Hello, all of my lovely college applicants! I have just finished my first term of senior year and all of my college apps went with it! I can proudly say that I am done applying to college (for now)! I think that my college application process was surprisingly stress-free and I was not too panicked when I hit submit. I thought I would share my best advice to get through this wonderful and scary and exciting time, or at least how I got through it. 

First of all, an important note is that I am applying to 99% of my schools as a BFA musical theatre major and so most of my applications required something additional (like a pre-screen video via acceptd, etc) so I will be throwing those important tips in there was well. 

get started EARLY. like so early that you think you’re a nerd. My junior year I was dating a senior and he was so late on the whole process that I vowed to never do that, so I started before I even finished my junior year. UC prompts are revealed over summer. Common App is a little bit after. Individual school apps are open at the same time. Create your accounts, start researching schools, and know what/where/criteria for where you want to apply. I started writing my UC essays over summer so that when the UC app opened in November I was already done with all of the hard stuff. If you are applying for art majors and need to film a prescreen, get on that asap. At least start listing some potential audition songs and choreographing some tentative dances. Most schools have requirements up early so you can start thinking about the requirements and your capabilities.

Take it little by little. Start early and set some goals that you will stick to. My school was so on me about my deadlines that I had to plan way ahead. Some things to plan/set deadlines for: final list of colleges, college tours, scholarship deadlines, the first draft of essays, first meeting w college counselor or writing coach, teacher recommendations. 

Talk about costs. applying to college is so much money. UC’s are $70, privates range from $10-$90. Shit adds up fast. Some schools will waive your application fee! Email a representative and find out if they’ll waive yours. ALSO if you are sending in prescreens through Acceptd, rip your wallet, save up. Acceptd has probably been just about as much as application fees. Also, think about the cost of touring, going to campus for auditions/interviews. This will be pricey if you are applying out of state. Get a summer job, babysit, write a letter to your grandma, beg your parents, steal your dad's credit card ask your dad for money.

Only apply places you WANT to go. this will cut down cost and make you happier. It is YOUR future, not your parents. It is YOUR potential student debt, NOT your parents. 

Talk to college representatives. Getting in touch with them has saved me so much time. Just by talking to them at college fairs I get a really good idea of the school (even if it is in the best light). They won’t lie to you if you ask them honest questions, and if you make a connection with them you could up your admissions chances. 

Don’t blow off standardized testing. If you are taking the ACT/SAT again, STUDY. If i could go back and do this again, I would have studied more for the ACT instead of focusing so much on apps. It’s a balance. 

Now is the time to utilize your resources. Teachers who loved you and said that if you ever needed anything to ask them? Ask them for a letter of rec. Ask them to read your essays. Ask them about a certain school. They have been with you the past four years and WANT you to go to college. if you are applying to art school, now is the time to ask your arts teachers for help. My dance teacher was a fantastic help, my theatre teacher found me monologues, my voice teacher played accompaniment for my videos. Favors are so important right now, just write them a nice note.

Take care of yourself. Senior year is so so so so demanding, so if you have to take mental health days, do it. Take the time to do things you love, focus on what you need to focus on, and enjoy your time. Go to football games. Drink coffee (the expensive one!). Reconnect with old friends. Who knows, maybe you’ll remember something essay worthy when you’re relaxing with your family. 

I hope this maybe helped someone. PM me if you have any questions/need any support. I will update when I experience the college audition process;). 

xoxo

A college list that works has little to do with any list you can find online

Families with high school students know better than most that the recent news in college admissions features quite a lot of headlines about the highest numbers of applications and the lowest acceptance rates “ever.” While these may be the facts, we encourage parents and students everywhere to step away from the ranking lists and take a different approach to building college lists.

Read on for our key advice for where to look instead–

What’s really behind increased application numbers and ever shrinking acceptance rates?

Colleges benefit from increased applicant numbers because they drive the perception of prestige, exclusivity and excellence, and higher rankings. With college rankings and our public perceptions about what makes a college highly desirable tied to low acceptance rates, colleges are in a race to depress those numbers. The more applications a college receives, the lower that acceptance rate will plummet. The lower the acceptance rate, the higher the college moves on ranking lists that prioritize this factor, and the greater the college benefits from an air of prestige and exclusivity.

You’ll note that this ranking is devoid of a discussion of quality of education received, life and career experiences of students, dedication of faculty, or any other meaningful measures of the value of a student’s time on the campus. Furthermore, the businesses that publish these rankings have their own interests and financial gains to protect in preserving the perceived importance of the ranking lists they produce. These are among the many reasons we are skeptical of building college lists that factor the ‘ranking’ of the college as a key factor.

If not ranking lists, how do we assess a good college for a student’s list?

We believe strongly that a college list should be a personal and personalized endeavor. Rather than looking to the rankings to tell you what belongs on your list, look inward.

The happiest, thriving students who succeed academically and build strong communities on campus are those who have thought deeply, with the support of trusted adults, to identify the factors that are most important to their own experience.

Identify the academic experiences, opportunities, and ways of learning that will set you up to enjoy your education to move towards your goals. Look for these within your majors or departments of interest, in internship, research, and mentoring opportunities on campus, and in the course experiences and academic supports and enrichments available to you.

Don’t forget about the aspects of college life that will help you to find and build your community and put down roots in the place you will call home for four years:What do you need in the housing, the campus culture and student life? How about student clubs, organizations, and activities that will support and challenge you and give you outlets to pursue your interests and passions and bring joy to your days?

Once you’ve identified these factors, seek out colleges that match this vision. Not every school on your list is likely to be a 100% match – often there will be compromises in size, location, or some of the other factors on your personalized list– but knowing what you want sets you up to assess if those compromises are worthwhile. A balanced college list should have a mix of schools at each admissibility level that resonate with your academic and community factors.

No ranking list can tell you if you will be happy, thriving, or successful on a campus; only you can do that.

April is the month where the final anxiously awaited college decisions roll in. Sometimes, students & families have spent so much time preparing for the admissions process, that what happens next has yet to come into focus.

Read on for our must know tips on finalizing your college decision & preparing for a successful college transition + a FREE webinar opportunity to join us live to take the guesswork out of this transition season–

1.Think through your decision with yourself and the adults who know you best.

At the end of the day, it can be easy for students to lose sight of the ultimate goal: preparing for life and learning in a college community where you will thrive in the next chapter of your life. Putting aside all the admissions results that can feel like wins and losses, now is the time to think about what really matters for you in the college you will call home. Not the ranking, name, or prestige, but what matters to you. As students hone in on those final choices, take the opportunity to visit in person, or engage virtual opportunities to connect with the colleges where you’ve been admitted. Talk it over with your family, and trusted advisors, and try to get out of the comparison game with friends and peers. Do compare financial aid or scholarship awards and make sure the finances work for your family, think through the academic options, housing options, and travel to your campus. If you ground in what’s important to you, you’ll make a great choice.

2.Deposit to ONE college by May 1st.

The national deadline for college deposits is May 1st. You must deposit by this date to secure your enrollment spot according to the steps the college communicates to you. For some colleges, this will include separate deposits for enrollment and housing. Note that while it is unethical for colleges to require enrollment deposits sooner than May 1st, some universities, especially large public institutions, fill their housing or honors programs on a rolling basis and space can be limited. Read all the fine print, and call the admissions office to clarify if needed. Note that all colleges in the US share a common database to track enrollment. Depositing to more than one institution is unethical, is easily discoverable by colleges, and can result in acceptances being revoked. It is critical that students and families make deposits to just one college or university.

And a note on waitlists: Waitlists are highly unpredictable. If you are accepting a spot on a waitlist, you will still need to make a deposit to another college where you have been admitted by May 1st. Plan to move forward with all of your enrollment steps there, and if you are offered a waitlist spot, understand that you will forfeit your deposit to the original college if you decide to withdraw and move forward with accepting the new offer at the waitlist college.

3.Plan for a smooth transition.

After all the time, effort, and planning that has gone into the admissions process, now is the time to turn your focus to setting yourself up for success in college. While there are classes to register for and plenty of items to buy for your dorm room, giving some attention to how a student will independently manage their schedule, coursework assignments, and daily responsibilities of college life, can make all the difference. Once the graduation celebrations are over, taking time this summer to intentionally think through the habits, routines and structures that will set a student up for success can launch young people into college life more confident, more prepared, and more ready to thrive.

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Untapped Learning who specialize in supporting students to develop exactly these skills. Learn more about their in-person or virtual Summer Boot Camp here and be sure to join us for a free public webinar on Tuesday April 4th to dive into planning for a smooth transition to college life. Join us, and spread the word; all are welcome!

Seniors, What’s Next?:

Finalizing your College Decision & Planning for Success in the Transition to College

Free Public Webinar presented by

The Best U & Untapped Learning

Tuesday April 4th

6 p.m. MT | 8 p.m. ET

Join us by registering here.