College Admissions
Hi friends! I just finished 17 college applications and I’m fresh with advice for you all so here it is:
STANDARDIZED TESTING:
get this shit done ASAP; I started taking practice tests my freshman year and by the end of my sophomore year I had the score I wanted
it literally does not matter if you take the ACT or SAT, colleges don’t fucking care just pick one and do well on it
if you can, take 2 SAT subject tests; many colleges require them and so do special BA/MD programs so its best to have them prepared
“how do you get a good score??”: PRACTICE TESTS! literally take as many as you can and make sure you correct the mistakes you make on each of them so you’re actually learning
COMMON APPLICATION:
opens august 1; you do not have to submit anything then
you only get 10 slots for extracurricular activities so choose wisely; also you don’t necessarily need to fill all 10 slots; quality over quantity always
you can submit the common app to a school before you submit the writing supplement! get that shit submitted so you don’t have to worry about it later on
don’t type your essays on the common app; type them on a google doc and then transfer them later on so you can avoid it from crashing and not saving your work
COLLEGE LIST:
don’t fucking apply to all 8 Ivies
make sure you have safeties (easy to get into/affordable), matches (most likely will get in) along with your reaches (no fucking clue if you’ll get in)
be realistic about how many applications you can fill out
try to finalize by 1st semester senior year
COLLEGE ESSAYS:
genuinely spend time on these
don’t reuse your why X college essays
when answering the why X college prompt: DO YOUR RESEARCH! specifics are key; they want students that will actually matriculate
you can usually reuse your why X major essay so be sure to write a really good one
don’t be someone you’re not; just be natural and let your personality shine
they aren’t as bad as they seem I swear you just have to really work with
if you’re really having trouble with a prompt, google it and there’s bound to be admissions blogs that have written tips about answering it
GENERAL TIMELINE OF COLLEGE SHENANIGANS
freshman year:
don’t worry about harvard
literally just enjoy your only peaceful year of high school
join a few clubs
get good grades
you’re set
sophomore year:
start looking at schools and figure out what you want in a college
begin building your list
start taking APs (if your school allows you)
look for leadership opportunities
look for summer programs and other things to keep you busy in the summer
get ready for the hellstorm that is junior year
junior year:
get testing done by the end of this year
figure out who you’re asking for letters of rec
take AP classes
maintain your GPA
become a leader in your clubs
senior year:
lay on the floor and cry
like really let it out bc this year is hell
take a rigorous course load and get good grades
finish last minute testing if you still haven’t
register for common app
get letters of rec
send scores to colleges
start writing college essays
apply to scholarships
fill out FAFSA and CSS
good luck my lovelies xx my inbox is always open as always
-Ramya
