Scholarships, recommendations, and essays, oh my!
It was just a year ago when took my turn venturing into the dark and unforgiving world of...College Applications!
It's a cruel but true fact that by the time you are actually applying to college, there's not much more you can do for your grades. So, hopefully, you have been keeping them up throughout high school.
While you could gain a leadership position after the beginning of your Senior Year, it is also not much help unless you have shown involvement in that particular club during years prior.
So, the variables you are left with are the choice of schools where you apply, your choice of major, your admissions deadlines, the scholarships/financial aid you apply for, your recommendations, and your essays.
Oh, the essays. Yes, this is the one thing I would have changed.
If I could offer one piece of advice to any student going through the college application process, it would be this: keep your essays as personal and genuine as possible. DO NOT WRITE WHAT YOU THINK WILL MAKE YOU SOUND MORE INTERESTING.
While the extremely selective colleges do care about your diction and tone, these tools will do little to help you if you are not revealing your true personality to them.
Also, be open to the idea that you may not get into your dream school. The schools with low acceptance rates have low acceptance rates for a reason. However, having an honest essay about who you are as a person will certainly boost your chances. I noticed this trend consistently among my friends who got into their dream schools.
Be adaptable and put your best foot forward. If you asked me this time last year where I would be going to college, I could not have given you a definite answer. I had only been accepted into a couple schools in the fall and most of my other acceptances came in the spring. I was, however, extremely hopeful.
Stay hopeful, take initiative, and keep seeking opportunities because I ended up where I am now by sheer chance, and I could not be happier with how everything turned out.
Know this: you will find where you belong, even if it doesn't seem like it at first. But, if you want to push yourself just a little ahead of the rest, a well-written essay will do just that.