Applying to colleges – cue the eye rolls and looks of disgust. If you're a high school junior or senior, you're most likely dreading it; if you're in college already, you're glad it's over. It's a tedious, lengthy process that requires lots of information absorption, significant travel to campuses and receptions set up in hotel ballrooms and the creation of a magnum opus that shows what worldly wisdom you possess at your young age (a.k.a. the Common App essay), all within the span of less than four months. All of us have thought at one point of the process, "What is this all for? To get a piece of paper in four years and go through the same process all over again for a job?" Yes, it may just be the first step in earning that piece of paper, but the college application process taught us all a few very important lifelong lessons about how to manage yourself as a professional later on.
Take it seriously.
Applying to college is like applying for a job. In fact some of the same questions asked in a job interview are on your application (albeit with different wording), such as why you are interested in the school/job. Your essay is essentially a stand-in for the typical interview question, "Tell me about yourself." Goofing off and lying are certainly not in your best interest, and the more effort you put into it, the greater payoff you will see.
Know who you need to know.
In the case of the college application process, it's your local admissions counselor (you can usually find out who they are on the school's website). They are your first major connection as you begin networking with the school and if you want to be looked upon favorably, consistent communication is key. Like the college application process, connections are key in the professional world. If the person that can help you advance your career has no idea who you are, you aren't going to get anywhere.
When in doubt, look it up first.
Like I said, the admissions counselors are there for your questions, but they aren't there to redirect you all the time or hold your hand as you learn about their school. They are mostly there to answer individualized questions or the rare question that isn't already answered on the school's website. One visiting admissions rep at my high school told us, "I just had a baby three months ago, and I'm getting four hours of sleep between my baby and my work. I do NOT have time for, nor will I answer your email if it goes 'Does [school] have a Psychology major?'" I applauded her honesty; in the work world, professional superiors do not have the time to answer simple questions, especially when Google is right at our fingertips. Your dumb question only makes you look more incompetent, and the person reviewing your application will have a less favorable impression of you.
Keep improving.
Consistent all-around high achievement is great, but expanding your knowledge and showing improvement is essential to moving forward in both academic and career settings. Your admissions counselors and future employers might even prefer to see specialization in an area of interest rather than all-around achievement. Professionals each have a specialty and are constantly learning new, relatable skills in their field in order to advance their employability. When you present yourself with specialized skills, you are more attractive and impressive to these employers and institutions.
Be prepared to hear what you don't want to hear.
Jay Ellison, the Dean of Students at UChicago wrote in his recent letter, "Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship... Diversity of opinion and background is a fundamental strength of our community." Simply, by existing, we are subject to a barrage of different, possibly negative opinions and we need to learn to put up with it. For example, this "diversity of opinion" could be between your high regard for yourself, compared to your admissions counselor's opinion that you could have picked up your math grade a bit more. If that means you are rejected from your dream school, just face the music. It will only make you stronger when you encounter more criticism down the road.
The process of applying for college might leave you
