5 College Application Tips to Make Your Life Easier

If you’re reading this and are about to start tackling the college application process, fear not—I’m here to help! This time last year, I didn’t have the slightest idea where I would end up going to college. What I didn’t realize at that time was that pretty much all of my classmates had no idea where they were going either. Just the thought of applying to college would stress me out. To make your life easier here are a few tips to help you get through your application with minimal hassle.

1. Know Your Limits

We’ve all got them. Whether it be grades, cost, distance, etc. you will be somewhat limited in your college search. Don’t let this discourage you; there are tons of schools just waiting to accept you! You just have to do your part and look for the schools that fit what you’re looking for. Next, narrow down your choices by the school’s required qualifications for students. It’s good to differentiate your “reach” schools, “neutral” schools, and your “safety” school. Reach schools will be those that are harder for you to get into while you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot at a safety. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t quite meet the requirements of some schools, if it’s your dream school then apply anyways—you never know! Neutral schools are colleges and universities that you’re hoping to get into but feel confident that you may be accepted. A safety school should be something to fall back on. Most of your applications should be for neutral schools.

2. Research

Once you know what schools you want to apply to start to really look into the detail of each school. I used websites like Niche to get a feel for how students feel about their campus. Disclosures—don’t make judgments solely off of these student rankings, there is always more than meets the eye and everyone is different. You can also take a peek at Students Review to get insight on how clean the campus is, the fun spots to hang out, and how nice the dorms are. Using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to get a feel for the school is also a clever idea. Search tag lines on their websites to see what people are saying. For example: I could type in “University of Florida” on Facebook and see news about the school, pages to check out and maybe even some of my friends mentioning stuff about the school. We all already know that social media is a useful tool, use this to your advantage and give “Facebook stalking” a new meaning.

3. Common App

Now that you’ve narrowed your search, you can begin working on your applications.  To save your time and money, check out the Common App. The Common App is a nationally recognized foundation that has permission from 500 schools in 47 states—and some other countries—to submit applications online. This is definitely the best idea for making college applications a breeze. Colleges understand that its a tedious task to upload the same information over and over again. With the Common App you fill in your basic information, upload your resume, and upload your application essay once! You may come across some supplemental essays that a school may want you do to, but other than that you’re set! This is a wonderful invention, take advantage of this. You can begin applying to schools via the Common App as soon as August 1st.

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4. Resume

Start building your professional profile. If you haven’t already made a cumulative list of your achievements and work in high school, take some time to reflect on what you’ve done and pick out your best accomplishments to include on a resume. You’ll want a general list of community service, academic achievements, extracurricular activities and grade averages on hand, because trust me, you will be asked them over and over again for the next year or two. Creating a resume is also helpful after you’ve gotten into your dream school. Once in college you’ll be able to add anything that you do like clubs, volunteering, or being a member of Greek life to your resume. Once you’ve made it far enough to begin thinking about jobs and internships you’ll be glad you started working on your resume early.

5. Decision Time

Once you’ve finished applying to schools your nerves will probably start to set in. Remember that you have officially done everything that you can and now it’s up to the application board. You’ll low key start checking your mail box and email daily looking for the big envelope. Don’t worry, everyone else does the same thing. When the day comes where you finally get your letters, the pressure is put back on you. Go back to social media stalking, visit your top candidates’ schools if you haven’t already, and get in touch with regional recruiters—don’t rush your decision. If you’re playing sports or offered scholarships, make sure you weigh your options with your priorities in mind. Do everything you can to get to know your future school a little more—this can be very exciting! Take all the time you need—up until May 1^st—to make your decision. When all is said and done, pick the school that you feel comfortable with and suits you best. This is your decision—you’re the one who’s going to be spending the next four years living there so make that this is your decision. Good luck and choose wisely!