From a Teen's Perspective: Advice on College Admissions
As of May 1st, most students from the class of 2022 know where they are attending college as a member of the class of 2026. After a tumultuous year with continued complications from Covid-19 and some of the lowest college acceptance rates ever, we have reached the point where we can say we have been through the college application process.
At this point in the year, seniors are spending a lot of time reminiscing and reflecting. In my own way, this time is serving as a moment for me to give back, hoping to give advice to the next students who will go through this process. So, here are some of my largest suggestions on college applications for the class of 2023 and for anyone else in years to come:
Start your essays early. I can easily say that if I did not begin filling out the Common Application in the summer and even the end of my junior year, I would not have been able to apply to all of the colleges I did. Applications take a lot of time and effort, so getting as much completed as you can in the summer will help tremendously. Senior year is super busy, too, so take advantage of the time you have in the summer to get some work done.
Put ALL of your essays in a Google Doc (or online in some way). Do not only have one copy of your essay in the Common Application. I reused many of my essays for colleges and scholarship applications, and it was super easy because I could just edit what I already had on a Google Doc. With this, if the Common Application messes up for some reason, having an extra copy ensures your work won’t be lost.
Apply to as many schools as you want. I applied to thirteen schools, and I can say that I did not get in to all thirteen, but if I was to do it again, I would still apply to all of them. Even just applying to a college will give you a lot of experience with personal narrative writing and practice for interviews for the future. Take the chance to apply to all of the schools you would like, as this is a process with no room for regrets.
Dream big. If you have a dream school but you don’t think you can get in, apply anyway. You will never know if you don’t try, so go for it!
Get a lot of opinions on your essays. After asking yet another teacher to read my Common Application essay, my friend turned to me and asked, “Who hasn’t read your essay, Sidney?” Although he was making fun of me, I think getting as much advice as possible is important for writing your essays. However, in the end it is your essay, so you can make the final decisions on how it will turn out.
Recognize that it will all work out in the end. Regardless of what your acceptances come out to be, you will end up where you should be. It is easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself to make yourself “good enough” for a college, but in reality so much of the admissions process is out of your control. Trust whatever happens, and know that you will end up making a good decision.
Overall, the college admissions process is a whirlwind of emotions. Between stress on getting applications in and trying to wrestle with the fact that this is the last year in a world you are familiar with, it is easy to get overwhelmed. In the end, though, taking the time to apply wherever you want and trusting that everything will work out is important. Good luck on this journey, and I know you will do great!
