Applying for Colleges
I know some of you people who read this are going to be applying for college come fall semester. Somebody on facebook asked for general advice regarding applications, so I figured I'd cut and paste that stuff in here so that other people can get all the college advice I'm good for.
First, a disclaimer: I didn't apply for colleges the way that one should (i.e. I really only submitted one application, because of my ties into it), so don't take my advice as the ultimate thing you should do.
I didn't actually use any books, but I did find a forum after the fact that generally gave good advice for colleges. I don't know much about their other articles, but the range of diversity of people who will talk to you in a topic was rather refreshing.
www.collegeconfidential.com (the forum is http://talk.collegeconfidential.com)
If you've gone on any college tours, take note of what general information they may have given you. If your SAT score is above 2000, that's good for many schools, though maybe not the ones with the most prestige thought to be attached.
Consider the dorms you visit, and if you really want to live there. Remember - you'll probably be living in those dorms for at least two years. If not, look at apartment situations (but only for schools you're accepted in/really really want). They can sometimes be cheaper.
Also determine if the atmosphere of the school you're visiting is one that you can live in. If people are complete snobs to you, you probably want somewhere more welcoming, even if it is first in the country for your desired major.
COST. If your family is really close to the pay range of not being eligible for the school's financial aid, either get a ton of outside scholarships and grants, or choose somewhere cheaper. Cheap does not equal bad (UH Honors, for that matter, is much better than people give it credit for).
Location. Decide if you want to live in a city, suburbs, or in the middle of nowhere. It's not always as easy to go shopping or get away from people you don't like as it is here.
UT is not the be-all end-all of schools. Many people from our school go there, yes, but you may want to look around for colleges that have good support for whatever major you decide.
I was really bad about this one, but do apply for financial aid. The website that the counselors want you to sign up for has TONS of aid applications, though you'll have to wade through a bunch of absolutely useless links to find some good ones. Start on those early. (apply for the Jones scholarship when the application comes up during the second semester)
For that matter, fill out FAFSA early second semester. Make sure your parents have their tax forms filled out.
Go to your teachers early for recommendations. Many of the favorite teachers will only do a certain number, and they'll fill up quickly once the panic sets in (Ms. Seward ran out really quickly, from what I remember. Go really early to her, if you want her). If you're going for a specific kind of major with a really picky school, you may want to get a teacher who taught you in that particular subject - it may look like more. And figure out how many teacher recommendations your schools require.
DON'T APPLY FOR TWENTY SCHOOLS. Choose a few that you like - it's fine to apply for some schools that have prestige, but don't make that the bulk of them (it usually costs something like $60 to apply for them, anyway), since they reject many deserving candidates. Have a safety or two, but...find some colleges you really want. You'll be a lot less stressed during the year as you don't have to get them in, and you won't be wasting your parents' money (they can use it the next year!). Also, you won't have to deal with rejection upon rejection like Jett did last year (I think he got something like 13 rejections in a row).
...actually, I'm not sure what your rank and GPA are. Probably higher than mine were. This is sort of general advice for somebody who wasn't in the top 20 in the school, and would probably not meet all of their requirements.
Oh, and you may want to have a good supply of stamps and envelopes with you through the year. If you don't need them for a sudden deadline, somebody else will.
Oh! And remember deadlines for applications, and try to finish at LEAST a week ahead of that, so you can look over everything.
Ask English teachers you like and respect to review your essays. I have no tips on writing them, because I'm bad at writing essays.
Apply for your transcripts early. If you're doing Early Application/Early Decision, try to apply for them as soon as they're available (it was mid-September for us). And that line in front of the office at lunch doesn't take that long, so don't "wait" for a day when it's not busy - it will be busy, and you'll be done pretty quickly, as long as it's not the day before a deadline.
Yeah. So now you don't have to ask me.
WHY WON'T MY DORM ASSIGNMENTS COME SOONER WHYYYYYYYYYY.
First, a disclaimer: I didn't apply for colleges the way that one should (i.e. I really only submitted one application, because of my ties into it), so don't take my advice as the ultimate thing you should do.
I didn't actually use any books, but I did find a forum after the fact that generally gave good advice for colleges. I don't know much about their other articles, but the range of diversity of people who will talk to you in a topic was rather refreshing.
www.collegeconfidential.com (the forum is http://talk.collegeconfidential.com)
If you've gone on any college tours, take note of what general information they may have given you. If your SAT score is above 2000, that's good for many schools, though maybe not the ones with the most prestige thought to be attached.
Consider the dorms you visit, and if you really want to live there. Remember - you'll probably be living in those dorms for at least two years. If not, look at apartment situations (but only for schools you're accepted in/really really want). They can sometimes be cheaper.
Also determine if the atmosphere of the school you're visiting is one that you can live in. If people are complete snobs to you, you probably want somewhere more welcoming, even if it is first in the country for your desired major.
COST. If your family is really close to the pay range of not being eligible for the school's financial aid, either get a ton of outside scholarships and grants, or choose somewhere cheaper. Cheap does not equal bad (UH Honors, for that matter, is much better than people give it credit for).
Location. Decide if you want to live in a city, suburbs, or in the middle of nowhere. It's not always as easy to go shopping or get away from people you don't like as it is here.
UT is not the be-all end-all of schools. Many people from our school go there, yes, but you may want to look around for colleges that have good support for whatever major you decide.
I was really bad about this one, but do apply for financial aid. The website that the counselors want you to sign up for has TONS of aid applications, though you'll have to wade through a bunch of absolutely useless links to find some good ones. Start on those early. (apply for the Jones scholarship when the application comes up during the second semester)
For that matter, fill out FAFSA early second semester. Make sure your parents have their tax forms filled out.
Go to your teachers early for recommendations. Many of the favorite teachers will only do a certain number, and they'll fill up quickly once the panic sets in (Ms. Seward ran out really quickly, from what I remember. Go really early to her, if you want her). If you're going for a specific kind of major with a really picky school, you may want to get a teacher who taught you in that particular subject - it may look like more. And figure out how many teacher recommendations your schools require.
DON'T APPLY FOR TWENTY SCHOOLS. Choose a few that you like - it's fine to apply for some schools that have prestige, but don't make that the bulk of them (it usually costs something like $60 to apply for them, anyway), since they reject many deserving candidates. Have a safety or two, but...find some colleges you really want. You'll be a lot less stressed during the year as you don't have to get them in, and you won't be wasting your parents' money (they can use it the next year!). Also, you won't have to deal with rejection upon rejection like Jett did last year (I think he got something like 13 rejections in a row).
...actually, I'm not sure what your rank and GPA are. Probably higher than mine were. This is sort of general advice for somebody who wasn't in the top 20 in the school, and would probably not meet all of their requirements.
Oh, and you may want to have a good supply of stamps and envelopes with you through the year. If you don't need them for a sudden deadline, somebody else will.
Oh! And remember deadlines for applications, and try to finish at LEAST a week ahead of that, so you can look over everything.
Ask English teachers you like and respect to review your essays. I have no tips on writing them, because I'm bad at writing essays.
Apply for your transcripts early. If you're doing Early Application/Early Decision, try to apply for them as soon as they're available (it was mid-September for us). And that line in front of the office at lunch doesn't take that long, so don't "wait" for a day when it's not busy - it will be busy, and you'll be done pretty quickly, as long as it's not the day before a deadline.
Yeah. So now you don't have to ask me.
WHY WON'T MY DORM ASSIGNMENTS COME SOONER WHYYYYYYYYYY.