For incoming seniors, it's almost college application time. Whether you're a sophomore, junior, senior or even an Incoming college freshman, this information is relevant to you. Nowadays, there is a high pressure on the college application process because many students wonder where they will be headed to next year. Don't worry, you have time. But the most important thing when applying for college is being realistic about choosing the right college for you.
1. Talk to your guidance counselor.
If you are a rising junior, make sure at the start of this academic school year you see where you stand. This is the year to prove yourself and put your best academic efforts for college applications the following year. Make sure to have a conversation with your guidance counselor once at the start of the year, and once at the end of the year.
2. Look at where you stand.
This might be a hard one for many students. Most students feel pressured to perform at there best and want to impress their family members, peers, and themselves. The most important thing to do is take the statistics given to you by your guidance counselor. Factors including your GPA, test scores, class schedules, extracurricular activities, and the quality of your high school experience can all affect where you stand. Not all high school are created equally, and colleges are well aware of that. So take this into consideration when applying: you're not "supposed to get in anywhere." You may have the standards-based off last years application pool, but every year the application pool changes by the students who apply, and same with the acceptance rate.
3. Tour all the colleges on your top seven list.
Your top seven list should consist of any college you could really see yourself attending. A school has a very different appearance online than in person, so you don't know what you're getting yourself into until you take the time to tour. Yes, this can be expensive, but have you seen college tuition prices? If you could seriously see yourself attending a specific school, then make sure you tour the college. If a school is the right "fit" for you, then you will know when you first step foot on campus.
Happy touring!
