Senior year of high school. Some words that come to mind are excitement, stress, fun, overwhelming, change, and decisions. It’s a tough time for any student in all of the best ways. It’s likely your first time making real, life-changing decisions. It’s a scary feeling, but it’s also empowering. You have an opportunity to be an agent in your own life and follow your passions! You have freedom and room to explore. At GoPeer, we hope to guide you while never taking the wheel out of your hands. You are the driver of your own adventure. We only hope to provide you with the best information and advice so that you can confidently choose which direction to steer. Scroll down to read advice written by GoPeer tutors at Brown University, New York University, Temple University, and the University of Massachusetts.
“Remember to stay true to yourself! It can be easy to get caught up in everything that is going on when you are deciding where to apply, and forget to make sure that you are doing what will make you happy. Remember that everything will work out. I was very stressed during this process and had to keep in mind that a college admissions decision is not the be-all and end-all. What matters is what you do at college!”
“Don’t treat your college essays like a resume. When I was applying, I made the mistake of trying to redirect every question into a kind of self-promotion. The essay readers at these colleges aren’t looking for hidden meaning or any of that junk. They’re not looking for perfect sentence structure — although it is important to sound mature and somewhat professional- remember that you’re a kid to them, not a presidential candidate. Answer the questions truthfully and charismatically. It’s much easier — and much more effective — than trying to play every question to how qualified you are. Sounding qualified is what your teacher recommendations are for. It’s better to sound juvenile than arrogant.”
- Brandon, New York University
“BE YOURSELF! I know it may be the biggest cliché of all time, but I promise it is true. As a high school student, I was pretty fed up with everyone telling me to just be myself in regards to college applications. It was so contradictory; we’d be told to present ourselves this way and that way to get into college, but at the same time we had to be completely genuine. I didn’t know what to do. I was stuck between presenting myself as the perfect academic robot and just being myself. It was really difficult to begin my essay. The fact that all these fancy faceless college people would read it was extremely intimidating. I didn’t want to be myself because I was afraid they wouldn’t like me. I would rack my brain for hours, wondering how I could make myself fit the mold for each specific college in hopes they would accept me. Eventually, being this chameleon grew exhausting and I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought, “I’m just going to write what comes to me. If they want me, it is because I truly fit, not because I sought to fit in.” I wrote my essay, and I showed it to a teacher for criticism. Although she liked it, her advice was to basically “tone it down.” I couldn’t understand why. She warned me that some admissions officers wouldn’t like the things I said. Why was it so bad to speak my mind? If they didn’t like me, they didn’t have to accept me. I ended up not “toning it down” and I was later accepted into a school I’m sure I’ll love, New York University. I will never know for sure, but I feel that my essay strongly influenced the school’s decision, and that if I had tried to be what I thought NYU wanted, they would have seen right through my insincerity and possibly denied me. I am so glad I made the decision to be myself in my essay. If not, I might have been attending a college that didn’t fit me, but instead fit everyone’s expectations of me. So with all of that, another piece of advice is to get rid of any and all expectations. Don’t try to live up to others’ expectations of you. Stop thinking that a certain school is your only option; you could be setting yourself up for failure and holding yourself back from a place that you will truly thrive in. I personally know people who broke their back attempting to get into the school that their parents wanted them to get into and that all their classmates wanted to get into. Some actually did end up getting in, and quickly realized this was totally not for them. Some of them have to stay there for all four years; some of them are transferring as soon as they possibly can. Don’t even put yourself in this position. It is hard to do the opposite of what everyone is yelling in your ear to do, but if you want to be happy, you can’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Once you get rid of all your expectations and learn to be yourself, everything else becomes as smooth as butter. By following this advice, you will end up where you should. I promise.”
“Advice that I will give to a high school senior who is going through the college process is to work hard, have patience and be you.
- Dorothy, Trinity College
“Looking back at my college application process, I wish I knew what I know now. First of all, a school’s offerings for a specific major (if you’re aware of what you want to do) are more important than a school’s prestige. For example, as an actuarial science major, I was accepted to both UCLA and Temple. While UCLA is a very well known name, my major was taught in a way that wouldn’t work for me, whereas Temple had a very good program despite having less of a big name. Truly research what you want to do and apply to schools that excel in that, instead of excelling in popularity. Additionally, be aware of your financial aid needs. As someone who lived with a single mom and has to pay for college, it was silly for me to apply to out of state schools or schools that gave very little financial aid. Look into the typical awards and aid given by schools that you are interested in — there are many schools that will meet your needs, you just have to find them. Finally, visit a lot of schools! Finding a place you fit in is just as important as finding a good place to learn. Figure out if you prefer city schools or rural campuses, big or small, major sports schools or no. These things will shape your next four years, and it’s crucial that you’ll be in an environment where you’ll not only thrive academically but socially as well.”
“First and foremost, I would tell any high school senior applying to college to keep an open mind. Apply to at least a couple of colleges that you know that you’re likely to get into, as well as at least one school that you’re very confident that you’d get into, and at least one school that you think might be a little bit of a reach. One caveat to this piece of advice though, make sure that you can actually picture yourself going to each place that you apply to. We all know the application process is expensive, so only apply to places where you would happy to be accepted to.”
- Lauren, University of Massachusetts
“The advice I would give to a high school senior is to not be afraid to set high goals. I graduated from a very small, public high school in Greece that no one has ever heard of and yet I managed to be the school’s first graduate to study abroad. What is most important, is to let your college application essay speak to who you are. Do not be afraid to be honest, accurate, and ask for feedback from your close family and close friends.”
- Angela, New York University
