What to Expect When You’re Applying to College
After years of working hard in school, completing volunteer hours, starting and running school clubs, and stressing about the SAT, it’s here: the college application.
There’s no doubt you’re nervous (don’t worry, everyone is!). We at Student Voice want to make this process as painless as possible for you, so we’ve talked to college students nationwide and collected their advice for you:
“Be genuine. If you fake your way through your lists of activities and essays you’ll present a version of yourself and not your true self. The colleges where you’ll fit best are the ones that have accepted you as you are.”
-Marta Smith Miller, Belmont University
Make sure your applications are accurate, truthful, and neat. Remember that the name of the school will not determine your success in life. Whether you go to an in-state school or a wealthy and prestigious university, your efforts and drive for success will determine your destiny.
-Quadri Bell, University of South Carolina
In looking for colleges to apply to, always keep your options open. You may have your heart set on one school or a group of schools but end up falling in love with one that was never even on your radar to begin with. Don’t be discouraged from applying to private schools because of the price tag because almost all of them give amazing financial aid packages and end up costing you the same as it would to go to a public one!
-Cole Metcalfe, Emory University
Going through college applications is such an exciting time. It’s good to go to your guidance counselor and get help filling applications out, because they are really important and take time to do.
-Lizzy Koehler, Winthrop University
Make sure that you have a list of colleges that you would want to attend, including schools that are reaches and schools that are pretty easy to get into. Also, make sure you stay on top of all your deadlines because each college has different ones and a lot of them of extra dates for financial
-Emre Cakir, Princeton University
Write something that you are passionate about and, if applicable, write a personal story you are comfortable sharing. When you share something personal, usually it’s unique and will stand out to the university.
-Ebone Ivory, University of Alabama
The process doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes you won’t be accepted to a school you thought you were perfect for, but it won’t matter in the end since you will end up in the place best for you. Try to be original in your essays. While writing well is important, creativity is more important as it will help you stand out. Utilize your guidance counselor constantly and take advantage of any resources your high school may have.
-Gem McHaffey, Weasleyan University
Keep your options open. You may have your sights set on a certain school and neglect to look at a bunch of other places which could potentially be a great fit for you. By not keeping your options open you are only viewing a select bundle of schools which can feel restricting and scary. You are limiting your chances by applying to only a few places.
-Julia Fondiller, Smith College
Trust the system, but also trust your intuitions. Everyone always says that you can feel when you step onto a campus whether or not it’s the right fit for you, and I definitely felt that when stepping onto my campus. If you go through the system, what’s meant to be will be and everything will work out.
-Abi Roberts, American University
The moral of the story: be true to yourself, stay organized, and remember that here at Student Voice,
