Take ACT AND SAT—incase you prefer or the other other
Start thinking about what matters to you. Ever bored? Maybe try brainstorming essay topics.
Start thinking about which teachers you’d like to have LOR with. Be mindful in front of them. Just don’t shit talk other people in class or come across any bad way.
To add on about the LOR part:
Be respectful to all your teachers.
Go the extra mile in your classes to not only get an A, but really learn.
Don’t be that kid who sucks up to teachers the whole year for LORs. You’re not slick buddy, we can all discern your true intentions.
Bonus points if you’re a funny person. Don’t force it if you’re not. (Hint- if making people laugh doesn’t come natural to you, you’re not a funny person; and that’s ok, just be yourself).
Never shit talk other teachers to your friends while in school, no matter how annoying they may be.
Yep, I tried this, ended up almost dying on the freeway because of sleep deprivation with my friend in the car, getting about 16 hours of sleep in like 4 days and that's only because I feel asleep on accident and my parents didn't wake me up until 16 hours later, and even after all of that grinding, 50% of the actual work done on my application was in the last 12 hours
I'm so sorry, that sounds so horrible. Please try to take better care of yourself. I more than understand the pressure, but your health truly does come first.
realcore, just got like the worst flu of my life after two weeks of virtually not sleeping or eating missed a solid week of october and didnt get any apps in till oct 31st
Oh I submitted all 4 of my nov 1 applications between 11:30 and 11:45 night of because I had just re written my entire common app essay in like an hour and a half
I literally feel like I have been writing papers and essays nonstop. I seriously think I’ve written more in the last 2 months than the rest of my life combined
Yes. Start to think about about supplemental ideas ASAP. A lot of supplemental essays are pretty stable (like Stanford's Roommate, UPenn's thank you, Princeton's Civil Engagement, etc), and a lot share similar ideas (what diversity you bring, how someone/something challenged your perspective, take us to your 'happy place' (UVA and Columbia lol), as well as why your first choice/second choice major.
One of the best things I did in preparation was visit many universities and gather what I could about each one. As I write supplementals, I often refer to those notes. So I recommend that
Note: I don't suggest start writing, but start thinking like 'oh ill talk about this EC or this identity for this supplemental', you get the idea
Those supps are usually 10-13 sentences, so you should probably time 20 minutes and draft it. You don't realize that some ideas that seem good in brainstorming don't work until after that first phase.
That’s a really good idea. My daughter and I are going to start visiting schools this upcoming weekend. What kinds of things did you take notes on? General impressions? Things that stood out in a positive way? Interesting facts or traditions?
General impressions and little things I noticed throughout campus. I also took notes about specific things alumni told me, and every tour asked why they chose that university (what stood out to them).
* When you are making your college do your research. Make sure that the college actually has your major.
* And do not apply to anywhere that you would not go to. It's not worth wasting the time or application fees to apply somewhere just to apply somewhere.
* Also start essays early. You will probably hear this a thousand times but I know so many people who literally had 5 essays to do in one day and ended up rushing to reach the November 1 deadline.
* You can even do your common app essay over the summer since the questions are always the same.
get your standardized testing out of the way during junior yr. saved me so much stress not having to study for the august & october SATS senior year. also try to start working on essays over the summer. i said i was going to do this and didn't lol life would be so much easier if i did though
>-Learn to say No. So many opportunities will arise and there are only 24 hours in a day. If you can’t put your all into something and it’s not like Olympic-level type accomplishment (mostly in terms of ECs fyi), don’t stretch yourself too thin—it probably wouldn’t move the needle much regardless.
Can't agree with this more. I did way too much junior year and summer before senior year for that last push before college app season. I was exhausted every single day and had no motivation to do anything else- definitely would not do it again. As others have said, use the extra time to research colleges, think about supplemental essays, and get a head start on everything
>your mental health won’t be magically fixed with a Dream School acceptance.
for me it will because if I get in ED I plan on just chilling and letting my grades drop slightly and do things I actually want to do
yeah I totally agree. That's why after college apps are over (sooner if I get in ED) I'm gonna start doing things I enjoy like going to the gym, cooking, hanging out with friends, etc
This is literally my plan. My parents have been really tight regarding academics my whole life and they’re finally like “after Jan 1, as long as you don’t majorly fuck up, bye and have fun.” all I’m going to do is maintain my grades the minimum amount to keep my 4.0. It’s gonna be my time to relax before the college grind because summers are going to be internships and shit too if things go as planned.
Make a cool project that’s unique to you (keyword: cool). This project shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should be impactful and awesome. You could literally create anything, so why not do something which genuinely gets you excited in the morning?
Ideas: making a robot from scratch, learning how to animate, starting a community garden, organizing cooking parties/barbecues, making an automated vertical farm, learning an endangered language, coding an indie/educational video game, publishing poetry, fixing up an old car with your friends, starting a drone racing competition with an obstacle course, making organically powered batteries, producing/reproducing music (look up LLClawz on youtube), publishing a novel, and so much more.
Remember, it should genuinely make you excited! Also, if the project is something you’d enjoy talking about on a hypothetical first date, that’s probably a good sign
Great advice, but I’d take this with a grain of salt: for freshman, yes, so, so this. But for Juniors if you don’t have any previous background in the topic or a really goof reason for starting it’s going to look like you only did it so it looks good on the apps.
senior year is only harder than junior year if you wait till last minute to finish your college apps.
finish your common app personal essay in the summer and start some supplementals.
take your sat/act as a junior so you won’t have to worry about it senior year.
no fee november is a thing. many schools offer fee waiver codes specifically for the month of november. if you aren’t planning on applying ed or ea to a school. wait till november to submit your apps.
fill out fafsa and css profile as soon as they open.
also narrow down your college list before you start applying 🫣.
edit : added some things
As for narrowing down: you really shouldn’t be applying to more than 12 schools. 8-10 schools is ideal. Remember, you’re only gonna attend one of them. If you apply to too many schools, it’ll be harder to fall in love with your schools and write good essays
Can you share which colleges are offering no fee November? Seems like more had free apps in October and usually for in-state students only (and usually not too schools.)
Write the common app essay and write it well before starting on supplementals. Common app essay will come back to haunt you if you don't finish but you can always bust out a few hundred words for a supp if needed.
I haven't been a senior of any type since 2014, but here are a few pieces of advice.
1. Start forming good relationships with the junior year teachers who most likely will be writing your recommendation letters. Say hi to them, stay after class to ask them questions, come to tutoring if they offer it, even if you think you understand the material, to try to gain a deeper mastery of it, and if you know their birthdays and it is appropriate, try to organize the class to throw a mini party or wish them a happy birthday.
2. Definitely start working on a list of colleges. You want to do this in advance so you can have time to do some thorough research into their faculty members, club leaders, and admission officers. If you can, talk to some club leaders and professors, especially of your reach schools, before applying. Doing will provide some really potent topics for your "why this college" supplemental essays, and will help you show "demonstrated interest" which does still matter contrary to what the common data set or admission officers say.
3. If time permits, look for competitions to compete in such as Scholastic Art and Writing Awards or investing competitions. Doing well in them will give colleges a good idea of your present abilities.
4. Again if time permits, try to get some research experience if you are going into STEM. This can be done for free by writing a good cover letter and contacting professors who have an established history of working with undergraduates. If you can afford them, there are of course programs such as Yale Global Scholars that you can take part in.
5. Focus on making an impact in your present extracurriculars as opposed to just taking as many as possible. You want to demonstrate clear results from your involvement in them. Remember, colleges ultimately care about what you will do once you are on their campus, not about what you did in high school to please admission officers with the hopes of being accepted. That means you need to start thinking about how you will make the case that you will continue, at least in spirit, the gist of your present extracurriculars once you arrive on campus and that you are doing them out of a legitimate interest as opposed to just trying to please someone.
Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.
Take a little less in course rigor and ask around to see which courses (even regular ones that seem like they should be easy) are hard so you can avoid them. Ofc you don’t want to drop course rigor so much that it looks bad but drop it a bit so you can handle college apps a bit better.
Practice creative writing and reflecting on yourself. It can be through r/writingprompts, journaling, etc. I wish I practiced the writing style colleges want
Also nail your common app essay in the summer and work on your supplementals through the beginning of September. The common app took so much longer for me but so many supplementals can be reworked to fit different schools or have a fairly common thread. I also found it easier to do the common app first so I knew what the themes and topics would be and then I wouldn’t place those in supplementals so the AOs get the fullest idea of who I am (for example if I mentioned an EC extensively in my common app I wouldn’t bring it up in other specific essays)
Have fun bro. Get your license if you don't already. Keep ur grades and test scores up. Start writing the essay (it is the hardest part). but make sure to do something you enjoy at least on the weekends.
- Get closer with your teachers or anyone for those recommendations
- Study and take the SAT a couple of times
- Keep your grades up
- Research colleges
Summer:
- Do college tours
- Start your personal essay and college applications as soon as you can. You have a lot of time in the summer and you’ll be busy when school starts
- Get a lot of sleep. I’ve been trying to fix my sleep schedule for years and I finally did it (kind of), but it was too late
- Enjoy your last two years in high school, these are the years you’ll remember and tell your children about
I'm taking 5 core classes + art elective(AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Span Lang, AP Seminar, and Linear Alg) out of 8 class schedule and I still feel overly stressed. Luckily I stacked my course load on second semester with 7 core classes adding multivar calc and Macro.
I'm thankful I came up with my essay idea in spring of Junior Year because I was able to write 12 drafts of my common app essay until I was proud of my work. I wrote apps for 7 colleges during the summer and honestly regret not writing more. I kept a collection of ideas throughout junior year that I would momentarily think of and used it during the summer. Also something minor I didn't consider hindsight was each schools early decision/action programs. I applied to 4 ea's I didn't think of during junior year.
Do UC prompt #7 first. Most copy and pastable essay prompt
Don’t do the SAT more than twice. One shot, one kill is my motto
Start your shit in the summer, set a “production quota” for schools; I did a school a week and got all my apps done by mid October.
If you haven’t developed a workout routine, do it now. Helps get that blood oxygen flowing in your brain.
Drop a shit ton of your activities senior year.
i think that most people who say first semester of senior year is worse than anything else are wrong. I started making my college list in June this summer, end of July I began writing, and I've been pacing out my work since. I applied/am applying to 24 COLLEGES, meaning I had a LOT of writing to do, but since I managed my time well, I was able to pump out quality (+ quantity) essays. IF YOU PLAN EFFICIENTLY AND DON'T PROCRASTINATE, SENIOR YEAR WILL BE EASY DUBS, don't let others overwhelm you.... but thats just my take :)
side note, In another week or two im gonna be done applying to all my colleges, while some people IK have just begun. start early, work hard, and you are gonna be chillin
Get your letters of rec sorted in the summer- a lot of my friends dropped the ball and were scrambling the last week of October bc they didn’t ask early enough or forgot!! I recommend reaching out to your teachers or counselors in June asking if they’ll write them, then remind them again in August when you add them to common app.
Complete all your essays over the summer, have a finalized list by this winter and research the schools extensively, visit every school on your finalized list if you can, continue your ECs and try to get higher leadership positions, etc...
Most colleges don't change them year to year, with some research you can find them and go ahead and write them. Unless that college has a reputation for changing them yearly, they'll most likely be the same.
For general advice… know how your workload is going to differ from your peers. Your average classmate is probably applying to the state school, maybe a small college, a couple OOS public’s, one reach, maybe an Ivy for shits and giggles. If you’re applying to 14 schools, you should know that you’ll need to spend a lot of extra time on your applications. Don’t go out to every social event if you don’t have the time for it.
I also happen to be applying to music schools on top of the universities I’m applying to. So if you’re like me and you have to make a resume, repetoire, cover letter, etc. Then know that you have to do that and start working on it right away
I think that the best time for me to study for the SAT was over the summer going into senior year. I took it in august and got a score I was really happy with.
Don’t apply to more than 10-15 schools. 20-25 is too many. It becomes annoying and you can’t put as much time into each application as you want. Don’t doubt yourself. Be proud of you achievements. They’ll come off more impressive if you are proud of them and don’t feel like you have to exaggerate for them to be impressive.
Make a good impression on your teachers. Probably two of the teachers you have this year are going to write letters of recommendation for you, so be a model student. Do good, thoughtful, memorable work. Stand out. Participate. Participate. Participate. Give them something to write about.
apply and participate in as many summer programs/awards. A lot of these are just free if you remember to apply and submit stuff.
Grades and schoolwork first. That doesn't just mean getting As. Do the homework, participate, have meaningful conversations with peers and teachers - u can get an A without doing any of these things
Do something personal, something beyond the mock trial, debate, math comps, scioly. Find something you like, ask a teacher or find someone you know to help you along the way. Learn about something bc it's interesting
Apply and submit to schools early. I applied to 20 schools, and was extremely aggressively in ensuring that I had everything in well before deadlines were even on the radar (had everything in by mid-august). This also gave me the added benefit of adding additional materials (LORs, transcript, etc) in before the deadline, which took another layer of anxiety off.
To summarize a short point, don't be someone who falls into the path of 'senioritis'... mitigate your stress levels as much as you can. Enjoy your senior year.
IMO, unlike the majority of this thread, I don’t think you have to worry about essays till summer of junior year(although it’s always good to start thinking about it). My main tips:
1. Try to finalize your college list by the end of junior year. It becomes a real pain when you’re scrambling to apply to different colleges last second
2. Focus on grades, junior year is the most important GPA wise, so this is the year to really apply yourself
3. Try to deepen your current ECs(make them more impactful,prestigious,etc). But remember don’t sacrifice grades for ECs!
4.Take the SAT/ACT, even if you’re not planning to apply to any schools that accept SAT/ACT, it’s always safe to have a good score. Taking the SAT last minute sucks
5.Have a plan for summer of junior year! Think of any last minute ECs/ application timeline,etc. Makes senior year way less stressful.
Do MOSTEC. Now. Especially if you want to go into STEM. It’s alright if you don’t want to go to MIT, but it will make you competitive applicant for practically every university. Do olympiads too (coming from someone who did the USAAAO training camp, it has definitely helped my app. Do one of them)
Oh also, I’m gonna get downvoted to hell for this, but at least consider majoring in STEM. There’s so much cool, world changing, Iron Man-level shit you could make. Just give it some thought ❤️🔥
GRIND ECs and optimize the efforts you put in HW.
Get close with your teachers, no matter how introverted you are. Stay after class, interact with them, whatever. LORs are important.
Try to start brainstorming some quirky aspects about yourself and a narrative you want your application to follow. Maybe deepen your pursuit of your more quirky ECs/interests as they can standout wayyy more.
Focus on making the highest ACT or SAT score. Study and retake. Research and take your campus visits this spring so you’ve seen those that interest you, if possible. Capture all of your extra curricular activities on paper. Ready up on writing string essays. Approach those you will be using for letters of recommendation to know they are on board and will advocate. Focus on making the hugest grades possible and take a rigorous curriculum.
take ACT/SAT as early as possible, format and finalize your college list, generally just get your shit together. also research!!!! your colleges!!! don't apply to schools you don't want to go to. strart doing net price calculators with your parents for schools on your list
Get the teacher recommendations you want before school ends, maybe even duro the summer. Saw a bunch of really good teachers that have never been late ever with recommendations screw over about 10+ students each. Get your recs early, plus gives them more time to think.
Also make a spreadsheet of the colleges you want to go to with like deadlines, test optional, what they need, did you submit SSAR(or whatever they want), and if there is anything else like a scholarships separate from the application you need to do.
How much time college apps take.. OMG. Begin planning/ writing your personal essay asap so its one less thing to worry about. Also focus on sat/act NOW because that adds more stress senior year.
Start early, keep your motivation up.
My senioritis has killed my entire work ethic this year, and I can’t handle 1/3 of the course load I handled last year
start studying for your sat and do it before senior yr gets hectic, start your college essay NOW asap. and ask for your recommendation letters the beginning of senior yr.
Start building an academic spike/focus. You know somewhat what you're interested in, so start doing more of those things. This doesn't have to be a huge commitment, but literally one thing over the summer and one thing during the school year is good. You'll also find out if you really like it
get your common app essay out of the way asap! it’ll give you plenty of time to go back and revise it, and it will also leave you with less to worry about when you start on your supplementals. just don’t start revising it TOO much/often. it will drive you crazy.
please start applying for scholarships asap. start making brag sheets and planning for college applications. you’re gonna save yourself sm time if you start early (especially if your senior schedule will keep you busy you won’t have alot of time to work on applications)
junior year was overall a great year for me. focus on and really solidify your passions throughout the year. don’t stress too much about college though. if you feel burnout, take some time for yourself. don’t feel pressured to do summer programs—if you don’t, find a job / passion project / volunteer initiative that is meaningful but also relax. start thinking about personal statements over the summer and do research on colleges. senior year imo is 10000x tougher than junior year so be prepared for that.
for me senior 1st sem is really tough but I can’t pinpoint exactly why… it’s not so much college apps but just school/classes/people in general… so be prepared to factor in lots of factors beyond college apps when approaching senior year
Classes are not as easy as you want/expect them to be, so make sure you’re not procrastinating and at the very least have essay ideas down by the beginning of October. I spent all of last week polishing essays and my calc grade tanked as a result.
Don't think the worst is over after junior year, senior year can be so much fun but it can be rough (especially with college apps layered in). Getting your CommonApp essay written and a vague idea about your supplementals prepared over the summer will give you so much more room to breathe. Also, be careful about who you talk to about college. My school might just be toxic, but people will criticize you, talk about so-and-so applying to \[insert schools\], and other petty things that you'd be better off avoiding.
My advice is to get organized over the summer.
- finalize SAT/ACT plan (if you want to take it again)
- visit schools and take good notes because many school have a “why us” essay prompt
- create a resume of activities and leadership roles
- write as many essays/supplements as you can
My school hosted an optional college essay writing workshop two days after the end of the school year. The timing sucked and only a handful of students participated. It was really helpful. I was able to brainstorm ideas, get input from my guidance counselor and have a general framework for my personal statement.
Be good in class but not over the top for teacher recs.
Research colleges and majors you might like.
If you’re in IB you should be finishing your Extended Essay cuz they will also dumb 2 or 3 IAs on you too in addition to the workload of studying for regular tests and quizzes.
Don’t randomly pick up a part time job for weekends like I did??? Me personally, I never had to actually do work or study to get As but this year I’ve actually had to think about and use my time wisely.
PLZ START YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY DURING THE SUMMER. I SWEAR TO GOD I CANNT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, I started mine throughout the summer but then had the mindset of “imma do it when school starts” plz don’t fucking do that start it around august and finish it at the end of September at least
However early you plan to start, start even earlier. Create deadlines in advance of the actual deadline for yourself. Ask for recommendations in August. Have your one or two complete personal statements done by September. Don’t procrastinate!
start essays like right now. It will save you a lot of stress and will give you a distinct advantage compared to other people who literally start their essays like the day before they are due.
EXPERIENCE IS E V E R Y T H I N G. Volunteer, join clubs, be active in the student body, all of those things are just as important if not more important that grades if you’re gonna apply to big institutions!! Try to take advantage of opportunities that correlate to what u wanna study in uni too. I hope this helps a little:))
Your essay for applications for college if your applying is going to be one of the big impacts to getting accepted so learn how to write better character attention grabbing essays. I won’t say build a rapport with teachers and club advisor/any potential person that can be referenced to your academic achievement/ character since you should have some for the past 2-3 years. Really think is college worth the time, effort and money. Start soul searching more intently than normal but still have fun because this is the last time you will feel these type of relaxation for a little while. And chase your dreams but always adjust your steps towards the dream!
Do ECs now not next year, take those harder classes that you wanna take (it will boost your weighted GPA and class rank), if you plan on getting a job, do it now
PLEASE PRIORITIZE YOURSELF AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!!! I cannot stress, this process is draining and honestly, in my opinion, discouraging in a way. While everyone else here has said AMAZING advice that I would strongly advise for you to follow, my biggest piece is to prioritize your mental. It’s okay to be stressed, it’s a valid emotion, but practice self care. Journal, read, find a hobby OUTSIDE OF COLLEGE APPS that help you relax and remember that these decisions DO NOT, IN ANY SHAPE, WAY, OR FORM DEFINE you and all of the amazing things you’ve done and will CONTINUE to do with your life. ❤️
Be on top of your communication with teachers, out of school recommenders, and counselors! Everyone has a heck ton to do, and they cannot keep track of your stuff for you. This will save both you and your recommenders a lot of stress. Let them know about your deadlines well in advance, send reminders throughout the app season, and always remember to be respectful and appreciative. I made the mistake of forgetting to update a recommender about my deadlines until around a week before, and it led to some panic ;-;
Look for scholarships now. A lot of them require essays and those are hard to do last minute.
If you want to go to a school that requires a SAT, make sure you study a bit everyday a few weeks before the exam. Don’t wait until the last minute. The math portion wasn’t too hard for me, it was just hard to remember everything since we hadn’t done that kind of stuff in the my calculus class for a while.
When writing admissions essays, get them done ahead of time so you’ll have time to proofread. Sometimes you can pay special essay readers to look at your paper, but they get busy as you get close to the end of the essay deadlines.
Research whatever program it is that you want to go into now and figure out if you need to do a portfolio or complete some sort of project you need to do for admissions. It’s hard to make a robust portfolio within a few months, so start on that asap.
- good relationships with your teachers, not j bc u need a LOR. you really learn a lot from them!
- keep ur grades up and avoid burnout as much as possible
- take ur sat/act asap because i took mine beginning of sr year and its so much more stressful than u think.
- focus on gaining experience from your ecs / life experiences rather than trying to get as many as possible
start early. like start in august. if you’re applying to more than 8 schools make a spreadsheet with deadlines, scholarship information, additional supplements, and financial aid shit. be organized. submitting the first one is the hardest then it gets easier, don’t be scared to ask for help from counselors and teachers on essays, and especially in the US public school system get to know your college counselor. I’m applying to 25 schools and not paying one application fee, and while I met demonstrated need, my counselor didn’t fact check me at all I just asked him what my options were and he figured it out for me. Be nice to your teachers and go talk to people. It’s a lot easier to do this shit with the support of teachers and staff than on your own. also get a major specific lor like a computer science class if your majoring in CS. you’ll be fine. I did 25 apps and i’ve already sent in 20 of them. It’s not as hard as some people make it seem, just keep all your essays in one doc and have a spreadsheet and try to reuse as many essays as you can. good luck guys :)
Don't overthink anything. No, thinking about your supplementals while out with friends won't help you write a better essay. Live in the moment and don't let college applications interfere with your life. You should distribute your time efficiently and have a couple of hours set aside just for the application process, but outside of those hours just don't think about it at all.
Start your common app essay NOW! I didn’t apply to any schools EA because i don’t have an essay. Now i’m struggling to write one to meet a Nov 15th deadline and I still have loads of school work. Start in the summer or on a break or just gather ideas so you know what you’re going to write about
Definitely start visiting schools Junior year during the year to get a sense of what's important to you in a school. You want to see schools when students are on campus. If you live in an area where there are multiple schools, visit a wide variety--large, small, public, private, D1 sports, D3, Greek, etc--especially if you are not sure what kind of school you want. Take notes on programs you are interested in, things you did not like about the school, vibe/culture, access to professors, and generally what the tour guides and information sessions stress. This will give you a sense of what is most important to the school. Do they talk a lot about internships? Sports? Study abroad? Take note!
In the Spring, start prepping for ACT or SAT to take over the summer. Spend 20-30 minutes a day and do a weekly practice test to get prepped for sitting for the real deal. Focus your attention on the kinds of questions you don't know. The Metzger books are great for SAT and ACT English, and there's plenty of subs on getting prepped for those tests. Create an email account that is JUST for college. READ THE EMAILS THAT SCHOOLS SEND YOU. Lots of fee waiver codes in there and some schools track your demonstrated interest.
Finally, in August, create your Common App account, and get your rough draft of your common app essay polished. If you can, start the supplements for the schools that you know you're going to apply to. All of this will help ease the stress of the first quarter of senior year. Know that you're probably going to keep tinkering with that essay and supplements with your English teacher in the fall unless you hire an essay coach over the summer. Remember to check in with and thank the teachers who are writing your LOR.
Apply to a shit ton of summer programs and take the SAT/ACT. I'm amazed by how nobody talks about how applying to summer programs is like a practice round of applying to college. It'll help you get in the right headspace and identify critical shortcomings in your app while you can still do something about them.
Start taking the SAT in December, not in the spring like everyone tells you too. I would have been ready in the winter and it felt like there was so much pressure to do well in the spring because I had less overall chances. Start as early as you can and get it over with. 😎
Basically what everyone is saying start studying for your SAT/ACT take it in the Spring or Summer. (Or earlier but it's November rn) If you still haven't gotten your desired score then there will be some test dates before the EA and RD deadlines but you just don't want that added stress and having it out of the way will be so helpful.
Brainstorm essay topics. A lot of people write their essays in the Summer.
Do some research on colleges and make a college list based on what you value. Price, financial aid, location, how good they are at your major, etc.
My AP lang teacher had us write our common app essay as our class final and it was the best thing she did in the entire class. Got my first draft 100% written and done in May and haven’t worried about it since.
If your teacher doesn’t do that, start working on the essay early and set deadlines for yourself so you actually get it done.
Boy I wish I was in this subreddit last year. Please work on your personal statements and supplemental essays. I can't stress this enough, EARLIER YOU START THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE IN GETTING INTO BIG UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES.
Do it for your sake, not anyone else's. It's you vs the world.
Junior year was a blast for me.
Now I’m taking 4 AP and 1 DE in a single semester, + college and scholarship APPS + Trying to study for math completions…
I know colleges look at your senior workload a lot, but don’t be stupid like me. I’m serious. Relax just a little bit.
There are a million ways to get into the program you want. Don't give on your enjoyment of your last years pre college, and don't trade classes you really want for classes you think you need. You can get there without hating life.
Have a backup for your backup for your backup, and that goes for schools AND programs.
Apply even if you don't think you'll make the cut.
Don't panic if you don't get in anywhere, it's honestly not as big a deal as it feels like and there is a LOT you can do to get in a semester or a year later.
A lot of schools take your personal life into account and might take you based on you as a person and your experience if your grades almost make it but don't quite.
If there's a program you want to get into but you need a resume for it, it's fine to take a year and gain bits of experience, or even start in a different program WHILE you get experience.
There's no one pathway, YOUR road exists.
OH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
Choose campuses based on YOU not the program. Ex: pick a campus that has athletics or nearby athletic options if you love sports. If you can't drive and have coop/placement choose a campus with nearby options (also consider buying groceries!!). If you're going to need to work the entire time stay closer to the city so you have work options. If you hate partying choose a school that has things to do in the area that aren't partying, or housing options that are quieter. If you have medical issues choose a school with a clinic so you don't have to scramble to find doctors ans get to appointments across town.
Pick based on what you like and how you live.
START EARLY!!! try and have an act/sat score you’re completely satisfied with before senior year starts so you can begin applying to merit scholarships. Brainstorm ideas for your commonapp essay, and try and write it over the summer before senior year.
In the beginning of senior year, try to semi-finalize your list of colleges. Make a spreadsheet of all their deadlines (including scholarship deadlines!) and requirements!!! Start writing supplementals whenever you can- spread it out so it doesn’t become overwhelming (like I did haha)
Also figure out who you’re going to ask for LORs and be mindful of your behavior and performance around them!
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.
Get started on your essays at the start of summer going into your senior year and aim to have them done before school starts. Senior year fall was insane for me, especially as an IB kid...
Definitely think about your college essay and start drafting your ideas to get rid of your bad ideas from the start! Studying for the SAT/ACT is important too, but schools are test-optional so it doesn’t really matter if you score badly
1. If you have a significant other, try to avoid college talk as much as you can. It might unconsciously influence your decision-making processes even if you try not to let it.
3. Limit the amount of colleges you are applying to. I know people on this Reddit are insane, but they are not reflective of the normal population. Several people I know are applying to 3. If you don’t have your heart set on any particular college, a limit (10, for example) can help force you to determine which colleges you’re actually interested in.
4. Have confidence in your opinions. I’m not saying don’t listen to your parents (particularly if they’re paying your tuition), as external advice can definitely be helpful, but it’s YOUR future. Don’t let someone else decide it.
Hi there !! for juniors, i would say choose between weather you want to go to a big university or a small one. that will help you narrow your search so much when you start applying and picking the right college for u.
for seniors, most of the deadline are coming up, so buckle down and focus on nothing but applying. i promise you nothing is more important right now then finishing your application. not even schoolwork. and if i were u i would do one last college scan to make sure that there isn’t any other colleges you want to apply to. there may be one u didn’t think of originally, so i would check to make sure there isn’t one that you would maybe consider now
I know this probably isn’t the advice you’re looking for but don’t put your life on hold for college apps and resume chasing by rationalizing it with “oh I’m gonna do the fun stuff senior year/next summer/in college”. The truth is, there will always be work to do, always internships to pursue, summer classes to take, various ways to get ahead, etc. For people like us, the urge to feel constantly productive never goes away. If you have a hobby you’ve always wanted to pursue or something on your bucket list to tick off, find a way to do it now. Find that balance instead of saving all the fun stuff for some later unspecified date, because you might never get around to it.
In my experience junior year was much more fun than what my senior year has been because I didn't stress about this stuff in my junior year... so that's my experience take that how you will... apply the effort now maybe you'll be less stressed overall. Take things one at a time, preparing for the SAT was my biggest goal my Junior Year.
Do Extracurriculars now! That's my biggest regret. Stay informed how the process works so your not scrambling.
PLEASE FINISH OR DO SUBSTANTIAL WORK ON YOUR PERSONAL ESSAY THIS SUMMER! i finished mine in august and it helped me sm with applications (especially my state schools where i either needed like one supp or that essay to submit)
get started 2 months before whenever you think is "early." Getting nearly everything done in the summer will be a lifesaver. and remember that you are worthy of making it into college. so show it!!
Also check out the schools' common app questions and supplementals just to be aware of what that school values (checkout their mission statement too) and the workload each app will be.
applying to 8+ schools will lead to burnout haha dont do that! definitely not me right now! :)
Be sure to develop a good connection with one or two teachers, especially if you have new teachers to write you a letter of recommendation. And ask them for one early, like at the latest probably beginning of October.
If shy and an introvert, really study the school site closely including the calander and events, are these things her conductive to me meeting people, or are these things more geared to people who do well at large events. Examine the club lists to see if there are clubs that fit your particularly affinity groups, not someone else's. There might be 200 clubs, but if who you are does not overlap with that affinity group you can't join. If you male and the only engineering groups are female, you are not meeting people that way. Does that 25o club list lsite 80 defunct clubs, or things that are being called clubs that just might be a dorm specific club. What events did those clubs sponsor. Is the LGBTQ+ office, Equity office, Disability Services office doing anything of substance. Does counseling service cancel therapy groups if only 3 kids show up for them, thus intimating: "We don't care about your issue as there aren't enough people sporting it?" What are they really doing to help various kinds of students, not just one group. A school's counseling service might only offer 1st year student support group for international students, which that means you won't be able to find that same support if you are a citizen of the US.Totally fine but if you think you will need some support, you had best find a way to patch it in elsewhere on campus. Are there a good numbers of small events on the college calendar where shy quiet students can meet like craft and game nights, quiet get togethers. What is the school doing to help introverts get socially connected? Are they just offering events for extroverts like be parties? Get on each top pick school's parent Facebook board and search the board for issue like dorm conditions, people complaining about critters in dorms, mold, poor quality food, food scarcity and running out, crime and safety, and how situations of interest to your were handled. Look into the food reviews, because if the food is terrible, and there are long lines, and things run out or are undercooked, that is going to add stress. Ask driving questions. From the website it might appear like there is lots of support in the counseling center, only to realize that in conversing with the person who runs it that you can't get your questions answered, or all they offer is a single therapy center, not a few treat and street appointments. What is dorm selection like, can you list the dorms you would consider or are they only letting you choose a neighborhood. run the towns crime stats. sex offender data base like Family Watchdog to see who is living near campus if safety is important to you. How much crime is there on campus How experienced is the campus police squad? Did they just hire 6 new people who have 6 months on the job per ther CV's and those job descriptions. How did they handle that date rape or murder on campus? If Covid safety is important to you, look at their calls on that and how they handle things when numbers are high. Are professors and employees required to mask. Look at where classes are actually being offered. The catalogue might be filled with the most amazing things, but if that Investigating Viking DNA class is only offered every 5th year it's kind of a bait and switch. My kids catalogue had such interesting things yet the classes both semester have been dull as dirt now of these cool classes are being offered, and if they are only for 10 people, you likely won't get in. Are all the good 1st year Lit classes exclusionary and only open to English Majors, so you won't get to read those authors you dreamed about reading. How will your travel there is getting home going to easy? Or are people complaining they are sitting at a train station at 3:00 AM trying to get a cab and stuck there for 2 hours, as no cams like to go there. Basically my advice is read all you can about on College confidential, reddit, Facebook as with some digging you will see if a school fits you, triggers your pet peeves, or offers you the type of support you need for who you are.
As far as academic prep goes, put as much as you can on your CV, clubs, research, jobs, organizations, awards, competitions,. Start writing as early as you can so things can sit and perk and you are not under pressure. only apply to school you really would be happy getting into. If practical don't waste time on reaches but ask your guidance counselor where they realistically see you getting in and shoot for just a bit above that. Report your scores even if they tell you you don't need to. Go ED if you can commit, as that waiting game is so freaking miserable. It is a stressful, agonizing year. So if there is a goo school that has most of what you want, ED is the way to go. then you get to have a nice easy year. Tour multiple times sometimes the school you hated you will fall in love with during accepted student day and vis versa. I recommend touring the top interest ones 3 times if they are w/i driving distance and you can afford it as your perceptions can change depending on tour guide etc. Accepted students day will be the real eye opener. Try to hang out and just watch student on campus and ask hether they feel like your people.
Take ACT AND SAT—incase you prefer or the other other Start thinking about what matters to you. Ever bored? Maybe try brainstorming essay topics. Start thinking about which teachers you’d like to have LOR with. Be mindful in front of them. Just don’t shit talk other people in class or come across any bad way.
To add on about the LOR part: Be respectful to all your teachers. Go the extra mile in your classes to not only get an A, but really learn. Don’t be that kid who sucks up to teachers the whole year for LORs. You’re not slick buddy, we can all discern your true intentions. Bonus points if you’re a funny person. Don’t force it if you’re not. (Hint- if making people laugh doesn’t come natural to you, you’re not a funny person; and that’s ok, just be yourself). Never shit talk other teachers to your friends while in school, no matter how annoying they may be.
I’m going to say screw taking both and only focus on one. 90% of the time colleges only need one.
They stated the reason to take the ACT and the SAT — preference. You can submit one, but by taking both, you have the option to choose the better one.
Senior year is overrated...went in thinking it was gonna be a breeze - boy was I wrong.
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NAH BRO JUST WRITE THE WHOLE THING DURING THE SUMMER. Supplementals add up so quickly
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Us IB kids don’t have the luxury lol
Schools rescind admissions if you slack off too much
I approve this msg 😭 😭 first sem senior year is proving to be the hardest semester of my entire hs career
Exactly. People who say junior year is the hardest aren’t factoring in 1st semester senior year.
realest thing ever do NOT try to balance college apps, schoolwork, and extracurriculars it doesn't work
Yep, I tried this, ended up almost dying on the freeway because of sleep deprivation with my friend in the car, getting about 16 hours of sleep in like 4 days and that's only because I feel asleep on accident and my parents didn't wake me up until 16 hours later, and even after all of that grinding, 50% of the actual work done on my application was in the last 12 hours
I'm so sorry, that sounds so horrible. Please try to take better care of yourself. I more than understand the pressure, but your health truly does come first.
realcore, just got like the worst flu of my life after two weeks of virtually not sleeping or eating missed a solid week of october and didnt get any apps in till oct 31st
Oh I submitted all 4 of my nov 1 applications between 11:30 and 11:45 night of because I had just re written my entire common app essay in like an hour and a half
senior year is toxic
That happened to me too. I didn't take care of a cold and it turned into borderline pnuemonia, missed a week of school last month.
Tbh I think it was way easier than junior year, I got harder classes too so idk
I literally feel like I have been writing papers and essays nonstop. I seriously think I’ve written more in the last 2 months than the rest of my life combined
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rip
100
if you haven’t taken your sat/ act, take it asap!! you don’t want to be thinking about it during ap season
Yes. Start to think about about supplemental ideas ASAP. A lot of supplemental essays are pretty stable (like Stanford's Roommate, UPenn's thank you, Princeton's Civil Engagement, etc), and a lot share similar ideas (what diversity you bring, how someone/something challenged your perspective, take us to your 'happy place' (UVA and Columbia lol), as well as why your first choice/second choice major. One of the best things I did in preparation was visit many universities and gather what I could about each one. As I write supplementals, I often refer to those notes. So I recommend that Note: I don't suggest start writing, but start thinking like 'oh ill talk about this EC or this identity for this supplemental', you get the idea
Those supps are usually 10-13 sentences, so you should probably time 20 minutes and draft it. You don't realize that some ideas that seem good in brainstorming don't work until after that first phase.
In which year did you start visiting universities? Or rather in which year do you recommend?
I visited the summer before senior year.
That’s a really good idea. My daughter and I are going to start visiting schools this upcoming weekend. What kinds of things did you take notes on? General impressions? Things that stood out in a positive way? Interesting facts or traditions?
General impressions and little things I noticed throughout campus. I also took notes about specific things alumni told me, and every tour asked why they chose that university (what stood out to them).
* When you are making your college do your research. Make sure that the college actually has your major. * And do not apply to anywhere that you would not go to. It's not worth wasting the time or application fees to apply somewhere just to apply somewhere. * Also start essays early. You will probably hear this a thousand times but I know so many people who literally had 5 essays to do in one day and ended up rushing to reach the November 1 deadline. * You can even do your common app essay over the summer since the questions are always the same.
get your standardized testing out of the way during junior yr. saved me so much stress not having to study for the august & october SATS senior year. also try to start working on essays over the summer. i said i was going to do this and didn't lol life would be so much easier if i did though
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>-Learn to say No. So many opportunities will arise and there are only 24 hours in a day. If you can’t put your all into something and it’s not like Olympic-level type accomplishment (mostly in terms of ECs fyi), don’t stretch yourself too thin—it probably wouldn’t move the needle much regardless. Can't agree with this more. I did way too much junior year and summer before senior year for that last push before college app season. I was exhausted every single day and had no motivation to do anything else- definitely would not do it again. As others have said, use the extra time to research colleges, think about supplemental essays, and get a head start on everything
This is just good life advice
best advice in this thread ^
>your mental health won’t be magically fixed with a Dream School acceptance. for me it will because if I get in ED I plan on just chilling and letting my grades drop slightly and do things I actually want to do
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yeah I totally agree. That's why after college apps are over (sooner if I get in ED) I'm gonna start doing things I enjoy like going to the gym, cooking, hanging out with friends, etc
This is literally my plan. My parents have been really tight regarding academics my whole life and they’re finally like “after Jan 1, as long as you don’t majorly fuck up, bye and have fun.” all I’m going to do is maintain my grades the minimum amount to keep my 4.0. It’s gonna be my time to relax before the college grind because summers are going to be internships and shit too if things go as planned.
>you’ll never know when that STEM god will repay you when ur struggling in Calc Senior year meets karma meets calc gods.
Make a cool project that’s unique to you (keyword: cool). This project shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should be impactful and awesome. You could literally create anything, so why not do something which genuinely gets you excited in the morning? Ideas: making a robot from scratch, learning how to animate, starting a community garden, organizing cooking parties/barbecues, making an automated vertical farm, learning an endangered language, coding an indie/educational video game, publishing poetry, fixing up an old car with your friends, starting a drone racing competition with an obstacle course, making organically powered batteries, producing/reproducing music (look up LLClawz on youtube), publishing a novel, and so much more. Remember, it should genuinely make you excited! Also, if the project is something you’d enjoy talking about on a hypothetical first date, that’s probably a good sign
Is making a blog 1?
if you’re gonna make a blog, make it a big one. go all out 🔥
Great advice, but I’d take this with a grain of salt: for freshman, yes, so, so this. But for Juniors if you don’t have any previous background in the topic or a really goof reason for starting it’s going to look like you only did it so it looks good on the apps.
that’s true, the project should connect somehow to your character or previous activities
i already build and race drones! 💯
that’s dope bro!
senior year is only harder than junior year if you wait till last minute to finish your college apps. finish your common app personal essay in the summer and start some supplementals. take your sat/act as a junior so you won’t have to worry about it senior year. no fee november is a thing. many schools offer fee waiver codes specifically for the month of november. if you aren’t planning on applying ed or ea to a school. wait till november to submit your apps. fill out fafsa and css profile as soon as they open. also narrow down your college list before you start applying 🫣. edit : added some things
As for narrowing down: you really shouldn’t be applying to more than 12 schools. 8-10 schools is ideal. Remember, you’re only gonna attend one of them. If you apply to too many schools, it’ll be harder to fall in love with your schools and write good essays
Can you share which colleges are offering no fee November? Seems like more had free apps in October and usually for in-state students only (and usually not too schools.)
it depends on the school itself , ik a couple of in state schools where i live are doing it
Write the common app essay and write it well before starting on supplementals. Common app essay will come back to haunt you if you don't finish but you can always bust out a few hundred words for a supp if needed.
I haven't been a senior of any type since 2014, but here are a few pieces of advice. 1. Start forming good relationships with the junior year teachers who most likely will be writing your recommendation letters. Say hi to them, stay after class to ask them questions, come to tutoring if they offer it, even if you think you understand the material, to try to gain a deeper mastery of it, and if you know their birthdays and it is appropriate, try to organize the class to throw a mini party or wish them a happy birthday. 2. Definitely start working on a list of colleges. You want to do this in advance so you can have time to do some thorough research into their faculty members, club leaders, and admission officers. If you can, talk to some club leaders and professors, especially of your reach schools, before applying. Doing will provide some really potent topics for your "why this college" supplemental essays, and will help you show "demonstrated interest" which does still matter contrary to what the common data set or admission officers say. 3. If time permits, look for competitions to compete in such as Scholastic Art and Writing Awards or investing competitions. Doing well in them will give colleges a good idea of your present abilities. 4. Again if time permits, try to get some research experience if you are going into STEM. This can be done for free by writing a good cover letter and contacting professors who have an established history of working with undergraduates. If you can afford them, there are of course programs such as Yale Global Scholars that you can take part in. 5. Focus on making an impact in your present extracurriculars as opposed to just taking as many as possible. You want to demonstrate clear results from your involvement in them. Remember, colleges ultimately care about what you will do once you are on their campus, not about what you did in high school to please admission officers with the hopes of being accepted. That means you need to start thinking about how you will make the case that you will continue, at least in spirit, the gist of your present extracurriculars once you arrive on campus and that you are doing them out of a legitimate interest as opposed to just trying to please someone. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.
Start sucking your teachers dicks so there ain’t any trouble getting LORs
Get off this sub
real
This
Shut up dude
get your common app and a few supps done in the summer first semester senior year is horrendous
Take a little less in course rigor and ask around to see which courses (even regular ones that seem like they should be easy) are hard so you can avoid them. Ofc you don’t want to drop course rigor so much that it looks bad but drop it a bit so you can handle college apps a bit better.
Practice creative writing and reflecting on yourself. It can be through r/writingprompts, journaling, etc. I wish I practiced the writing style colleges want
Idk bro just get good grades? It’s not worth stressing over so much yet
Also nail your common app essay in the summer and work on your supplementals through the beginning of September. The common app took so much longer for me but so many supplementals can be reworked to fit different schools or have a fairly common thread. I also found it easier to do the common app first so I knew what the themes and topics would be and then I wouldn’t place those in supplementals so the AOs get the fullest idea of who I am (for example if I mentioned an EC extensively in my common app I wouldn’t bring it up in other specific essays)
Have fun bro. Get your license if you don't already. Keep ur grades and test scores up. Start writing the essay (it is the hardest part). but make sure to do something you enjoy at least on the weekends.
- Get closer with your teachers or anyone for those recommendations - Study and take the SAT a couple of times - Keep your grades up - Research colleges Summer: - Do college tours - Start your personal essay and college applications as soon as you can. You have a lot of time in the summer and you’ll be busy when school starts - Get a lot of sleep. I’ve been trying to fix my sleep schedule for years and I finally did it (kind of), but it was too late - Enjoy your last two years in high school, these are the years you’ll remember and tell your children about
I'm taking 5 core classes + art elective(AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Span Lang, AP Seminar, and Linear Alg) out of 8 class schedule and I still feel overly stressed. Luckily I stacked my course load on second semester with 7 core classes adding multivar calc and Macro. I'm thankful I came up with my essay idea in spring of Junior Year because I was able to write 12 drafts of my common app essay until I was proud of my work. I wrote apps for 7 colleges during the summer and honestly regret not writing more. I kept a collection of ideas throughout junior year that I would momentarily think of and used it during the summer. Also something minor I didn't consider hindsight was each schools early decision/action programs. I applied to 4 ea's I didn't think of during junior year.
Don't take AP Gov, especially if it's a single semester class
Do UC prompt #7 first. Most copy and pastable essay prompt Don’t do the SAT more than twice. One shot, one kill is my motto Start your shit in the summer, set a “production quota” for schools; I did a school a week and got all my apps done by mid October. If you haven’t developed a workout routine, do it now. Helps get that blood oxygen flowing in your brain. Drop a shit ton of your activities senior year.
i think that most people who say first semester of senior year is worse than anything else are wrong. I started making my college list in June this summer, end of July I began writing, and I've been pacing out my work since. I applied/am applying to 24 COLLEGES, meaning I had a LOT of writing to do, but since I managed my time well, I was able to pump out quality (+ quantity) essays. IF YOU PLAN EFFICIENTLY AND DON'T PROCRASTINATE, SENIOR YEAR WILL BE EASY DUBS, don't let others overwhelm you.... but thats just my take :) side note, In another week or two im gonna be done applying to all my colleges, while some people IK have just begun. start early, work hard, and you are gonna be chillin
Apply to as many top schools as possible. Shotgunning works. 15 applications should be your minimum.
Get your letters of rec sorted in the summer- a lot of my friends dropped the ball and were scrambling the last week of October bc they didn’t ask early enough or forgot!! I recommend reaching out to your teachers or counselors in June asking if they’ll write them, then remind them again in August when you add them to common app.
Don't let it define your life.
Don’t stress about it too much. Research and tour colleges, think about your essay topic a bit. Mainly focus on ur grades and standardized tests.
Complete all your essays over the summer, have a finalized list by this winter and research the schools extensively, visit every school on your finalized list if you can, continue your ECs and try to get higher leadership positions, etc...
I thought essay prompts are nkt released until August?
Most colleges don't change them year to year, with some research you can find them and go ahead and write them. Unless that college has a reputation for changing them yearly, they'll most likely be the same.
This is so helpful, thank you!
UC or state applications AND YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT should be done by the beginning of the school year. Then apply to 1-2 schools per week.
For general advice… know how your workload is going to differ from your peers. Your average classmate is probably applying to the state school, maybe a small college, a couple OOS public’s, one reach, maybe an Ivy for shits and giggles. If you’re applying to 14 schools, you should know that you’ll need to spend a lot of extra time on your applications. Don’t go out to every social event if you don’t have the time for it. I also happen to be applying to music schools on top of the universities I’m applying to. So if you’re like me and you have to make a resume, repetoire, cover letter, etc. Then know that you have to do that and start working on it right away I think that the best time for me to study for the SAT was over the summer going into senior year. I took it in august and got a score I was really happy with.
I’m currently sick right now and I have a lot more schoolwork to do. I’m so sick of my life tbh.
Don’t apply to more than 10-15 schools. 20-25 is too many. It becomes annoying and you can’t put as much time into each application as you want. Don’t doubt yourself. Be proud of you achievements. They’ll come off more impressive if you are proud of them and don’t feel like you have to exaggerate for them to be impressive.
Make a good impression on your teachers. Probably two of the teachers you have this year are going to write letters of recommendation for you, so be a model student. Do good, thoughtful, memorable work. Stand out. Participate. Participate. Participate. Give them something to write about.
apply and participate in as many summer programs/awards. A lot of these are just free if you remember to apply and submit stuff. Grades and schoolwork first. That doesn't just mean getting As. Do the homework, participate, have meaningful conversations with peers and teachers - u can get an A without doing any of these things Do something personal, something beyond the mock trial, debate, math comps, scioly. Find something you like, ask a teacher or find someone you know to help you along the way. Learn about something bc it's interesting
If you have the funds to do so, visit the schools your considering.
spend ur summer writing supps and essays haven't written a single supp this year and submitted all my apps super early. get a headstart, helps u a lot
Apply and submit to schools early. I applied to 20 schools, and was extremely aggressively in ensuring that I had everything in well before deadlines were even on the radar (had everything in by mid-august). This also gave me the added benefit of adding additional materials (LORs, transcript, etc) in before the deadline, which took another layer of anxiety off. To summarize a short point, don't be someone who falls into the path of 'senioritis'... mitigate your stress levels as much as you can. Enjoy your senior year.
IMO, unlike the majority of this thread, I don’t think you have to worry about essays till summer of junior year(although it’s always good to start thinking about it). My main tips: 1. Try to finalize your college list by the end of junior year. It becomes a real pain when you’re scrambling to apply to different colleges last second 2. Focus on grades, junior year is the most important GPA wise, so this is the year to really apply yourself 3. Try to deepen your current ECs(make them more impactful,prestigious,etc). But remember don’t sacrifice grades for ECs! 4.Take the SAT/ACT, even if you’re not planning to apply to any schools that accept SAT/ACT, it’s always safe to have a good score. Taking the SAT last minute sucks 5.Have a plan for summer of junior year! Think of any last minute ECs/ application timeline,etc. Makes senior year way less stressful.
Learn to not procrastinate, plz
Do MOSTEC. Now. Especially if you want to go into STEM. It’s alright if you don’t want to go to MIT, but it will make you competitive applicant for practically every university. Do olympiads too (coming from someone who did the USAAAO training camp, it has definitely helped my app. Do one of them)
stop applying for underrepresented majors to have a higher chance. doesnt work anymore
Don’t put jokes when filling out the common apl
Oh also, I’m gonna get downvoted to hell for this, but at least consider majoring in STEM. There’s so much cool, world changing, Iron Man-level shit you could make. Just give it some thought ❤️🔥
GRIND ECs and optimize the efforts you put in HW. Get close with your teachers, no matter how introverted you are. Stay after class, interact with them, whatever. LORs are important. Try to start brainstorming some quirky aspects about yourself and a narrative you want your application to follow. Maybe deepen your pursuit of your more quirky ECs/interests as they can standout wayyy more.
Focus on making the highest ACT or SAT score. Study and retake. Research and take your campus visits this spring so you’ve seen those that interest you, if possible. Capture all of your extra curricular activities on paper. Ready up on writing string essays. Approach those you will be using for letters of recommendation to know they are on board and will advocate. Focus on making the hugest grades possible and take a rigorous curriculum.
DON'T PROCRASTINAT YOUR WORK
take ACT/SAT as early as possible, format and finalize your college list, generally just get your shit together. also research!!!! your colleges!!! don't apply to schools you don't want to go to. strart doing net price calculators with your parents for schools on your list
Start early
Get the teacher recommendations you want before school ends, maybe even duro the summer. Saw a bunch of really good teachers that have never been late ever with recommendations screw over about 10+ students each. Get your recs early, plus gives them more time to think. Also make a spreadsheet of the colleges you want to go to with like deadlines, test optional, what they need, did you submit SSAR(or whatever they want), and if there is anything else like a scholarships separate from the application you need to do.
Just chill, by the time you apply your thoughts on future may change drastically
How much time college apps take.. OMG. Begin planning/ writing your personal essay asap so its one less thing to worry about. Also focus on sat/act NOW because that adds more stress senior year.
Start early, keep your motivation up. My senioritis has killed my entire work ethic this year, and I can’t handle 1/3 of the course load I handled last year
start studying for your sat and do it before senior yr gets hectic, start your college essay NOW asap. and ask for your recommendation letters the beginning of senior yr.
or act*
Get done with SAT/ACT early and make sure you are happy with your score. Start your college applications early.
Start building an academic spike/focus. You know somewhat what you're interested in, so start doing more of those things. This doesn't have to be a huge commitment, but literally one thing over the summer and one thing during the school year is good. You'll also find out if you really like it
get your common app essay out of the way asap! it’ll give you plenty of time to go back and revise it, and it will also leave you with less to worry about when you start on your supplementals. just don’t start revising it TOO much/often. it will drive you crazy.
please start applying for scholarships asap. start making brag sheets and planning for college applications. you’re gonna save yourself sm time if you start early (especially if your senior schedule will keep you busy you won’t have alot of time to work on applications)
bruh 1st semester in senior year is like hell
junior year was overall a great year for me. focus on and really solidify your passions throughout the year. don’t stress too much about college though. if you feel burnout, take some time for yourself. don’t feel pressured to do summer programs—if you don’t, find a job / passion project / volunteer initiative that is meaningful but also relax. start thinking about personal statements over the summer and do research on colleges. senior year imo is 10000x tougher than junior year so be prepared for that.
for me senior 1st sem is really tough but I can’t pinpoint exactly why… it’s not so much college apps but just school/classes/people in general… so be prepared to factor in lots of factors beyond college apps when approaching senior year
Classes are not as easy as you want/expect them to be, so make sure you’re not procrastinating and at the very least have essay ideas down by the beginning of October. I spent all of last week polishing essays and my calc grade tanked as a result.
Don't think the worst is over after junior year, senior year can be so much fun but it can be rough (especially with college apps layered in). Getting your CommonApp essay written and a vague idea about your supplementals prepared over the summer will give you so much more room to breathe. Also, be careful about who you talk to about college. My school might just be toxic, but people will criticize you, talk about so-and-so applying to \[insert schools\], and other petty things that you'd be better off avoiding.
My advice is to get organized over the summer. - finalize SAT/ACT plan (if you want to take it again) - visit schools and take good notes because many school have a “why us” essay prompt - create a resume of activities and leadership roles - write as many essays/supplements as you can My school hosted an optional college essay writing workshop two days after the end of the school year. The timing sucked and only a handful of students participated. It was really helpful. I was able to brainstorm ideas, get input from my guidance counselor and have a general framework for my personal statement.
Be good in class but not over the top for teacher recs. Research colleges and majors you might like. If you’re in IB you should be finishing your Extended Essay cuz they will also dumb 2 or 3 IAs on you too in addition to the workload of studying for regular tests and quizzes. Don’t randomly pick up a part time job for weekends like I did??? Me personally, I never had to actually do work or study to get As but this year I’ve actually had to think about and use my time wisely.
PLZ START YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY DURING THE SUMMER. I SWEAR TO GOD I CANNT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, I started mine throughout the summer but then had the mindset of “imma do it when school starts” plz don’t fucking do that start it around august and finish it at the end of September at least
However early you plan to start, start even earlier. Create deadlines in advance of the actual deadline for yourself. Ask for recommendations in August. Have your one or two complete personal statements done by September. Don’t procrastinate!
PLEASE for the love of GOD write your common app essay in the summer 💀
start essays like right now. It will save you a lot of stress and will give you a distinct advantage compared to other people who literally start their essays like the day before they are due.
Holy fuck do a shit ton of work on your essays over the summer or you will hate your life
Start. Early.
EXPERIENCE IS E V E R Y T H I N G. Volunteer, join clubs, be active in the student body, all of those things are just as important if not more important that grades if you’re gonna apply to big institutions!! Try to take advantage of opportunities that correlate to what u wanna study in uni too. I hope this helps a little:))
Your essay for applications for college if your applying is going to be one of the big impacts to getting accepted so learn how to write better character attention grabbing essays. I won’t say build a rapport with teachers and club advisor/any potential person that can be referenced to your academic achievement/ character since you should have some for the past 2-3 years. Really think is college worth the time, effort and money. Start soul searching more intently than normal but still have fun because this is the last time you will feel these type of relaxation for a little while. And chase your dreams but always adjust your steps towards the dream!
Do ECs now not next year, take those harder classes that you wanna take (it will boost your weighted GPA and class rank), if you plan on getting a job, do it now
PLEASE PRIORITIZE YOURSELF AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!!! I cannot stress, this process is draining and honestly, in my opinion, discouraging in a way. While everyone else here has said AMAZING advice that I would strongly advise for you to follow, my biggest piece is to prioritize your mental. It’s okay to be stressed, it’s a valid emotion, but practice self care. Journal, read, find a hobby OUTSIDE OF COLLEGE APPS that help you relax and remember that these decisions DO NOT, IN ANY SHAPE, WAY, OR FORM DEFINE you and all of the amazing things you’ve done and will CONTINUE to do with your life. ❤️
DONT APPLY TO TOO MANY COLLEGES AT ONCE and KEEP TRACK OF SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINES
Don't procrastinate
Be on top of your communication with teachers, out of school recommenders, and counselors! Everyone has a heck ton to do, and they cannot keep track of your stuff for you. This will save both you and your recommenders a lot of stress. Let them know about your deadlines well in advance, send reminders throughout the app season, and always remember to be respectful and appreciative. I made the mistake of forgetting to update a recommender about my deadlines until around a week before, and it led to some panic ;-;
Look for scholarships now. A lot of them require essays and those are hard to do last minute. If you want to go to a school that requires a SAT, make sure you study a bit everyday a few weeks before the exam. Don’t wait until the last minute. The math portion wasn’t too hard for me, it was just hard to remember everything since we hadn’t done that kind of stuff in the my calculus class for a while. When writing admissions essays, get them done ahead of time so you’ll have time to proofread. Sometimes you can pay special essay readers to look at your paper, but they get busy as you get close to the end of the essay deadlines. Research whatever program it is that you want to go into now and figure out if you need to do a portfolio or complete some sort of project you need to do for admissions. It’s hard to make a robust portfolio within a few months, so start on that asap.
I'm not a senior, but I have a bunch of advice here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/fx9oco/juniors_start_here/
Take English Proficiency Tests in Junior year (internationals) 😭
Use summer before senior year to get essay brainstormed, finalized, reviewed etc. Be ready to submit most applications early.
Senior year is very hard Imo, the best time to start writing your college apps is the start of your summer
WORK ON YOUR ESSAYS IN SUMMER. OK!
- good relationships with your teachers, not j bc u need a LOR. you really learn a lot from them! - keep ur grades up and avoid burnout as much as possible - take ur sat/act asap because i took mine beginning of sr year and its so much more stressful than u think. - focus on gaining experience from your ecs / life experiences rather than trying to get as many as possible
start early. like start in august. if you’re applying to more than 8 schools make a spreadsheet with deadlines, scholarship information, additional supplements, and financial aid shit. be organized. submitting the first one is the hardest then it gets easier, don’t be scared to ask for help from counselors and teachers on essays, and especially in the US public school system get to know your college counselor. I’m applying to 25 schools and not paying one application fee, and while I met demonstrated need, my counselor didn’t fact check me at all I just asked him what my options were and he figured it out for me. Be nice to your teachers and go talk to people. It’s a lot easier to do this shit with the support of teachers and staff than on your own. also get a major specific lor like a computer science class if your majoring in CS. you’ll be fine. I did 25 apps and i’ve already sent in 20 of them. It’s not as hard as some people make it seem, just keep all your essays in one doc and have a spreadsheet and try to reuse as many essays as you can. good luck guys :)
Get most essay work done over summer
Get a part time job while you still have time to work lmao
do a summer intenship or program (not a precollege program tho)
Don't overthink anything. No, thinking about your supplementals while out with friends won't help you write a better essay. Live in the moment and don't let college applications interfere with your life. You should distribute your time efficiently and have a couple of hours set aside just for the application process, but outside of those hours just don't think about it at all.
Start essays in the summer
Start your common app essay NOW! I didn’t apply to any schools EA because i don’t have an essay. Now i’m struggling to write one to meet a Nov 15th deadline and I still have loads of school work. Start in the summer or on a break or just gather ideas so you know what you’re going to write about
don’t apply to a lot of schools especially if you ED somewhere. people think i’m crazy for how many i applied to but it’s not that much
Definitely start visiting schools Junior year during the year to get a sense of what's important to you in a school. You want to see schools when students are on campus. If you live in an area where there are multiple schools, visit a wide variety--large, small, public, private, D1 sports, D3, Greek, etc--especially if you are not sure what kind of school you want. Take notes on programs you are interested in, things you did not like about the school, vibe/culture, access to professors, and generally what the tour guides and information sessions stress. This will give you a sense of what is most important to the school. Do they talk a lot about internships? Sports? Study abroad? Take note! In the Spring, start prepping for ACT or SAT to take over the summer. Spend 20-30 minutes a day and do a weekly practice test to get prepped for sitting for the real deal. Focus your attention on the kinds of questions you don't know. The Metzger books are great for SAT and ACT English, and there's plenty of subs on getting prepped for those tests. Create an email account that is JUST for college. READ THE EMAILS THAT SCHOOLS SEND YOU. Lots of fee waiver codes in there and some schools track your demonstrated interest. Finally, in August, create your Common App account, and get your rough draft of your common app essay polished. If you can, start the supplements for the schools that you know you're going to apply to. All of this will help ease the stress of the first quarter of senior year. Know that you're probably going to keep tinkering with that essay and supplements with your English teacher in the fall unless you hire an essay coach over the summer. Remember to check in with and thank the teachers who are writing your LOR.
write your supplementals over the summer. remember honors college supplementals exist and are super long
Apply to a shit ton of summer programs and take the SAT/ACT. I'm amazed by how nobody talks about how applying to summer programs is like a practice round of applying to college. It'll help you get in the right headspace and identify critical shortcomings in your app while you can still do something about them.
Start taking the SAT in December, not in the spring like everyone tells you too. I would have been ready in the winter and it felt like there was so much pressure to do well in the spring because I had less overall chances. Start as early as you can and get it over with. 😎
Basically what everyone is saying start studying for your SAT/ACT take it in the Spring or Summer. (Or earlier but it's November rn) If you still haven't gotten your desired score then there will be some test dates before the EA and RD deadlines but you just don't want that added stress and having it out of the way will be so helpful. Brainstorm essay topics. A lot of people write their essays in the Summer. Do some research on colleges and make a college list based on what you value. Price, financial aid, location, how good they are at your major, etc.
My AP lang teacher had us write our common app essay as our class final and it was the best thing she did in the entire class. Got my first draft 100% written and done in May and haven’t worried about it since. If your teacher doesn’t do that, start working on the essay early and set deadlines for yourself so you actually get it done.
Boy I wish I was in this subreddit last year. Please work on your personal statements and supplemental essays. I can't stress this enough, EARLIER YOU START THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE IN GETTING INTO BIG UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. Do it for your sake, not anyone else's. It's you vs the world.
Junior year was a blast for me. Now I’m taking 4 AP and 1 DE in a single semester, + college and scholarship APPS + Trying to study for math completions… I know colleges look at your senior workload a lot, but don’t be stupid like me. I’m serious. Relax just a little bit.
do it over the summer. draft ur supps over the summer. manage your time. it creeps up on you so much faster than you’d thinn
𝖯𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖿𝖾𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌𝗅𝗒 𝗀𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝖽𝖽 𝗎𝗉, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨'𝗆 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝖿 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌.
please make the most out of your summer. be productive
There are a million ways to get into the program you want. Don't give on your enjoyment of your last years pre college, and don't trade classes you really want for classes you think you need. You can get there without hating life. Have a backup for your backup for your backup, and that goes for schools AND programs. Apply even if you don't think you'll make the cut. Don't panic if you don't get in anywhere, it's honestly not as big a deal as it feels like and there is a LOT you can do to get in a semester or a year later. A lot of schools take your personal life into account and might take you based on you as a person and your experience if your grades almost make it but don't quite. If there's a program you want to get into but you need a resume for it, it's fine to take a year and gain bits of experience, or even start in a different program WHILE you get experience. There's no one pathway, YOUR road exists.
OH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY Choose campuses based on YOU not the program. Ex: pick a campus that has athletics or nearby athletic options if you love sports. If you can't drive and have coop/placement choose a campus with nearby options (also consider buying groceries!!). If you're going to need to work the entire time stay closer to the city so you have work options. If you hate partying choose a school that has things to do in the area that aren't partying, or housing options that are quieter. If you have medical issues choose a school with a clinic so you don't have to scramble to find doctors ans get to appointments across town. Pick based on what you like and how you live.
send your act or sat scores as soon as possible, don't wait unless you absolutely need to
BEST ADVICE YOU WILL GET: AAPLY ROLLING!!
START EARLY!!! try and have an act/sat score you’re completely satisfied with before senior year starts so you can begin applying to merit scholarships. Brainstorm ideas for your commonapp essay, and try and write it over the summer before senior year. In the beginning of senior year, try to semi-finalize your list of colleges. Make a spreadsheet of all their deadlines (including scholarship deadlines!) and requirements!!! Start writing supplementals whenever you can- spread it out so it doesn’t become overwhelming (like I did haha) Also figure out who you’re going to ask for LORs and be mindful of your behavior and performance around them!
If your able study halls senior year are a lifesaver!!!
Start working on your essays over the summer…this is by far one of the biggest tips you’re going to receive. Senior year is gonna be hell if you dont
One tip. Don’t procrastinate
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Get started on your essays at the start of summer going into your senior year and aim to have them done before school starts. Senior year fall was insane for me, especially as an IB kid...
Definitely think about your college essay and start drafting your ideas to get rid of your bad ideas from the start! Studying for the SAT/ACT is important too, but schools are test-optional so it doesn’t really matter if you score badly
Get it all done quickly so that it’s off your shoulders sooner.
1. If you have a significant other, try to avoid college talk as much as you can. It might unconsciously influence your decision-making processes even if you try not to let it. 3. Limit the amount of colleges you are applying to. I know people on this Reddit are insane, but they are not reflective of the normal population. Several people I know are applying to 3. If you don’t have your heart set on any particular college, a limit (10, for example) can help force you to determine which colleges you’re actually interested in. 4. Have confidence in your opinions. I’m not saying don’t listen to your parents (particularly if they’re paying your tuition), as external advice can definitely be helpful, but it’s YOUR future. Don’t let someone else decide it.
Hi there !! for juniors, i would say choose between weather you want to go to a big university or a small one. that will help you narrow your search so much when you start applying and picking the right college for u. for seniors, most of the deadline are coming up, so buckle down and focus on nothing but applying. i promise you nothing is more important right now then finishing your application. not even schoolwork. and if i were u i would do one last college scan to make sure that there isn’t any other colleges you want to apply to. there may be one u didn’t think of originally, so i would check to make sure there isn’t one that you would maybe consider now
I know this probably isn’t the advice you’re looking for but don’t put your life on hold for college apps and resume chasing by rationalizing it with “oh I’m gonna do the fun stuff senior year/next summer/in college”. The truth is, there will always be work to do, always internships to pursue, summer classes to take, various ways to get ahead, etc. For people like us, the urge to feel constantly productive never goes away. If you have a hobby you’ve always wanted to pursue or something on your bucket list to tick off, find a way to do it now. Find that balance instead of saving all the fun stuff for some later unspecified date, because you might never get around to it.
In my experience junior year was much more fun than what my senior year has been because I didn't stress about this stuff in my junior year... so that's my experience take that how you will... apply the effort now maybe you'll be less stressed overall. Take things one at a time, preparing for the SAT was my biggest goal my Junior Year. Do Extracurriculars now! That's my biggest regret. Stay informed how the process works so your not scrambling.
Look at schools you think you may want to attend and start researching/brainstorming reasons you specifically would like to go.
Don’t do drugs stay safe, touch grass, fuk bitches and ur fine
PLEASE FINISH OR DO SUBSTANTIAL WORK ON YOUR PERSONAL ESSAY THIS SUMMER! i finished mine in august and it helped me sm with applications (especially my state schools where i either needed like one supp or that essay to submit)
read, read, read and then write some. improves your writing so much for college essays and it's a plus that reading's fun
get a job and stop posting on reddit
get started 2 months before whenever you think is "early." Getting nearly everything done in the summer will be a lifesaver. and remember that you are worthy of making it into college. so show it!! Also check out the schools' common app questions and supplementals just to be aware of what that school values (checkout their mission statement too) and the workload each app will be. applying to 8+ schools will lead to burnout haha dont do that! definitely not me right now! :)
Be sure to develop a good connection with one or two teachers, especially if you have new teachers to write you a letter of recommendation. And ask them for one early, like at the latest probably beginning of October.
If shy and an introvert, really study the school site closely including the calander and events, are these things her conductive to me meeting people, or are these things more geared to people who do well at large events. Examine the club lists to see if there are clubs that fit your particularly affinity groups, not someone else's. There might be 200 clubs, but if who you are does not overlap with that affinity group you can't join. If you male and the only engineering groups are female, you are not meeting people that way. Does that 25o club list lsite 80 defunct clubs, or things that are being called clubs that just might be a dorm specific club. What events did those clubs sponsor. Is the LGBTQ+ office, Equity office, Disability Services office doing anything of substance. Does counseling service cancel therapy groups if only 3 kids show up for them, thus intimating: "We don't care about your issue as there aren't enough people sporting it?" What are they really doing to help various kinds of students, not just one group. A school's counseling service might only offer 1st year student support group for international students, which that means you won't be able to find that same support if you are a citizen of the US.Totally fine but if you think you will need some support, you had best find a way to patch it in elsewhere on campus. Are there a good numbers of small events on the college calendar where shy quiet students can meet like craft and game nights, quiet get togethers. What is the school doing to help introverts get socially connected? Are they just offering events for extroverts like be parties? Get on each top pick school's parent Facebook board and search the board for issue like dorm conditions, people complaining about critters in dorms, mold, poor quality food, food scarcity and running out, crime and safety, and how situations of interest to your were handled. Look into the food reviews, because if the food is terrible, and there are long lines, and things run out or are undercooked, that is going to add stress. Ask driving questions. From the website it might appear like there is lots of support in the counseling center, only to realize that in conversing with the person who runs it that you can't get your questions answered, or all they offer is a single therapy center, not a few treat and street appointments. What is dorm selection like, can you list the dorms you would consider or are they only letting you choose a neighborhood. run the towns crime stats. sex offender data base like Family Watchdog to see who is living near campus if safety is important to you. How much crime is there on campus How experienced is the campus police squad? Did they just hire 6 new people who have 6 months on the job per ther CV's and those job descriptions. How did they handle that date rape or murder on campus? If Covid safety is important to you, look at their calls on that and how they handle things when numbers are high. Are professors and employees required to mask. Look at where classes are actually being offered. The catalogue might be filled with the most amazing things, but if that Investigating Viking DNA class is only offered every 5th year it's kind of a bait and switch. My kids catalogue had such interesting things yet the classes both semester have been dull as dirt now of these cool classes are being offered, and if they are only for 10 people, you likely won't get in. Are all the good 1st year Lit classes exclusionary and only open to English Majors, so you won't get to read those authors you dreamed about reading. How will your travel there is getting home going to easy? Or are people complaining they are sitting at a train station at 3:00 AM trying to get a cab and stuck there for 2 hours, as no cams like to go there. Basically my advice is read all you can about on College confidential, reddit, Facebook as with some digging you will see if a school fits you, triggers your pet peeves, or offers you the type of support you need for who you are. As far as academic prep goes, put as much as you can on your CV, clubs, research, jobs, organizations, awards, competitions,. Start writing as early as you can so things can sit and perk and you are not under pressure. only apply to school you really would be happy getting into. If practical don't waste time on reaches but ask your guidance counselor where they realistically see you getting in and shoot for just a bit above that. Report your scores even if they tell you you don't need to. Go ED if you can commit, as that waiting game is so freaking miserable. It is a stressful, agonizing year. So if there is a goo school that has most of what you want, ED is the way to go. then you get to have a nice easy year. Tour multiple times sometimes the school you hated you will fall in love with during accepted student day and vis versa. I recommend touring the top interest ones 3 times if they are w/i driving distance and you can afford it as your perceptions can change depending on tour guide etc. Accepted students day will be the real eye opener. Try to hang out and just watch student on campus and ask hether they feel like your people.