by Danielle Carr, ’18

As college application season comes to a close for seniors, we want to pass on what we’ve learned in this process to the juniors, who are just now starting their search. This process may seem daunting at the start, but we promise you it will be successful, and you’ll even have fun along the way! Below are ten tips that made my application process so much less stressful:

1. Be open to new schools: just because you haven’t heard about them doesn’t mean they’re not good!
2.  If you don’t know where to start, choose a few criteria that are really important to you (location, program, sports) and narrow your search that way. It’s doesn’t matter how trivial the criteria may seem, it’ll help you get started.
3. You really really don’t have to tell anyone about any part of your college search if you don’t want to. No one, not even your best friend, has to know what schools you’re looking at, much less a random family friend at a dinner party.
4. Don’t get blinded by Ivy Leagues or other schools with prestigious names. If you don’t think you’d be happy there, it’s not worth it. On that note, don’t compare yourself to those who are going to those types of schools, you’ll go where you’re meant to go.
5. Start your Common Application essay over the summer; it’ll be a lot easier come fall when you have supplements to do on top of that. Also, fill out your Common App biographical information as soon as possible. It’s a lot, but it’s relatively easy to get started on.
6. If you need to take a mental health day to slow down and catch up on work, do it. Don’t take too many; one or two during essay writing season is probably all you should take. But the pressure of senior year course work on top of emotionally draining college essay writing can be alleviated with one slow day.
7. Be organized in your search: have a notebook and take notes on each school you’re interested in as you go through their website. Look at their programs, study abroad opportunities, and extracurriculars, and take virtual tours of the campus if they have them. The organization will help a lot!
8. Communicate to your parents about finance and how much they’re able to pay. Every school you apply to will probably be out of that range, but look for scholarship opportunities within the school. Honors colleges often offer scholarships to their admitted students.
9. Visit the school if you can. No amount of virtual tours or google image searches will replace being on campus and getting the “vibe”. If you visit and don’t like the vibe, that’s ok, even if you can’t put your finger on what exactly is wrong. Don’t completely discard it if there’s other aspects you may like about it, but a lot of the time, disliking the feel of a school trumps anything that school may have going for it.
10. Remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel – trimesters 2 and 3 mean senior celebrations and less stress. It’ll take a few weeks to get used to not being so wound up, but it does get better. The essay writing and actual applications are the most stressful parts, but that’s only a few months, although it may not seem that way. Also, trust your college counselor! They’re the bomb.com and your saviors for the next year or so. Good luck!!