It’s senior year. Time to buckle down and start filling out college applications, resumes, writing your essay and taking the SAT and (if you’re like me) the ACT. But before you can send anything anywhere, you have to ask yourself — where do I want to be for the next four, maybe more, years?
For me, it was easy. I want to be anywhere but where I am now. I’ve outgrown the town I live in and I want to be in a city, where I can grow and not be held back.
Unfortunately, though, money is a dark cloud hanging over my head.
I come from a household with four children and a single mom. So, to be practical, I’m applying to some in-state schools, where the tuition will be cheaper and I may get more money; however, they only make up three out of my ten schools that I’m applying to. Community college isn’t an option for me because I know I won’t have the motivation to go.
The first step towards applying to college is the inevitable college essay. Some high schools (like mine) have college essay writing as part of their curriculum in the first few weeks of senior English. An essential part of writing your college essay is focusing on one topic — a majority of schools offer a list of topics to write about, and if writing isn’t your forté or you don’t find them interesting, they give the option to write freely. My essay was about how music has impacted my life, and where my love for it got started.
Next, it’s important to fill out the FAFSA and state financial aid forms. Yes, a lot of colleges remind you about the FAFSA, but not many remind you of in-state financial aid. My brother, who attends community college, had to take a semester off of school to save money since he and my mom both forgot about the state financial aid. Believe me, it’s not fun.
Also, don’t forget to apply for scholarships. Scholarships.com and scholly.com offer a wide variety of scholarships ranging in amounts of money awarded, and all you have to do is write an essay on the topic assigned as a submission. Apply for scholarships that your current high school may offer, as well as scholarships colleges you’re applying have.
My extracurricular activities and volunteer service ended up being a saving grace on my college application. My school guidance counselor said that since I had so many extracurriculars, ranging from Red Cross Club to being an editor for my school paper, to Guitar Club and performing at my school’s bi-annual acoustic coffee house show, my letter of recommendation was easier for her to write.
Don’t forget to ask for letters of recommendations! Get them from teachers who know you well, and make sure you ask early — they may end up with a stack full of recommendations to write and you don’t want to be forgotten.
Getting involved in your school is crucial; joining clubs, sports teams or volunteering at blood drives, soup kitchens, animal shelters or your local library can show how well-rounded you are. Don’t burn yourself out by overdoing it with the extracurricular activities, though.
I’m from New Jersey, where the ACT isn’t very popular and the SAT is more widely taken. Where the ACT covers the four core subjects (English, math, science, history), the SAT is two-thirds English, and one-third math. Since I’m not the best student with my B- average, my counselor suggested I take the ACT to give myself a bit of an edge. I happen to be eligible for fee waivers because of the fact that I receive free lunch. Check if you’re eligible for fee-waivers to sign up for standardized tests. The price per test taken ranges from $40-$60, depending on if it is taken with or without the essay. This, combined with the cost of sending college applications, means the whole process can get costly. Some schools offer application fee waivers, as well.
Don’t cross out community college as a possibility. It’s a money-saving option, and a stepping stone to bigger colleges.
Checking deadlines is key — you don’t want to be rushing to get all your materials together. Even if an application is rolling, try to get your application in as early as possible just to secure your spot.
Throughout my entire process of applying to college, the biggest thing I’ve learned is that everyone moves at their own pace. One of my friends has been accepted to four of the schools he’s applied to so far, with lots of scholarships from all the schools. My cousin has had her applications done for months and is just starting to hear back from school. My other friend hasn’t even started applying yet. And then there’s me. I’ve applied to two schools, one that I’ve gotten into (shout-out to Columbia College Chicago!) and one I have yet to hear back from. A majority of the colleges I’m applying to are rolling admission, which means I find out a few weeks after I send in my application.
There are times I doubt what I want to do but it always comes back to wanting to spend my life writing about what I love. Not knowing what you want to do isn’t the end of the world, though. College is a time to explore yourself and your interests. The first year is core classes and you can even explore different majors throughout your time at college.
Don’t forget that life isn’t a race. Take your time and don’t get nervous when your peers have gotten accepted to colleges before you did, or if they have their whole future and career figured out. You will eventually, too.
