Are you a current high school sophomore, junior, or senior? Are you lost and stressed about your future? The unknown can be scary, and there is certainly a lack of guidance on processes such as college applications. As a current senior, I’ve been delaying the majority of the steps to applying for college. I strongly advise you not to do this. Waiting will not relieve stress, and it will most likely make it significantly worse. Rather, I encourage you to approach your planning process with a calm, open mind.

In the spring of your sophomore year, there will be an opportunity to take the PSAT. This is a practice test for the PSAT in the fall, and later the SAT in the spring, summer, or fall of your junior or senior year. This test is good practice, and your score will not affect you, other than giving you a benchmark of what you can improve on. Though many schools are test optional currently, I would highly recommend taking the PSAT and SAT or the ACT. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of requiring standardized tests, especially for more prestigious colleges. Additionally, these tests can be useful for giving you an edge against competing applicants, both for colleges and scholarships. Whether you decide to take the SAT or the ACT is personal preference. 

Throughout your junior year, the college process begins ramping up. You will need to focus on your grades and extracurriculars, as well as starting the search for potential colleges. At this point, the list doesn’t need to be definitive, however you should start to look at the cost, size, programs, location, and type of colleges you want to apply to. Another important consideration is the acceptance rate of the college. Depending on your grades and other factors, colleges will fall into one of three categories: reaches, targets, or safeties. Reaches are colleges that are less likely to accept you, and safeties are more likely to. Targets are between these two ends of the spectrum. It is important to include all three categories on your lists of prospective colleges. 

During the spring of your junior year, I recommend that you start to take SATs or ACTs, if you are planning to take them. Another important step during this time is to start looking into college tours. Tours are free, you simply have to register through the website of the college you want to tour. These are a good way to get an idea of what you are looking for in a college as far as facilities, size, and location. You can also start thinking about what teachers, coaches, or other supervisors you want to ask for letters of recommendation. If you already have ideas, don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask towards the end of the year. 

It is important to take your summer to relax and unwind after the rigorous work of junior year. However, you should not completely neglect your college process. Every year, the Common App opens on August 1st. If you are able to, I recommend that you make an account as soon as you can. The Common App contains many questions about your schooling, extracurriculars, family, and other things. Most colleges use the Common App. Even if you don’t know where you want to go, it is a good idea to get a head start on these questions, as there are a lot. You can also make a list of your past activities, including volunteer work, leadership roles, jobs, awards, clubs, sports, and anything else you want to include. This list will be used for recommendation letters and it could help you on your common app. At this point, you should also be narrowing down your thoughts as to what field you want to enter, or if you want to enroll as an undecided major. 

Once your senior year begins, things will start to move very quickly. At the beginning of the year, you will have your senior meeting with your guidance counselor, where you’ll get information about your current GPA and class rank, financial aid, and the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about applying to college. 

This is also when you’ll be writing your personal essay for the Common App. This essay will be sent to most colleges you apply to. It is meant to be a testament to your strength, resilience, intelligence, or show what sets you apart from other applicants. The most important thing to remember when writing this essay is that it is about you and how awesome you are. So, don’t write it about someone else entirely. Explain how they had an impact on you, or how they changed your life. If you choose to write about an event that affected you, make sure to include how it fostered growth or improvement. Additionally, show rather than tell the admissions officer your growth. There is a 650 word limit for the essay, and anything past that won’t be sent to colleges, so follow the guideline. Once you finish your essay, share it with one or two teachers to review it. 

The last piece of advice I will give is to not get caught up in the competition. In most cases, the school you choose for your undergraduate degree doesn’t play a huge role in your career. It is more detrimental to go to a private school that puts you in thousands of dollars in debt than to go to a public school for a better price. Student loans are a serious issue, especially private loans, and they aren’t easy to pay off. So, regardless of where your classmates are going, be mindful of what college you want and what will best serve you and your goals. 

When I started to think about applying to college, I was insanely stressed. I had no clue where to start, and I felt behind. I want to assure you that though it is a lengthy process, you’ll figure it out and get it done. Additionally, most colleges’ application deadlines aren’t until December or January, so you have more time than you think. This being said, don’t wait until the last minute to start. 

TLDR: 

1. Start Early!: Make your common app account ASAP, and start filling out easy questions (name, address, birthday, etc.)

https://apply.commonapp.org/login 

1. Take the SAT/ACT (Optional): This can give you an edge when applying for college or scholarships
2. Relax: You are not behind your peers, and you have time 
3. Follow Directions: Word/character counts, question wording, and other things matter!
4. College Essay: Show colleges your strengths/growth, and why they would want you as a student
   1. Have a hook
   2. Show gratitude
   3. Follow word limit 
   4. Avoid topics: sports injury, mission trips, something general/not specific to you, anything you have nothing good to say about 
5. No Debt: Don’t saddle yourself with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans!