College Application Readiness Tips For Seniors

ROBYN’S COLLEGE CORNER

Part II in a series on tips and trends for the upcoming college application season. (Be sure to read Part I for Tips #1-3).

With the new school year upon us, here are some tips that you can do to jumpstart the college application process (if you haven’t started already).

Tip #4: Write your résumé

Think about your accomplishments both inside and outside of high school and start compiling a list. Arrange them in order of importance to you, not chronologically. Don’t worry if you seem top-heavy in certain categories, i.e. all of your activities center around community service. A major misconception is that a well-rounded student is deemed more desirable than a candidate with one or two main activities. In fact, colleges would much rather see students specialize in one or two areas and who developed a deep commitment/passion for an activity instead of a student who signed up for every activity under the sun just to create a larger activity list.

Tip #5: Narrow your college list

I recommend applying to between five and eight schools. This is not a numbers game — the more schools you apply to does not equate to a higher chance of admission at any of the colleges. In fact, the national trend of applying to more schools has created the opposite effect — lower admission rates. There are more students applying to schools than ever before, but not more seats in the freshmen class to accommodate all of the qualified applicants.

Tip #6: Scrutinize your list

Ask yourself why you are applying to these schools. Why do you want to go there? This is your first major life decision, so don’t compile your list based on reasons like my sister/boyfriend/cousin/etc. attends there, so I’m sure I’ll like it. Yes, everyone will have an opinion on where you should attend, from your parents to your neighbor’s best friend’s uncle. However, this is your college decision. Consider how the schools on your list stack up with your opinions on these factors:

• The academics match your interests/future goals.
• The size of the campus (whether large state school or a smaller private one) feels right.
• The location is ideal. (You want to be in a big city where the action is or you prefer to be in a more college-town setting).
• The social activities and club offerings are exactly what you are looking for on a campus.  
• The college offers good financial aid, especially in the form of merit scholarships.
• The school is a realistic option given your academic profile.
• After a campus visit, it’s a gut feeling that this school is the right fit for you.