Tips for Applying to College

There's no easy way to say this, but applying to college is hard. It's time consuming, stressful, and in the end you're judged less on yourself as a person than what a couple pieces of paper say about you! You may have to send in writing samples, letters of reference, grade reports, and more. Some schools will want to interview you, but more will just want to see what you "look" like on paper. Before you start filling out college applications, here are some tips on how to make yourself look the best on paper, so you'll feel like your best after you finish applying!

1. Research, Research, Research!

You can never research a college too much before you apply to any! You always want to know what you're getting yourself into before you send any college any money, be it your tuition or an application fee. Get to know campus guidelines-i.e., drinking policies, housing arrangements and rules, rules about dating and socializing with members of the opposite sex, etc.-and know what schools are compatible with you. You should also get to know: the availability of financial aid; tuition rates and payment options; the level of the campus's diversity (especially if you are a minority, international, or third-culture student, or if you're gay/lesbian/etc.); extracurricular activities and sports programs; the campus's academic atmosphere; and the culture and environment of any surrounding communities (and the availability of them; i.e., if you're close to a city or in the middle of nowhere), among other things.

2. Know What You Can Afford

Most folks will tell you that you can achieve anything if you work hard enough. But working hard doesn't mean you'll be able to pay off $50,000 in debt after graduation. Before you even think of applying to a school, know whether or not you'll be able to afford it. Talk to a campus financial aid representative to get a feel of what kind of aid packages students get, and how eligible you are for campus scholarships, grants, etc. You must have an idea of how much school will cost you before you apply!

3. Read the Instructions on the Application

You'd be surprised at how meticulous some schools can get about how to apply. Some want you to fill out the paper application in blue or black in specifically. Some may want you to type out your essays instead of hand-writing them (which is always a good idea, anyway). Others will give very specific instructions regarding word counts for essays and other parts of your application. Know what you're filling out, and how you're supposed to fill it out, before you even write your name.

4. Read the Full Application Before You Sign Anything

When I was applying for colleges, one application had several forms that had to be signed in order for the application to be considered complete. One of those forms was the college's community agreement. Had I not read it, I would have missed some very serious issues that I didn't consider compatible with what I was looking for in a college! Sometimes colleges use their applications to weed out who is compatible with them; including a covenant or contract that must be agreed to before you even enroll is one way of doing that. If you sign it, and are accepted, you are expected to abide by it, whether you ever actually read it or not! Just as the campus can weed you out with such paper work, make sure you read everything so you can weed campuses out as well!

5. Draft, Edit, Re-Draft, Re-Edit, and Repeat

While no one should ever spend too much time filling out a single college application, you should always make sure you spend plenty of time perfecting your admission's essays. Colleges are looking for your best work to show you can keep up with the high demands of college writing. Handing in an essay with typos, grammatical errors, and other mistakes tells a campus you aren't interested enough in their approval to know the different between "there," "their," and "they're." Write out a rough draft of your essay in which you say everything you want to say. Edit the essay to weed out unimportant information, or information that can be conveyed on the actual application form. Rewrite your essay with these changes, and then re-edit your essay for spelling and grammatical errors. Then reread your essay and re-draft it if necessary. Have someone else read it who will be just as critical as any admissions representative would be. In fact, have more than one person read it; different people will find different things you might need to fix. The point is: you want your essay to be as perfect as possible before you send it out.

6. Be Serious

Some college admissions officers will appreciate your sense of humor. But spending a lot of time in your essay trying to boast your ability to get a laugh is not a good idea. Show the school through your writing how much you want to be there, and how seriously you're taking your application. Otherwise, they may be chuckling as they write your letter of rejection. That said, if humor is a part of who you are, feel free to use it, just not overbearingly.

7. Be Serious, Again

Some students are applying to colleges using their junior year records as proof of their excellence. But if you go from a 4.0 to a 2.7 your senior year, don't think your college won't notice! The same goes for the level of classes you take; if you're taking crack-the-whip courses your junior year, and switch to tiptoe-through-the-tulips levels your senior year, a college will not be impressed. Don't think just because you got accepted to a school based on your junior year record, a college or university stops paying attention to your grades. Many may ask for a final transcript of your high school records (or college records, if you're applying to graduate school) before finalizing your acceptance.

8. Be Real

Don't try to impress a college or university with a long list of activities you aren't actually interested in. And don't just regurgitate the college's mission statement. Believe me when I tell you that colleges have seen it all; they know when someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Be yourself, open, and honest, when applying; otherwise, even if they don't see through your charade, you may realize you were playing a part for the wrong school!

9. Stay Calm . . . Don't Freak Out

So you sent your applications in six months ago, and still have heard nothing back. Do not start flooding the university's admissions office with calls! It's okay to check up on what's happening with your application, but do it respectfully. You aren't the only one applying, and sometimes it takes a little longer than you'd like to find out where you've been accepted. It's good to check with the admissions office for three things: to make sure they received your application on time after you send it (call about a week after you sent it, or a week before the application deadline); to check the status of your application (call anywhere from a few days to a week after the stated time it usually takes to review applications); and to check up on financial aid (if the school says you should receive your financial aid package at a certain time after your acceptance). I'm not saying those are the only three times you should call, but much more than that and you could become a nuisance.

10. Fight for Financial Aid

Once you get your acceptance letters, it's time to start bartering for financial aid. Let's say you get into three schools. One is the school you really wanted, but they've offered you the least financial aid. One is a school you weren't really serious about, but you got in and you got a fantastic financial aid package. The third is somewhere in the middle. While you might want to go with school B, that gave you the best financial aid, you should also considering getting in contact with your choice school. Now that you've been accepted, you have leverage. Let the college's financial aid officers know if they haven't given you enough to afford them; tell them you've received better offers from other great schools, but you really want to go to their school. Don't be pushy, but be persistent. And if the school won't budge, you still have two other schools to consider. Remember, college isn't just about where you want to be; sometimes it's also about where you can afford to be. But just because a school sends you a package with some money doesn't mean that's all they have to offer. Check back with the school after you receive your package, and after the final deadline to accept your acceptance has passed; sometimes other students won't have accepted their admittance, opening up more aid for you!

There are other things you have to remember while applying to college. Pick good references; know the people who will say you are a great student, verses those who will say they think you're a good student. Be prepared for an interview; many schools say you won't need one, but some may be torn on whether they want to accept you or not, and in that case you have to be prepared to answer some face-to-face questions about yourself and your application. If the campus offers visitation days after you've been accepted, or while you're waiting to find out, attend them! Know the difference between showing your enthusiasm for a school and over-compensating. Respond to your acceptance letter as soon as the college requests that you do; if it's on a tight deadline, you can request more time, but usually you have to say in writing that you accept or decline your admission, or else they may just drop your acceptance.