Since we’re almost through the college application process (well the work, there’s still plenting of waiting left) I thought we could give some advice to the juniors on the board.
Helpful advice:
Take all your SAT I and SAT II tests this spring if possible. You will be VERY happy when in the fall your friends are retaking SATs and you are sleeping in after hardly getting any sleep all week.
Start doing your research on colleges this spring and have a sense of where you want to apply and what you’ll have to do for apps. Consider if you plan to apply early. Don’t just go for the big name schools, really think about what environment is right for you. It might not be an Ivy, and that’s perfectly ok.
Organize all your college stuff this summer: where you want to apply, deadlines, who would write you recs, what you need to turn in for each school, how many essays, etc.
Write a rough draft of a college essay that you are happy with this spring, and at least have a good idea what you could write about by the end of the summer. Try writing a few essays before next September, even if it just means sitting down for 20 minutes a few times during the summer and writing whatever comes into your head.
Don’t stress, or at least really really really try not to. It’s really not worth it. At all. You WILL be happy whereever you are, as long as you haven’t decided you won’t like it before going. Especially don’t stress too much about a few points on the SATs. A 1600 won’t get you in for sure at the top schools and a 1390 won’t keep you out.
Be good to your teachers and try hard this year. You’ll want them to write recs next year, so make sure you don’t burn any bridges. See if any teachers want to you request that they write recs for you before the summer (some teachers are like this and I’ve heard plenty of people freaking out about recs because they didn’t ask early enough).
<p>I wholeheartedly agree with most of those things. #2, #3, and #4 are really important, as is #5. I cannot stress how beneficial it would be for you to begin your applications during the latter part of your summer. If your senior year will be like mine, you'll have a million other things to stress out over. Reduce the amount of things on your plate by trying to knock out college apps early. And yeah, definitely make sure you're sure about any school you apply ED to. You can't take it back, so be sure. Talk to some students at the schools you're looking at (but don't ask: if I have such-and-such GPA and such-and-such SAT/ACT score, can I get in?). Ask meaningful questions about the college itself. And don't become a stat whore. Focus on some of the more subjective aspects, too, like your essays, extracirricular activities, things you can send in as supplements, etc. It will help you out so much more than simply having a 1600/2400/4.0 will, imo.</p>
<p>So yeah, those of you beginning to stress out now (and I've talked to some of you, so I know ;)), don't! You still have time, and it's not something to stress over anyways. It can actually be really fun if you let it be. Just relax, take a deep breath, and dive right in. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. <em>whistles</em></p>
<p>EDIT: Hahaha, so agreed, Rabo. I can't wait to get out of this hellhole...especially when you've gotten into the school of your dreams. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>I wish I would have asked for letters of recommendations in the spring semester, and would have wished i had taken my sat's in april and then june one last time.</p>
<p>Get right on your recs the FIRST WEEK of school. Teachers will be bombarded later in the semester, so show them you're on top of things and get right on it. They'll put more time into them. If you have teacher that show you them and you don't like a rec, you have time to ask another teacher. I know from experience.</p>
<p>Get your essays DONE ASAP. When you have time do them. Let them sit and a couple of weeks later proofread. I did and I was very happy with the end result.</p>
<p>Don't rely on a reach school. I thought I had a reasonable enough chance at my ED reach so I only did 2/5 applications. Needless to say the beginning of my Christmas break sucked when i was deferred. Get your other applications DONE, and have them ready to send!</p>
<p>Take your SAT IIs at the end of your junior year. The material is fresh in your mind, and it won't hang over your head come senior year.</p>
<p>Spend time on your essays. I don't mean write them over the summer (you can, but I didn't and don't regret it), but go through a few drafts when you do write them.</p>
<p>There's more to college admissions than SAT scores!!!!!! Make yourself standout--if you're applying to an ivy, even those with 1600s are still a bunch in a crowd.</p>
<p>Apply for scholarships, essay contests, etc. They're worth the time you put in. I did only 1 essay contest, but was a winner, and got $1000. The money's out there, but you have to work for it.</p>
<p>What kind of guidance counselor do you have? If he/she has many students and primarily processes transcripts and letters of recommendation, you may need to do most of the sorting through schools yourself. Subscribe to the usnews.com education info on line for 14.95 to have access to info about the schools (much is also available at collegeboard.com). As the guidance office to see the acceptances from last year and also, if available, ask about rejections from schools you are interested in. My son's counselor was very helpful in her role, but she suggested schools that turned out to be safeties or poor fits and was discouraging about reaches - we thought she knew best at first but researching the info and visiting some schools helped us to find other, more suitable schools. OTOH, I have seen that work in reverse - so finding a fit for you may mean more than a session with your busy school guidance counselor. Visit at least one school soon - just to get a handle on the experience. We visited schools spring vacation and one week during the summer. My son was quite surprised to find how much the visit changed his mind for a few previously highly considered schools. Each school has a different "feel" to it - despite similar rankings and "stats". Someone mentioned doing as well as possible junior year - I strongly echo this sentiment. I thought colleges would be viewing my son's senior courses more heavily, and end of jr year, yet, having gone ED, they were not even part of the application- the junior year is very important. Also, having sat through many admissions sessions, one recurring theme is worth mentioning "we are looking for students who develop to leadership positions in one or two areas". If it's feasible for you, try for one or two senior positions in a club or activity. Another recurring theme - "we like to see students take the most challenging courses they can". My son followed this advice but in retrospect, he did not have to take as many APs he did. Still, try to plan your classes to have some APs next year if you can.<br>
When you begin writing essays, I think it is helpful to read as many as you can that have been recognized as the style desired. Finally, time management - everything will take longer than you think it will - the visits, the applications, the essays, the SAT prep, so try to plan accordingly - trying to write your essays when you start senior year with 4 AP classes, a sport, senior activities, etc is very difficult....btw, buy an SAT Prep book because practice does seem to help a bit and take them early so you have time to respond if you need to. I don't envy you the upcoming year - it's a lot of work!!!! Try to remember that you will get into college and also that most of us here on CC are unusually obsessed........!</p>
<p>Don't take any tests during the fall of your senior year, like everyone else said, it sucks!!!!! If you think you want a tutor or something get it now, start studying if thats what you're going to do, just get it done by June. Take the ACT's and SAT's to see which one you score higher on, I scored 80 points higher on the ACT. Hopefully you signed up for Biology or chemistry or some third SAT II because that will save you. I didn't and ended up having to take biology this year after only 3 months of the class and got a crappy score. </p>
<p>Overall, enjoy, and don't worry to much. I promise you'll get in somewhere. </p>
<p>PS - Don't slack on the grades, some schools require that you keep the same gpa that you have on your transcript already, yikes!</p>
<p>Take Sat 2's once you are done the class and the material is fresh in your mind. I wish I knew they were required last year. Also I wish I took an SAT prep class over the summer.</p>