Seniors are knee-deep in applications, but underclassmen may be the ones who are most stressed. Why? Because the college application and admissions process LOOMS. The path to college has become more complex, and the fear of the unknown, the contradictory (or misguided) advice, and the fretting of those in the thick of the process can leave a junior, sophomore, or freshman with lots of anxiety. BUT. It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming or angst-ridden process. (No, really! It doesn’t!) Learn below what you can do NOW that will help you stay cool and be in control.
Visit Colleges Early: Start in your sophomore or even freshman year!
Three visits here, one visit there… Just explore colleges when and where you can. They don’t even need to be schools you’re particularly interested in: visiting any campus will give you more awareness of your options and help you refine your preferences. (And seeing schools firsthand helps you narrow down your list and write those “Why Us?” essays that are coming!)
Start Brainstorming Now: Wherever you keep notes, add a section where you can jot down essay ideas.
Many schools use similar, predictable themes for their application essays, and it’s been said that “senior year is for applications, not drafts” — so start your brainstorming engine now by building a list of topics for prompts about:
- a community you are part of and your role in it
- how your unique background has made you into the person you are
- a time when you had to relate to someone whose life experience was very different from your own
- examples of your leadership experience and how you have positively influenced others
- ways you express your creativity
- your greatest talent or skill and how you’ve developed it over time
- significant educational opportunities you’ve had or educational barriers you have faced
- a significant challenge you have faced and how you overcame it
- an academic subject that inspires you, and how you explore that interest
- a way you have improved your community or school
- things that might make you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions
Start Your Short-List: As much as you can (see #1 to help you prep for this!), start listing your “needs” and “wants” for your post high-school education. Once you’ve got a list of good-fit schools based on your requirements and preferences, work your list down to 9-12 colleges. You should have three or four schools that fall into each of these buckets: reach, target, and safe. Generally speaking:
- a reach school is one for which you fall below the 25% academic credentials range
- a target/match school is one for which you fall between 25%-75% of the academic credentials range
- a safety school will be one for which you are above 75% academic credentials range
Be Ready to Apply Early: You can apply early to schools with rolling admissions, and the outcomes can give you peace of mind (and scholarships!). Applying early action (with an earlier deadline!) can not only improve your chances, it can also give you acceptance or denials as early as December. With this, you cut down the brutal wait-and-worry time, and still have the time to apply elsewhere if necessary. (Also… merit scholarships!) If you have a dream school in mind, the early decision application route can boost your chances. But this, too, is a much earlier deadline.
Look With Your Heart, But Apply With Your Head: Aim high, but be realistic. Your dream college should be one for which you are an objectively competitive candidate. If offered, consider early decision application to boost your chances. For early action schools, and especially for restrictive early action schools, weigh the acceptance rate before applying. In general, don’t pin hopes on a single school or outcome: be optimistic, but realistic! Where you apply and when you apply can greatly affect your outcomes. If you want to avoid unnecessary stress, apply to colleges that will appreciate you.