Five Tips to a Successful College Application

By Kiran Rayani on October 1, 2012

Photo by Ian Alexander Norman

It’s that time of year again: seniors from around the globe are getting their college applications completed and waiting for news to come about their acceptance. Unfortunately, during that process, you’re the one who gets bombarded with questions, and since you’re too nice to shut them down, you sit there and give them advice on how to succeed, even though you secretly can’t remember how to do that since you’re already in college—high school has been long gone. Here’s to those people who can’t remember what advice to give. Tell your little mentees these tips and you’ll be good to go!

  1. DO THE OPTIONAL ESSAYS. The creators of the application didn’t just put them there to waste space. Well, maybe they did, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do them. First off, doing those essays may give you a higher chance of getting a scholarship or maybe even just getting accepted into college. It shows them that you do more than you really have to. Secondly, it shows the people in the admissions office that you’re not lazy and that you won’t slack off after you start attending the college. More importantly, make sure you proofread your essays. Misplacement of a punctuation mark can change the entire meaning of the sentence: “I ate, Uncle Joe” can mean one thing and “I ate Uncle Joe” can mean something completely different.
  2. DON’T LIE ON YOUR RÉSUMÉ. Have you ever seen that one episode of Friends where Joey puts on his résumé that he’s a dancer? Well, during tryouts, the choreographer gave Joey the responsibility to teach the dance because of his great (fake) dancing background and Joey messes it up. Yup. You’ll end up like that. If you’re put in the spot for something you lied about, then that will make you look bad. It’s not worth it. If you want to make your résumé look good, then actually go out and do stuff to make it look good. Fill it with community service hours and leadership positions. That will not only look amazing on your résumé for future reference, but that might even get you a scholarship or two.
  3. RECOMMENDATION LETTERS ARE GOOD. They show how much your teachers and counselors really know about you, so form a good relationship with them. Don’t be afraid to ask them for recommendation letters, because they won’t say no. That’s their job. The closer your bond is with them, the better your chances to have a well written, personalized letter. Also, if you get the opportunity to read your letter, don’t do it. If colleges find out that you read it ahead of time, then there may be a chance that you’ll get rejected.
  4. GET FAFSA/SCHOLARSHIPS DONE ASAP. The opening date for FAFSA is January 1, and the faster you get it done to the opening date, the more money you will get. Federal money is good. Make sure you have your 2012 tax papers ready for the 2013 FAFSA. It doesn’t take that much time, so don’t put it off to the side. Also, the little scholarships online will really help you. It doesn’t hurt to try, and if you do get that scholarship, then remember, any free money is good money. You’re going to be in college. Your favorite word is going to be FREE if it isn’t already. Also, when applying to colleges, take into consideration the type of education and money needed. If it’s a college in New York, then chances are that the tuition will be higher (not to mention food and board and transportation). These little scholarships will save you from going bankrupt.
  5. DEADLINES are very important. Write down every deadline for every application. Some colleges may have a Central Time Zone deadline while others may have an Eastern Time Zone deadline, and if you don’t know which time zone your application falls under, then you may miss it while working on it last minute. And that takes me to my next point. Don’t do the applications last minute. Think about it and actually put effort in completing it. This isn’t a job application. This is your ticket to college (not that job applications aren’t just as important!). Don’t screw it up. Plus, you don’t want to stay up until midnight working on the application and not finishing your homework instead. Prioritize everything. Deadlines are approaching and if you haven’t already, start on your application. Get it out of the way. Also, apply for early admission if you can. It’ll give you more time to make your choice.

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