as i am just starting to apply to college, here are some things i have found helpful. i also compiled some of these tips from various accounts here on tumblr!

PREP

get all your personal information together                                               social security number, unofficial high school transcript (from junior year), parent’s information (for both college application and fasfa). also, if you google something like “college financial aid” there will be a list of things you should prep for when applying for it.

jot down a quick resume                                                                             some schools will ask for work/volunteer experience as well as extracurricular activities. when you’ve got it all written down beforehand, it makes it easier when filling out the application so you don’t have to rack your brain for all the clubs and such that you are part of.

research your schools!                                                                               i made a spreadsheet for all the schools im interested in applying to and listed what i thought would be important information. i listed the day the application opened, the day i submitted mine, the application fee, whether or not a personal statement was required, the day i sent my sat/act scores, whether a final transcript was required, and application deadlines for early answer. being organized made my stress about applying a lot easier because i didn’t have to worry about keeping all the information in my head. 

FILLING OUT THE APP

fill out as much as you can as early as you can                                       try to fill out as much as the simple stuff as early as you can. because once senior year begins you will be handling a boat load of work and it can get stressful trying to juggle everything! that being said…

don’t rush through the app                                                                         don’t rush through and then make a simple error. be super careful when filling out your information. and double, triple, and quadruple check EVERYTHING before hitting submit because once you submit the application you cant get it back

honors college and other programs                                                          most (not going to say all because im not sure) colleges have an honors college that requires a separate application. so make sure to check what your college requires so you can get it all done on time

TESTS 

send your scores!!                                                                                       when i took the act and sat, i didn’t send my scores to the colleges i’m applying to because i wanted to see what score i got and then decide whether to send those scores or retake the tests. but after you get a score that you are satisfied with, send them to your colleges right away to ensure that they get to the school’s offices before deadlines!

last minute testing                                                                                        if you’re testing anywhere from sept-dec then use the free score reports to automatically send your scores, just in case you don’t get the scores back in enough time to send them before deadlines (it takes a couple weeks to process the sending)

REC LETTERS

not all schools require recommendation letters                                       …..if yours does, ask your teachers early because the end of the semester can get stressful for teachers too during exams and such. and you don’t want to ask last minute and them be like “i only write x amount of letters per year” and then you cant get your letter from them and that would suck

ESSAY

some schools require personal statements                                              ….and they aren’t looking for something like “i want to go to this school because its my dream school i’ve been a ______ university football fan all my life blah blah blah”. while grades and such are important, numbers only tell so much about a person. so writing a personal statement is a way for the admissions office to be able to learn a little more about you and see whether they think you would be a good fit for the school. but be wary because some schools have a really short limit on how much you can write. look up some examples online to get a little inspo if youre stuck!

this may seem obvious, but don’t submit a first draft                             write your statement, and then rewrite it if you have to. get lots of people to read it! your parents, willing teachers, a counselor maybe. when we write things it may sound one way to us but completely different to someone else. so get people to proofread and give advice on your essay.