by Bailee Brown
eSomethin Staff
College is just around the corner for many seniors and we are already almost one-fourth of the way through this 2016/2017 school year. Even if you aren’t a senior, you should know the basic procedures of college applications. Here is a guide for your pre-college experience!
Step 1: Researching
To apply to a college, you’ll need to know the deadlines and requirements. First, do some research on the specific school where you want to apply. You may need a certain GPA, ACT/SAT score, or a teacher recommendation letter. If you take the ACT this October, your scores will probably not be used for admission decisions. However, these can help with scholarship consideration later on.
“We tell students to give teachers at least two weeks notice to write a [recommendation] letter,” college advisor Lindsay Czech tells us.
When they finish, you should thank them and consider giving your teacher a gift for taking their time to help you. The letters you get from teachers should go through Naviance.
“We tell all seniors to have everything submitted to the colleges by Halloween. That’s the goal,” says Ms. Czech. The earliest college application deadlines are November 1st.
Step 2: Filling out Applications
The time it takes to fill out an application varies from college to college, but don’t expect to be doing much other than filling out each application for an hour.
“Common App is one application that students can fill out, there’s over 600 colleges and universities around the world that are on Common App… You could theoretically send it to 600 colleges and universities, but that would be very expensive because you still have to pay application fees,” says Ms. Czech.
When you’re filling out applications, you should have a parent or guardian help out because you may not know all the answers to all of the questions. Also, don’t just apply to one college! If you don’t get accepted you will be sorely disappointed that you have to wait another year to go after your college dreams.
Step 3: Waiting for Results
Don’t get discouraged when you don’t get an acceptance letter right away! But also you have to know when to start looking for more colleges.
Overall, good luck getting into the college you want and best wishes once you are accepted!
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