College Applications
It is that time of year again. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, kids are covered with melting ice cream and square hats are being tossed mercilessly into the air across the country by young and eager students ready to take the next step in their lives. Graduating high school and going off to college, an essential part of a teenager’s life.
But before the sleepless nights and non-stop partying, you must stop and fill out your college application(s). Two sheets of paper are not enough to define who you are as a person and what you can do for the time you are attending your dream university; but admissions officers don’t have time to read an entire book for each of the thousands of applications sitting at their desks.
High School Counselor Marketing has allowed me to be in contact with both sides of the wall. Our unique niche allows us to be in constant coordination with HE admission departments as well High School Counselor. Based on my experience, I can assure you that the winter is coming. You need to be prepared for what coming your way after high school. Here are a few tips on improving your college application.
Start Planning Ahead, Way Ahead.
This usually starts around the time you become a freshman, sometimes even before. Colleges all over the world look for students who have taken advance courses such as AP Physics and AP Calculus. This shows the colleges that you planned ahead for your future and improves your chances of getting in.
Create a quick shortlist of colleges before you graduate.
As you travel through the clustered and chaotic space that is high school. You become aware of certain colleges and universities that interest you and may wish to attend. Make a list of these colleges so you can save time when it’s time to apply.
Early admissions and acceptance.
Once you have made a dream list, you are at the stage of filling out an application. Always opt for the early decision option. This guarantees that the students who are eager to join that specific college will join if accepted. This option shows the university that you are serious about attending their university and not just wasting time.
Filling out Personal Information Correctly
Name, age, address, high school. Seems simple enough, but most students either overlook some questions or just don’t give enough importance to this part of the application. Filling out your ethnicity on the application may improve your chances especially if you’re an underrepresented minority in that university.
Extracurricular Activities.
Most students believe that section is for listing every single club meeting and/or activity you have ever done at school. This is a common misconception that often ends up hurting student chances of getting accepted. It is better to list 5 activities that you had a profound impact on rather than listing 20 activities where you were only present.
Application/Personal Essay.
Personally this part of the application is the most difficult and most competitive. Since there are thousands of applicants every year, you may only have a minute or maybe even seconds to grab the attention of the admissions officer. Some students make the mistake of writing their academic history, when all the admission wants is a glimpse of the person and what they can achieve at this college.
Recommendations
Having the right recommendation can almost guarantee your acceptance into your dream college. When choosing a teacher to write a recommendation for you, remember to choose a teacher you have a personal connection with. They can fully describe your personality traits and academic career better than a teacher whose class you got an A in but never spoke to.
Filling out these few sheets of paper correctly can be the main factor in deciding what your future holds for you. Remember to thoroughly proofread and correct any grammatical mistakes before sending your application out for submission.
Best of luck to all of you graduating seniors,
P.S. If you are tired of worrying about getting into college or are not even interested in attending, remember, you can always invent the next big social media website or smart phone app and become filthy rich. Just as Zuckerberg, Gates or Jobs.