The college process can be exciting, scary, overwhelming, or a mix of all of these emotions. Whether you are a junior and are just starting your process, or a freshman and have a few years to go, I think getting advice from people who have just experienced the college process will be helpful.
Personally, I think that my application process was a little all over the place. I didn’t quite know where to start, so I ended up doing a lot of random research on colleges that was not entirely helpful to me. I would encourage everyone to sit down and really think about what you are looking for in a college, and then do further research about schools that will satisfy your expectations. Additionally, I would recommend thinking carefully about the colleges you choose to apply to. I ended up applying to a lot of colleges I didn’t have much interest in just so I would have a larger selection of schools in the end, and as a result, I spent a lot of time writing essays that I did not need or want to.
But I know that everyone’s process is different, and that not everyone has had the same experiences as me, so I asked my classmates to share some of their own advice for underclassmen who are just starting the college process.
Here is some advice from the class of 2022:
- “Start your process early so you have an idea of where you want to apply senior year.”
- “Plan ahead, be respectful to your college counselors and be grateful that they put the time in for your application.”
- “Go stalk your counselors.”
- “Start early—like in the summer!!!”
- “Get involved inside and outside of school through all 4 years of high school.”
- “Be different. Do what you love. These experiences will help shape your application.”
- “Apply to any and everywhere, because you’re better safe than sorry.”
- “Only apply to schools you want to go to.”
- “Time management is important.”
- “Have an organized document with all of your supplemental essays.”
- “If the only reason you want to apply to certain schools is to impress other people, then you should reconsider.”
- “Once you start visiting colleges, create a list in your notes of 3 things you liked about the college, and 3 things you disliked about the college. You will forget if you don’t write it down!”
- “Get your essays done early and have at least 2-5 people read over them.”
- “Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone’s process is different!”
