Graduations often include a lot of emotions. Being surrounded by people you have known for a long time and celebrating this huge accomplishment with them brings a wave of happiness.
However, graduations also bring with them a sense of dread over what the future holds.
With college deadlines looming, here are six tips for graduating seniors applying to college.
Table of Contents
1. Start Your Search Early
Whether it is from parents, guidance counselors or your teachers, you will hear this advice over and over when you are preparing for college. Starting early is essential but most of the time it is confusing to understand what exactly you need to start early on.
The best thing that you can do is scope out all the schools that you are interested in and start making lists of things you need to do to get into that school.
Signup for updates from your potential universities and check them regularly to see when deadlines are coming up.
2. Calculate And Boost Your Chances
There is no denying that it is important to get a good education from a reputable institution, but it can quickly become overwhelming to choose one. When applying as a senior, your priority is to get into at least one of the top schools that you are interested in, and the only way to do that is to exceed every single requirement.
There are many online tools available that will help you calculate your chances of getting admission. These tools utilize school information such as acceptance rates and admissions data and cross-check it against your test scores and GPA. Such tools will help you set realistic expectations.
However, it is important to remember that these tools don’t take into account any extra-curricular activities. If you have achieved some laurels to boost your chances, you absolutely should apply. These chance-boosting activities can include anything from playing varsity sports to running your non-profit organization.
3. Take Dual Credit Courses
Many high schools partner with nearby community colleges to create courses that you will learn in school but get dual credit for. Getting college credit for a high school course can be an efficient way to decrease your college course load.
Since most colleges require some general education classes, you can get a headstart and dive straight into classes for your major.
While these courses are a great way to decrease course load, beware that many universities limit the number of credits you are allowed to transfer.
4. Work On Your Essays
Students are frequently surprised when they hear that application essays matter almost as much as their test scores. Much of a high schooler’s time is spent preparing for standardized testing but essay preparation hardly gets a month.
The most beneficial thing that you can do is find out the essay topics for your potential universities and just start writing every two weeks.
By the time you are ready to apply to colleges, you have a massive document of content and all you need to do now is rearrange it.
If you don’t think you are ready for this exercise, there are a few credible online resources and essay samples to help students in similar situations.
5. Apply For Scholarships
College expenses can vary depending on location but they are often pretty high. You should start applying for scholarships while in high school as many scholarship-granting institutions close applications as early as the summer before starting your first semester.
With such tight deadlines, you need to be on the lookout for every scholarship that you can apply to from honors societies to minority scholarships.
By writing a couple of essays for funding consideration, you might just be able to offset a majority of your education costs.
6. Create Your Resume
Many students don’t realize how quickly everything moves once they are in college. Before you know it, you are applying to internships and trying to get campus jobs.
Campus jobs are the easiest way to make money with almost no extra costs such as commuting or food. Additionally, many even come with their perks depending on which department you choose to work for.
Not only will you gain great experience, but also befriend some of your college faculty. To get started right away, you will need a resume. Visit your school counselor and work with them to create a strong resume that shows your versatile interests.
Many colleges even ask for resumes when applying so make sure you are ready.
Conclusion
High school is a great time to enjoy and explore new interests but it is also the beginning of the rest of your life.
Try your best to strike a balance between preparing for what is next and enjoying your time in high school.
Also, Read – Having a Tech Interview scheduled in the upcoming weeks? Here’s how to handle it like a piece of cake in 2023
