The weather is getting warmer, the school year is winding down, and it’s that time when people generally breathe a little easier, thinking “It’s finally time to take a break.” If that’s you, it might be time to think again. Spring is the perfect time for high school juniors to get a jump start on college applications. As Henry Ford aptly said,
"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.”
Some of what I mention below may be common sense—of course you are thinking about ACT/ACT prep. But are you also thinking about strategizing which teachers to ask for recommendations and approaching them this spring? Are you brainstorming where you want your personal statement to go and what you want it to reflect about you? In fact, these may be summer projects for you, but we all know the summer has a tendency of getting away from us. With that in mind, here are a few things to get a jumpstart on before the college application starts in earnest.
ACT/SAT prep
Many schools are test optional this season, but that doesn’t mean you should approach them as such. More and more students are applying to college without them, making it harder to stand out. In fact, applicants are taking it as an invitation to apply for schools they might not be quite the right fit for (or qualified for). However, if you put in the work, take the tests, and have a score you are proud of, it will definitely reflect better on your application. Plus it shows admissions you aren’t afraid of doing the work.
If you are only thinking about taking one test or the other – don’t! Preparing for one is generally preparing for the other, and your brain might work better with one test. It will not hurt one iota to take the ACT (without prep) if you’ve spent months studying for the SAT. If you don’t perform well, then it’s no skin off your back. If you outperform your SAT score, well then… look what one Saturday morning worth of work can do for you.
Teacher recommendations
There are teachers out there who limit how many recommendations they will write a year (as is well within their right! It becomes a lot of work). That means time is of the essence to identify which teachers would write the best recommendation to highlight your strengths and passions, then asking them. It isn’t something to be shy about or drag your feet on. You may think waiting until fall is a better time, but ponder this – your junior year teachers will know you best after a full year of coursework. And if you ask in the spring, they will have more capacity to write a thoughtful recommendation, as well as pull from your recent experiences together. It is better to be first to ask then last.
Choose your teachers carefully – go for the ones that know you best, for who you worked the hardest, or for who you did your best work. You want them to be able to highlight your intellectual curiosity, drive, and originality of thought.
Follow up with your teachers in the fall and then again a week before your first deadline.
Visit schools and attend information sessions online
Make sure the colleges know you are interested! Since many colleges are offering online tours and information sessions this is quite possibly the easiest thing you can do to demonstrate interest, learn a little more about the school, and then use later to reference in any correspondence with the school (interview, questions to admissions, etc).
Start planning your personal statement
There are a few things to keep in mind for the essay—the first is that it isn’t an opportunity for a brag fest. The admissions team has the rest of your application and letters of recommendation for that. This is an opportunity to be likable, stand out, and show what makes you, you. The best essays are humble, down to earth, demonstrate who you are, or how failing/making a mistake has made you the person you are today. One caveat to this is that admissions teams are generally bored to tears with overcoming sport injuries—except of course if you were the state’s star quarterback and had to pivot and re-evaluate your life… NOT how you came back to sports.
The best essays are stories, not over-arching soliloquies of your greatness. Start with something small, a story that shows who you are and how you live your life. When you reach too far, you risk telling, not showing. Metaphors make show your creativity and invite the reader closer. Grappling with uncertainty demonstrates your humanity. It’s hard to stand out when every applicant portrays themselves as perfect. Use your failures and mistakes as motivation and room for growth. Let the reader in to your vulnerability.
Open with a bang. The first paragraph is by far the most important. It sets the tone for the rest of your essay (if the admissions officer reading your application can make it that far… let’s be honest, there are THOUSANDS to get through).
And finally, start with a couple of ideas to flesh out. Brainstorm and outline several personal statements to see which works and feels best. Don’t be afraid to start over! This is why you start early!
For international students - take the TOEFL
This will take a huge load off your plate for fall application season, and assure that you are ready for a US/Canada education in English.
Start now before summer gets away from you
Growing up, a mentor of mine told me over and over again "early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable." The same applies to college applications. Being prepared means being successful. Starting early means you can hammer out all the kinks and redirections, you can edit and adjust based on feedback, and most importantly, you have time to reflect and do things thoughtfully.
"Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them." - Anonymous
For more insight and help on the admissions process, feel free to reach out to me and we can schedule an informational session to get cracking on your applications.
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