OLO MA BEANS!! Guess why yo girl is hyped... She just finished all of her college applications and so she has a few experiences to share with all of you youngsters out there. I am pretty proud of how I did not procrastinate and happy with the application process, so let's get started...
- Start Early: This is what you probably hear every time you ask a Senior about college apps. I started all my apps in June when the prompts came out. Even then, I ended up turning in the weekend before apps were due. Give yourself plenty of time to edit. The system might crash if you procrastinate. Apparently this year two days before UC apps were due, the system crashed.
- Talk to a Professional about Your Essays: Find a college counselor. I know that not everyone can afford someone like this and that these college counselors might be a bit pricey but from my experience first I did not have to pay for a college counselor (I will link the post later) and he was the one who helped me the most. Here is why I recommend one: first, they do this for a living, so they probably know what they are doing. Second, it's another person to look at your essays and help you edit.
- Find a few people who have gone through the college application process to help you edit essays. They have already been through the process, so they have some idea on what college want. In addition, since they are already in college, they have more experience with writing essays.
- Check your application twice before turning it in. I learned this the hard way, as I forgot to change one of my courses. The thing is I did not know that my second semester history class is another class until after I turned in my apps, so I have to call both Common App and UC system to change it.
- If you are a Junior and you qualify for SAT fee waiver, get the fee waiver. This is actually a life saving tip, because of this SAT fee waiver, I saved money on sending in my scores. With the fee waiver, scores to four colleges are free.
- Research about the school. You want to know whether you like the student life, the campus, and the program there rather than just applying to a school with a prestigious name. It will definitely help you in the future because this is the only way you can passionately write about why you want to go to that specific college.
- Turn in apps around a week before the due date. This will allow you to work out any issues with the application.
- Ask for help. If you ever need help with applications or have questions about anything, go and email your counselors at school, they are there to help you and if you are ever confused. Feel free to email me. I'm always open to 8K of y'all.
Honestly, don't feel so intimidated by this process. Everything is actually not as complicated. Just breath and it will be over before you know it. Until next time, stay cool ma beans.
