusively personal. It could have applied to a lot of kids, and was probably forgotten by the admission officer as soon as he read it. Write about a personal event, something that has only happened to you and its effect on you. That doesn’t mean you have to write about a tragedy. Anything, big or small, that happened to you that made you think and that shows your human side to counteract the numbers of GPAs and SAT scores.</p>

<ol>
<li>Challenge Yourself in School</li>
</ol>

<p>Another thing I regret is not taking the best of the opportunity that the school offered. Bluntly, I’m a smart kid, but lazy as heck. I didn’t take a social studies course in my junior year, and I didn’t take a particularly challenge course this year either. Take the most out of the opportunity given to you, but don’t overload yourself either!</p>

<ol>
<li>Quality, not Quantity</li>
</ol>

<p>This is especially true with EC’s. Try to focus on few things that are important to you, instead of spreading yourself thin over everything. And think strategically about the 7 allotted slots for EC’s on the CommonApp. Don’t list things that you think will impress the admission officers. For example, I listed Habitat for Humanity that I only did in my junior year, thinking it would impress them. Now I realize that I took up a slot for an EC that the officers would see as simply padding, and could have used that spot to list another EC that showed my passion, music and theatre.</p>

<p>Also, be wary of sending in extra material with your application. The admission officers have enough material to read as it is. They don’t need to read another 5 pages of why you should be admitted, or a three page resume listing EC’s already in the application or awards that have no significance.</p>

<ol>
<li>Have a Support System</li>
</ol>

<p>Applying for colleges is a stressful time, and there’s bound to be tension, even between friends, and especially between parents and kids. Be supportive of your friends, who are in the same boat as you are. If you’re all alone, there’s no one to celebrate your acceptance with or turn to for support after a rejection.</p>

<ol>
<li>Have Fun Once in a While</li>
</ol>

<p>Although college application seems like the most important thing right now, and it probably is, don’t forget you’re still a teenager and to have fun once in a while! If you’ve been stuck home for the last three weekends writing essays, give yourself a break and head to the movies with friends. Don’t let college applications become the bane of your existence. :)</p>

<p>Okay, so the post is much longer than I expected it to be, but I don’t want the juniors making my mistake, and want to see them do better. Good luck!</p>

<p>(And here’s to '09! Woohoo!)</p>