Advice for Applying to College

It’s college application season! As stressful as college can be, it doesn’t have to be scary; after compiling information from the college workshop and from adults around the building who have previously helped students throughout their careers, here is a comprehensive list of everything you should know when applying to college. 

Picking colleges can be a tedious process. The easiest place to start is going to the website and seeing if the program/major they offer is in line with what you want. Often, they have their programs under their “Academics” tab. Along with that, consider signing up for their email list to find out about events- in their emails you can find out about any virtual information events that will tell you about their college. If the program and presentation check off the boxes, consider going on a tour! Here, you can find out more information and see the place you’re going to be for the next four years. Environment has a big impact on performance. 

But, if tours are not possible, consider looking at their virtual tours- a lot of schools still have these post-COVID. They can still give you a good idea of what it’s like, and also research the town the school is located in order to figure out nearby attractions and what the possible atmosphere of the college is. If needed, find student blogs or YouTube videos where students talk about their experiences- however majors and lifestyle choices can play a role in how their experience is, so take what they say with a grain of salt. 

After finding your right college, it’s best to create a spreadsheet with the school, location, acceptance rate, possible majors, applications deadlines, when you are applying, and if that school is a target, reach, or safety school. Now, on to applications. We spoke with Mrs. Beam the TJ AP Literature teacher, a seasoned college essay helper, and Mr. Riggin to hear about what they think is most important about applying to colleges. 

According to Mrs. Beam, avoid topics about sports injuries- a lot of student athletes will be applying and most likely have had an injury at some point. Injuries are a fairly common experience, so it doesn’t really tell much about the applicant. In a similar sense, writing about the pandemic is an experience that affected us all, so this would be too vague for Admissions Offices to get a good understanding of who you are. “The importance of a college essay is to highlight yourself and stand out,” says Beam, in regards to why it is important not to be cliche with your writing. 

“Relax, go into [your] own relaxed state of mind, and think about what really has ever happened to them that has really been transformative.” She continues by saying how this could be something someone said, or something good or bad that has happened to you. This moment should’ve made you feel different about yourself, that is “transformative”. 

When writing essays about topics that are uncomfortable in your life that moved you, make sure that it’s something you’re willing to talk about in detail and you can show that it brought about positive change in your life. 

Though college essays are a big part of your application, I spoke to Mr. Riggin, one of our TJ Counselors, on getting through college applications season as a whole. Make sure you stay organized on your deadlines- that’s keep to making sure you get everything in on time. Get your green sheet done at least 3 weeks before your deadline, guidance is sending out transcripts for a lot of students. Sooner rather than later ensures your transcripts get sent to your college in good timing. 

If you’ve only met your counselor a few times, they may not know much about you. Make sure that you write in depth about your extracurricular activities on your brag sheet so that they have plenty to work off of when they go to write your recommendation letter. Teachers also have access to this, so it will help them embellish their recommendation letter too.

All in all, make sure that your essay is definitive representation of your character, your brag sheet is an exhausted list of everything you’ve done, and you’re keeping track of the clock. As everyone says, high school goes back quicker than you expect, and even quicker your senior year.