It’s August 22, which means, if you’re counting, there are 71 days until that major college application deadline of November 1. You’ve probably got your reaches and safeties, your resumes and recommenders. Or maybe you’re procrastinating! Wherever you are right now in the process, here are some things I wish I’d known or that helped me this time last year! These are (mostly) more practical for the actual process as opposed to the lessons learned side of things, but if y'all want I can do a future post on that too!
don’t send your scores
By which I mean, don’t send them to all your schools right when you apply! Use your free sends, but don’t pay extra unless you have to. Basically, do your research. A lot of colleges just need them after they accept you; they’ll let you self-report during application season. I made this mistake and ended up paying a ton of extra money to send official scores to schools that I didn't end up going to. This is true if you have transfer credit for a dual credit, dual enrollment, or summer college course too. Some schools will want your transcript eventually but not necessarily when you apply.
don’t stress about the money
College is expensive. We all know that. But breathe— it works out! You’ll get scholarships. You’ll get accepted to schools that don’t charge a lot. You can always take loans if you have to. It will work out. Apply to a range. Maybe pick at least one small state school where you know you won’t have to pay very much at all. Check out this list of schools that don’t even have tuition! Apply to expensive schools too and see what they offer you. And when your schools send you scholarship applications, fill those out! Some schools or programs will award more scholarships if you apply for honors programs or other specialized programs within the school; make sure to look out for those too.
keep an eye out for your email
A lot of schools will send you free applications, so make sure to look out for those emails! I applied to six extra schools because they sent me free applications, and I got into all of them with scholarship money. It’s a really good opportunity to explore schools you hadn’t considered before that might be smart financially.
There are also a ton of schools that have no fees to apply at all! Here’s a list of some. If you're on CommonApp, Coalition App, or a state-specific application website, often you can filter search results for schools that don't have application fees (or don't require rec letters, or standardized tests, or supplemental essays...)
That said, don’t waste hours on free applications. Some will be easier than others. I did one for Iowa State University in one class period, and their computer algorithm admitted me right there on the spot. But I also wasted a whole morning filling out the free application for the University of Minnesota without knowing much about the school. So don’t do that. Those extra acceptances are often good financial considerations, but be smart!
order an unofficial transcript
Depending on your high school, there might be different policies for getting transcripts. When you get your official one, order an unofficial one that you can use to double-check all your information and send to scholarship programs.
keep a list of your information
Keep a list written of your test scores, dates of work or programs you did, your awards, your social security number, your GPA (both weighted and unweighted), and your rank if you know it. Also have your parents’ date of birth, education levels, graduation years, degrees, job titles, and places of employment. If it asks for it on the first application you do, write it down for the next one.
have a folder of all your applications
There are several ways to do this. What I found most effective was using Google Docs and having a huge document with all of my essays that I'd ever written. I would write individual essays, edit them, and finish them in a separate document, but once I submitted, I would copy and paste that whole essay into my main doc. That document ended up being around 90 pages! What this allows you to do is scroll through (with headings to help you navigate) and see all your options without opening separate tabs. A lot of schools will have similar prompts for their supplements; a lot of scholarships will have similar prompts for their essay submissions. If you keep it all in one document it's easy to decide which essay you've already written can best be adapted to the new prompt. Then, when you have a new version of that essay, throw it back in the main doc for the next time you need to apply for something!
I'd also recommend keeping a digital version of your unofficial transcript, SAR (student aid report from FAFSA, when you get that), resume, SAT/ACT/AP/IB/SAT Subject/etc score reports in that file too. Make sure to black out sensitive information like your social security number from your unofficial transcript and SAR in case you end up uploading those to a scholarship program's website.
you’re the constant
This one is more serious, and it’s something my physics teacher told me after I got some disappointing news from one of my schools. “You’re the constant in the equation of your life,” she told me. “The physics is going to be the same everywhere. The rockets are going to be the same. The most important part of your success isn’t the school, it’s you.”
So if you’re the constant, focus on you. Pour into the person you are now. Grow throughout senior year; don't get bogged down in the details of freshman year! Invest in yourself and the people around you. It’s all going to be so good.
Best of luck on your applications, class of 2020!
Comments