What to do in the college admissions process before you begin senior year

What+to+do+in+the+college+admissions+process+before+you+begin+senior+year

As the second semester continues, myself and many other seniors find themselves closing in on the end of the college admissions process. While this is an exciting time in everyone’s lives, it is also incredibly stressful. When reflecting on the past months I found that this process was far more stressful than it needed to be. This was because I, like many others, waited until senior year to begin. If you get the most basic college application duties out of the way in your Junior year, this process becomes far less stressful. Here are some things I think every Highschooler should do before their first day of senior year.

 

Create a Common App account:

This is by no means a difficult task but for many it marks the beginning of the college application process. Getting this done ASAP allows for you to go ahead and start looking at colleges and creating a list of places you would like to go.

 

Research Colleges:
I touched on this in my last tip but it’s important to get a working list of places you are interested in attending. If you have a specific major in mind this process is a little easier, but if you’re like me and are unsure of what you want to study I recommend you start researching now. 

 

Structure your Common App essay: 

The main Common App essay tends to feature a variety of prompts to choose from with the option to also just write about whatever you want. Most people won’t end up writing their essay over the summer but it’s important to think about what you want colleges to know about you, what experience could you tell a good story about, and what do you want to elaborate on that your basic information doesn’t cover.  

 

Make a schedule:

Perhaps the most important thing you can do before the college admissions process is get organized and plan out when you can work on essays. The earlier you complete each step in the process, the easier the process becomes. 

 

The college admissions process is daunting, and it becomes especially stressful if you push it all off. If you get an early start on this process, it becomes far less stressful and you will be able to enjoy the college search rather than dread it.