<p>I am a junior year in high school right now and I wanted to get a head start on the college admissions process for this upcoming fall. For the beginning of summer, is there a way that I can get started on my essays earlier? Also, is there anything else that I should do soon that will help me out in the future. My top schools are Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Texas, wake Forest, Michigan. Comments Appreciated!</p>
<p>The very first thing to do is speak to your parents and find out how much they are prepared to pay for college. If they aren’t sure, or are not aware of how expensive college has become and the financial aid process, use the summer to research and learn all about this online. Sure, you can apply to a couple very expensive schools who promise to “meet need”, but you will also want to find a few schools you can apply to that you could afford without any financial aid beyond the $5500 Stafford loan you can get as a freshman. Also look for colleges where your SAT/ACT and GPA stats could get you good Merit money. It doesn’t do any good to apply to a bunch of colleges you can’t afford, and then have horrible disappointment come next April 1st. Many students on CC are facing that problem right now because they didn’t consider cost and apply to some affordable schools.
Remember too that OOS public schools are typically not going to give you large amounts of financial aid because their money is to help their in state students.</p>
<p>^ go to the fin aid site at each school and fill out the net price calculator to see how much money you need to attend. Make sure the numbers you enter are as accurate as possible. It is extremely hard to get merit at places like Duke. Essentially they are the Harvard/Yale/Princeton/MIT/Stanford (commonly referred as HYPMS here) caliber kids. Don’t forget to look at your state schools.</p>
<p>My patents are pretty well off and they said they will be willing to pay for any college that I got into.</p>
<p>I meant my parents*. also, I was referring about possibly getting a start on my essays. Am I able to do that?</p>
<p>Good planning on your part…to get a head start on essays before the hectic pace of Senior year starts. Common App essays were the same the last two years. There’s always one that is “a topic of your choice”. One of Duke’s optional essays is “why Duke?”. S2 just committed to Duke for the Class of 2016. Most college essays will not be too different, so look at last year’s topics for the schools you’re interested in. Keep in mind to also have some Safeties you wouldn’t mind attending. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, you can definitely get a head start on your personal statement. Try googling the common app prompts for this year as a starting point (not sure how much they’ll change next year, but it’ll give you some good ideas at least.) Also, keep in mind that one of the personal statement prompts is “Topic of your choice,” so you have some freedom. </p>
<p>I started writing my essay the summer before senior year. To be honest, though, I didn’t end up using anything I had written–but that was mainly because I didn’t have a solid idea at that time about what I wanted to write about. If you already know, getting a head start isn’t a bad idea at all.</p>
<p>Beyond the 500w personal statement though, it might be hard to start any supplemental essays as those topics aren’t released until July/August for most schools (at least those that use the Common App)</p>
<p>More important than starting and planning your essays now is deciding which teachers to go for for teacher recommendations. Your intended area of study should be reflected in your recommendations. For example if your are doing a STEM major (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) you will want at least one of your teacher recommendations to come from a math or science teacher. Keep in mind that you dont need a recommendation from a class you do the best in. It can be, but your recommendations should come from a teacher you have a very good relationship with and knows you the best. Now or next month is a good time to ask because teahers have limited time and you do not want them to write their recommendations for you under pressure and possibly affect the letter.</p>