College Application Advice

College applications are about far more than grades. College applications are about promoting yourself as a potentially valuable member of the campus community and worthy of their college degree. When going through the college application process, you need to keep that in mind.

First, there are some dos and don'ts for your last year of high school:

Do take the time to consider the list of colleges or universities you might like to attend. Schools that are a safe bet should be included on the list, additionally with academic challenge schools and colleges that are a reach. Do your homework and get as many school information resources about the university or college that you're thinking about. Don't be afraid to go for the top end or ivy league universities. There is not much to lose by filling out an application. Get a week-at-a-glance calendar and keep the application deadlines for every school.

If you are signed up to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes, be sure to take the AP exams. If you get a chance to take AP exams apart from the class, the money spent on them is insignificant, and well worth the risk. Furthermore, taking a CLEP exam can save you tuition money and help get you admitted to the school of your choice.

Begin cultivating your admissions essay early. This admission essay is the one opportunity you're going to get to state, in your own words, why you should attend this particular institution. Use the admission essay to talk about 2 or 3 things you have done that you are proud of, and relate those things to the ways you would interact within the college community. Make clear the things you are bringing to the institution, that go beyond the check for tuition. Make sure your admission essay gets read and re-read several different times, before mailing it. Make sure you include any recommendation letters from your teachers and advisors. The essay is ultimately your job interview for being a student at the college, so be sure that you make it as perfect as possible.

Do get some recommendation letters from your guidance counselor at high school, teachers, your boss, and anybody you do extracurricular activities with. Be sure you provide you with a decent amount of time to write your letter, and remember that letters of recommendation aren't the easiest things to write. Be sure you give them a stamped, addressed envelope to send them along.

Take your ACT and SAT exams in the fall. In particular, if you don't feel like you did well, give yourself the time to take them a second time in January. These career related tests are extremely important in determining which school you'll be able to attend. Some colleges or universities also are going to require you to send them your end-of-first-semester grades to check on your process for application.

Do check into the financial aid that is available to you at the college or university you wish to attend. It may very well be the right school, but can you pay for it? Learn what type of student loans you might be able to get and start going after it as early as possible. Are there scholarships available to you? Educational grants? Do you need to check into applying for student loans in order to pay for your education?

Keep doing well in your high school classes. Though academics and grades aren't the only admission requirement, they're a large portion of the process for admission. If you are a home schooled student, take some time to consult the colleges you are thinking about and check to see what they are going to need as confirmation for passing classes such as Civics and Chemistry.

And now, the don'ts. Don't be tempted by senioritis. Make it a point to go to your classes in your final high school semester; college admissions boards will screen for this, because students who get senioritis frequently become lazy college students as well.

Don't get too stressed out if something does not work out like you think it should. Allow yourself some time to do things again. The only thing that you cannot do over is mail an application out after the deadline. Don't ignore submission deadlines.