Applying For Our Futures

After college visits are over and students have compiled their final list of colleges to apply to, the application process begins.

There are 2 typical types of admissions. One is rolling, where the college reviews applications as they come in and inform the student of their decision as soon as it's made. The other type begins to review all applications received on or around a chosen date. Other options students may choose are early decision or early action, which involves sending the application in early and receiving a decision earlier than other applicants. Early decision is binding, meaning if you get accepted, you must go there, while early action simply means that you’ve decided that you are definitely applying and you would like to know sooner than regular admission.

There are multiple steps to apply to a college. Usually at the end of Junior year, students begin to think about who they will ask for letters of recommendation. While these people are usually teachers, they can also be coaches or supervisors that can talk about a student in a letter in a positive way. This is not always the teacher who’s class you did the best in. One of my letters is coming from the teacher who’s class I did the worst in. However, I showed dedication and effort throughout the class and built a relationship with the teacher, even though at times I wanted to pull my hair out. I felt that teacher could write a good letter for me. Letters of recommendation, while not required in all schools, are an important part of the process. This is how colleges are going to look at how you perform in class and how teachers or coaches view you.

The next step is the college essay. This poses a challenge for tons of students, mostly because of the difficulty of choosing a topic. You need something that will show your uniqueness, while showcasing yourself in a positive light. My college essay is about a 3-day program I was invited to at Rutgers called the Girl’s Career Institute. I had to apply to be considered, and was chosen as the representative of my school. This experience was a unique event for me to talk about in my essay. I wrote about how the experience helped me grow and made me believe in myself.

It’s hard for some students to come up with a topic. All you need to do is think about anything that sets you apart from the kid sitting next to you in math class and write about how it makes you who you are.  It can be anything. One student I know wrote about sleeping, but wrote it in an interesting way that will make whoever reads it remember it and the student who wrote it.

The final step is to fill out the application for your college and complete anything miscellaneous they have for you to do. Many seniors have started sending in their applications, including me. In a couple of weeks, students will begin to find out if they have been accepted to the colleges they have chosen and we will all start to map out the next four years of our lives.