The idea of finally applying to colleges seems exciting, daunting, and scary at the same time. Ideally, it should only be exciting. However, as we embark on this new chapter of our lives, it’s difficult not to feel stressed and anxious with the entire process. In this article, we will provide you with essential tips that are sure to help you get through the entire process of applying for colleges. Here’s what you need to know:
You Need to Focus on One School
Most prospective college students confuse themselves by working on supplements for a number of schools and they do this all at once. This is not the way to go as it will increase the chances of you accidentally writing two essays on similar topics for a single application. An application that you send to a school must include all the things that you want the college or university to know. It helps if you go through all of the requirements of a particular school first. Once you’ve made sure that you have relayed a full, coherent story to the admissions officer, then that’s the perfect time to apply for a different college.
Create a Schedule
Keep tabs on all the things that you need to do, especially the deadlines. If possible, take out your phone and computer and set calendar reminders. This will give you the assurance that you never miss important due dates. Also, plan to finish the essays that you need to write weeks before you need to. It’s good to have ample time in case technical difficulties arise by the time you submit your application. Something in your life may also come up like an extracurricular activity or family commitment.
If you can, your essays must be finished before you take your final exams. This way, you can devote all your time to studying. If you can complete them before winter break, the better so the holidays are completely stress-free.
Set Aside Work Time
If you find it hard to find the best time to work on your essays as you also need to do your homework, you can still finish before the deadline if you set aside just a couple of hours each week and dedicate it to writing your applications. Little by little, you will get everything done. Just make sure that you never blow off the scheduled time for working.
Don’t Allow Sticker Shock to Deter You
Different colleges that start with different sticker prices usually end up costing a student almost the same exact amount. Schools like small liberal arts colleges have sizable endowments and they offer a quite generous financial aid package. Make sure you compare the actual costs whenever you size schools up financially. If you are in need of a financial instrument that can help you fund college, we suggest you look into CMC Markets as they offer such.
Reuse Essays
If possible, adapt or reuse essays for multiple schools. Doing so will save you time and energy. Most of the time, it will require you to add one or two paragraphs. This is way better than writing a new essay. Supplements that you must not adapt, however, are essays on “Why do you want to study in our school?” These are very specific to the opportunities and programs that each school provides.
Don’t Wait
Don’t wait until you hear from your first school of choice to write another essay for a different school. Although this will be quite tempting, you will be stuck with weeks doing nothing other than writing essays if you get deferred or rejected. In order to take the stress away, get stuff done early.
Learn How to Save Your Files
Imagine how heartbreaking it is to find out that the essay you have been working very hard on was not saved. Learn how to save your drafts. Also, back up your PC regularly. You can also put all of your work on Google Drive. If you want to be extra careful, send yourself emails of your essays. Use all of the methods we gave you and you’ll be sure that your documents are as safe as possible. After all, you can never foresee a terrible accident happening in the future.
