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6 Steps to begin the "college search" process

If you are a rising junior/senior in high school, then this is the article for you!

Jul 18, 2018

University of Delaware University of Delaware

6 Steps to begin the "college search" process

Alex Atiyeh

It is almost the month of August and you know what that means: school. Whether you are a sophomore in college, a rising senior in high school, or a 13-year-old dreading his or her 7th-grade year, school is coming just around the corner for a lot of us. For this specific article though I want to focus on those of you who are going into 11th or 12th grade. As a rising freshman in college, it feels as if it were just yesterday I decided on where I wanted to go for the next four years. Now by no means did I know what I want for my future right off the bat, but I took the steps to help make my decision. Here in this article, I am going to share some of the tips I believe will help you narrow down your college options. So without further ado, here we go.

1. What do you want to do?

If you have a set goal on what you want to major in, you are already off to a good start. Even if it is between 2-3 areas of education that's okay! By thinking about what it is that you want to focus on for the next four years will help you with your college search. For example, if you want to major in musical theatre you would search up top musical theatre colleges. The amount of results and lists you will receive is ridiculous, but it will help you get a head start at looking at colleges you might be interested in.

2. Research possible schools.

After possibly coming up with a few ideas for an area to major in, you will come across schools that are well known for those majors. DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. I cannot express that enough. Don't just apply to a school because it is well known for your topic of education AND having the greatest college football team in the country. Sure, that might make the experience better, but you really want to focus on your education. Look for the cost of tuition, what grades are required to get accepted, student to teacher ratios, campus life activities, campus population, job acceptance rate of graduates, and anything else among those categories. Princeton Review or College Board are both great websites to get all of that information for your colleges of interest.

3. Schedule visits sooner than later.

If you are a junior or sophomore PLEASE listen up. Do NOT wait until the last minute to do a college tour of a school that is five hours away from your home. It is stressful for you AND your parents. Make a list of the schools you want to visit, sit down with your parents, and look at a calendar for dates that you can schedules college tours. If you wait for your senior year to do a tour somewhere you will definitely be making things a lot more stressful for yourself.

4. Apply on time and carefully.

Most colleges and universities require you to apply through the Common App website. Let me tell you right now that I hate that website, and I am so glad I never have to use it again. Despite my current point of view, that website helps you with everything you need to apply for the colleges you are interested in. Some have optional essays, others have mandatory ones. A few may require two teacher recommendations, and some might not require any. Now what I'm about to say is very important: Take your time applying and make sure to do it with an adult. I did most of mine by myself the first week the Common App website opened for my graduating year, and a part of me will always regret that. I'm the kind of guy who wants to get something done as soon as possible. I HATE procrastinating. Did I get into a college? Yes, I did, but I could have saved a lot of stress if I just sat down with my mom to apply.

5. Create a pros and cons list.

You applied to schools and got in. Great! Now it's time to decide where you want to go. The number of times I changed my mind between two schools was too high to count. It sucked, but I eventually made my decision. I did this through the help of another visit to one of the schools, and by making a list of pros, cons, and information about the two schools I was between. I did this in google sheets, which I highly suggest you do. There I kept info such as the cost of tuition, hours away from home, school activities on campus, type of area it is surrounded by, and more. It may seem silly, but it helps. This is a huge decision you are making in your life right now. You want to make sure you are doing what is best for YOU.

6. Make a decision.

After months of applying, paying stupid application fees, crying, traveling, and more crying, I made my decision. I chose to go to the University of Delaware with the help of my pros and cons list, the experience I had on my visits there, and a few other little things from along the way. Now for me, it is out of state which means I have to pay more to go to school there. Does that suck? Yes. YOU WILL BE IN DEBT BECAUSE OF COLLEGE AND THAT IS 100% OKAY. Most people graduating from college usually have debt to pay back. I will certainly be in debt, but that is a price I am willing to pay because that school gave me the best feeling ever. I chose the school that I felt is best for me, and I wouldn't change that for the world.

Hopefully this article was useful to those going through the application process right now. It sucks. You will scream, cry, and hope for the decision to come sooner than later. The process is about patience and doing what is best for you. Don't rush it. Enjoy your last one or two years of high school. It'll be over like a flash of lightning. Don't be afraid to ask a teacher or guidance counselor for help during this process. I did and it made the process ten times easier. If you are applying right now, good luck. I know you will make the decision that is best for you and your future.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Recommended for you

6 Steps to begin the "college search" process

If you are a rising junior/senior in high school, then this is the article for you!

1. What do you want to do?

2. Research possible schools.

3. Schedule visits sooner than later.

4. Apply on time and carefully.

5. Create a pros and cons list.

6. Make a decision.

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

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2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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