Hey Juniors! If you see a senior in the hall high-five them. They have successfully navigated the
sometimes rough waters of the college admissions process. May 1st is the national deadline to
let colleges know that you are accepting their offer of admissions. So GW College
Coach talked to several seniors
on how they are doing and what advice they have for juniors who are starting
the process of college exploration and admissions.
Maddie started
the application process in the summer.
She spent many weekends in the library.
She originally wanted to apply to eleven schools then narrowed it down
to nine. She advises to research your
schools to make sure they have your major and how your major compares to other
colleges.
Alex visited
several colleges before applying to make sure they had his major. He knew he wanted a large Big Ten
school. He applied to two “safety,” one
“middle of the pack,” and some “stretch” schools. He swears by Early Action, which is typically has a November 1st or
December 1st deadline. He
advises to start early – don’t put it off!
Betsy applied to
eleven colleges, but in retrospect she wishes she had applied to fewer so that
she could spend more time on the one’s that mattered the most to her. She put things off and regrets that because
it added more stress. It all worked out for her in the end!
Holt suggests
writing down all of the different passwords because you have to keep using them
for different accounts. He advises to be
on top of due dates. He had a bit of a
horror story when application supplements didn’t copy and paste near a deadline
and it was frustrating. He advises that
you look at the whole application before you begin working on it – see the
whole picture.
Regarding the dreaded ESSAY, Emily underestimated the amount of essays required. There are supplemental and short essays that are
all equally important. Alex suggests, “Don’t just talk about
where you want to go – sell yourself.”
Alex, Betsy, and Maddie agreed that talking about yourself is hard to do. They suggest looking at individual college
websites to see what they already have and then let them know what you will
contribute to their campus.
Final essay thoughts…
Alex: “If you
give your best effort, you won’t be worried; you’ll know you did your best.”
Maddie: “Make sure to show the connections between
you and the college.”
Betsy: “Don’t
skimp on the supplemental essays.”
Excellent advice
seniors – I officially dub you GW College Coach Ambassadors!
TTYL,
GW College Coach
Juniors: Register for
College 101: Preparing for the College
Selection Process at West July 17-18 from 8:30-11:30 AM. Visit the summer school link on our website www.glenbardwesths.org to register.
