Five Tips and Tricks for Applying to College

By Brooke O’Leary It’s that time of the year again, time to apply to college. When choosing where you’re going to be for the next four years of your life, there’s an endless list of things to consider when choosing where you want to go. But you have to get accepted first. Listed below are five useful tips on the college application process. Hopefully, it makes applying to college a little bit easier. Stay organized “This is the most important time of the year to get and stay organized. First, save all college application usernames and passwords in one place. You can do this on your computer with Mac Stickies or a Microsoft Word document. Colleges require different types of usernames, and not only do you submit applications this way, but you also get admitted and learn about housing, accepting, and enrolling.” — Rebecca Joseph, executive director and founder, Get Me To College Challenge yourself accordingly “Admission officers talk about the importance of rigor in a student’s high-school program. When students ask, should I take an AP course and get a lower grade or take a lower level course and get an A, the cliché answer is: Students should take the AP course and get an A. Not very helpful! What we should be talking about is appropriate rigor. That is, if the student can take the AP course and get an A or B, then that’s appropriate. If the student will get a C or lower, then she should reconsider. Grades of Cs ‘pop’ on a transcript to selective colleges since we don’t see them often. That doesn’t mean that one C on a transcript will mean a student won’t get into college. What is does mean is that students shouldn’t over-challenge themselves.” — Debra Shaver, director of admission, Smith College Utilize your school’s guidance counselor “Start early… April vacation of junior year is a great time to start visiting colleges.  Think about setting up an appointment to meet with an admission representative in conjunction with your college tour.  Bring along a journal or a “College Visit Checklist” that you can refer to when narrowing down your college list.” –Marian Montano, Branford High School Guidance Counselor Be creative with your essay You have a unique background, interests and personality. This is your chance to tell your story (or at least part of it). The best way to tell your story is to write a personal, thoughtful essay about something that has meaning for you. Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through. Admissions officers have to read an unbelievable number of college essays, most of which are forgettable. Many students try to sound smart rather than sounding like themselves. Others write about a subject that they don’t care about, but that they think will impress admissions officers You don’t need to have started your own business or have spent the summer hiking the Appalachian Trail. Colleges are simply looking for thoughtful, motivated students who will add something to the first-year class. –The Princeton Review (Crafting an Unforgettable College Essay) Be well rounded, while not spreading yourself out too thin “Being in 10 clubs, playing three sports, and volunteering at your local food kitchen an hour a week does not help you get into Harvard. In fact, it makes you look like you don’t really know yourself or what you want to do. Focus on a few interests you really  care about and go deep” –Jessica Yeager, Contributor, Business Insider