When fall semester commences, high school seniors will feel overwhelmed by the college application process. Below are some tips to help streamline this process. If your student would like the assistance of an educational consultant to provide further guidance, please contact Global Academic Consultants for a free consultation.
Here are five tips to help guide high school seniors with the college application process:
1. Choose the colleges to which the student plans to apply. Before students become overwhelmed with school commitments, they should take the opportunity to tour school campuses (in person or virtually), and attend campus events and college fairs (in person or virtually) to determine which schools are the best fit for them.
2. Demonstrate interest in the schools. It is important that students demonstrate interest in the schools to which they are applying. This is achieved by signing up for school newsletters, brochures, and other marketing collateral. The student should also open every email received by the schools, click through any links in the emails, and visit the website pages the schools are offering. Colleges have software systems that track which students open emails and click through on links, and how much time the student spends on website pages. Students should also attend any information sessions the colleges offer, particularly the online sessions that require little effort to attend.
3. Start completing the applications asap. The Common Application is available in August, which is a good time for high school seniors to buckle down and start completing their applications. Starting the process early can reduce the student’s workload once fall classes begin.
4. Register for standardized exams. It’s important to register for standardized exams, whether that be the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, and/or TOEFL as soon as possible. However, due to COVID-19, many colleges are waiving standardized exam scores as part of the application process. It is important that students understand the standardized exam requirements of the schools to which they are applying.
5. Begin writing the essays. Students should brainstorm potential essay topics before fall classes begin. Pinpoint those areas that are not expressed in the student’s resume and prepare to highlight these in the essays. It is important that the student effectively highlight his or her accomplishments in the personal statements. Since the essay component is one of the most important aspects of college applications, it is worthwhile to hire an educational consultant to ensure the student writes effective statements.