College Admission Applications
by Elizabeth Misleh
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." — Confucius
The first step on your thousand-mile college journey is the admissions application process. While simple sounding enough, do not underestimate the power that packet of paper contains. In most cases, the information you provide will be the first introduction to the school or schools of your dreams. Your college applications should say a lot about you and make a lasting impression on the college admissions recruiter.
Below you will find the steps you should take when going through the admissions process.
1) Be Prepared:
Colleges and universities are going to want to know a lot about you, and the application process would go a lot more smoothly if you had all your information readily available. Know your essay topic, reference names, how to access your SAT/ACT scores, whether or not you want to apply to colleges online or on paper, and most importantly, where you want to apply!
2) Filling out Your Application:
Whether you are applying to 12 schools or two, you should know where ahead of time so you can fill out at once rather than one by one. A lot of applications ask the same general information and to fill them out altogether can make your life easier. Also, if the essay questions are similar on the applications, you can write one essay for several applications.
Some schools now also offer electronic applications—eliminating the need for lots of paper! The best source is www.collegeview.com/college/applications/. There you can fill out a variety of college applications and send them in directly to the school with just a click of a button!
3) Essays:
Be aware! The majority of your time will be spent writing your college admissions essays. This is where you will have to put forth lots of effort in order to make your essays clear, concise, and captivating. Most colleges give you a choice of essay topics, so you will most likely be able to pick one that you think you will be able to elaborate on.
Essays are generally about 300-500 words long and should answer the question exactly. Remember, the essay can make or break your application, so write carefully. Have a parent or teacher proofread your essay for grammatical errors and to give you some feedback before you send in the final copy. Never, ever lie on a college admissions essay.
4) Recommendations:
Most colleges and universities require two or three letters of recommendation from your high school teachers and guidance counselors. Make sure you ask your teachers well in advance of when you are turning in your application because many of them will have several recommendations to write. Make sure you choose teachers and/or counselors who are familiar with your achievements as well as your classroom efforts. Your teachers should not only know your GPA, but also know a lot about your character and be able to convey this to the school to which you are applying. Don't forget to provide your teachers/counselors with a stamped envelope addressed to the corresponding college and remind them of any deadlines. Often, colleges won't even look at your application until all pieces of information are accounted for.
5) SAT/ACT:
Most colleges will also want to see a copy of your SAT and/or ACT scores. These need to be sent directly from the College Examination Board and ACT, even though there is a place for you to write your scores in on your application. When taking the tests, you can request that your scores automatically be sent to a set amount of colleges.
6) High School Transcript:
All applications will also request that your high school send them a copy of your transcript up through your junior year of high school. As with your recommendations, make sure you notify your school ahead of time that they will need to send your transcript on to other colleges. Make sure to provide your high school with the names and addresses of the colleges to which you are applying. Your high school guidance counselor can explain your school's specific requirements in obtaining transcripts.
Once you have all the above materials together, all that's left is to wait and hear from the school about your acceptance. This can be a long and tedious process, but it's worth it in the end when you get into the school you've always wanted to attend!
