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High School, for many, is coming to an end and although many say senior year is the best year, it’s also the most stressful year. Having classes throughout the day, clubs/programs after school, keeping up with your friends and relationships. It’s all overwhelming already, adding on college applications, its stress overload. It’s a lot going on. Here are five tips to help with the process.
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Do Not Procrastinate
I know you have already heard this about a million times throughout your high school year, but it’s the truth. Especially during college applications. Never wait for the deadline to make your application and send it out. One, your college advisor or whoever is the person assisting you is not going to be able to support you as much as you like. Due to the fact, it’s the day of the deadline, and they most likely have a lot of students sending theirs out that same day. They’ll have to help as many students as much as possible. Secondly, it’s more stressful waiting to till the last minute to send out the application and start it. The apps itself ask for a lot of information from you, and some short paragraph questions they ask you’ll want to have time to think it over and come up with the best and honest answers.
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Research Colleges Beforehand
There are more than 1000 colleges and universities in the U.S. Finding the one that best suits you and your future is absolutely essential. It’s recommendable that one should start looking at colleges over the summer before their senior year of high school. To make it easier, ask your college advisor or whoever is in charge of the college process for students in your school is, for a book with colleges from your state. For example, if you live in New York, some college advisors have books with information on CUNY colleges and SUNY colleges. Have that list prepared well beforehand. Otherwise, it’s a pain while others are sending out their apps while you’re still researching colleges.
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Don’t Miss Out On Finacial Aid and Scholarships
This is extremely important. Financial Aid and scholarships help a ton. After looking at the prices for colleges and universities, many would need to resort to taking out student loans. The ideal situation is not having to take out one, a close second is not taking out a lot of money. Financial Aid like, FASFA, is money that you don’t have to pay back and the amount of money they give you depends on how financially in need you are. Then there are grants and scholarships, money you don’t have to pay back as well. Applying to those are essential and a must. Many students don’t apply to scholarships because they have the idea that so many students are already participating so why bother. In reality, there are thousands of awards handed out each year, and many have multiple winners. There are scholarships out there for a lot of reasons. It’s best to start sending out the applications the summer before you’re a senior, but there are some with questions you need to wait for your senior year to have the answers. Either way, don’t let that stop you from applying as early as possible.
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It’s What You Want and Feel Is Best
Many students are pressured and influenced by the people in their lives. Whether it’s parents, guardians, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, students are affected to choose schools based on the people around them opinions. It’s better to choose a school based on what you want as an individual. If you’re going to go away for school to have that experience, then it’s important to choose that for yourself. Also necessary to remind yourself if you’re able to afford it (keep financial aid and scholarships in mind for this). For this, it’s all about you and what is best for you. In other words be selfish and think of yourself and your own future.
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It’s Going To Be Okay
It’s comforting to have someone there throughout the entire process to tell you what to do and hold your hand through it all but sometimes that not the case and one needs to remind themselves that it’s going to be okay. What type of colleges one goes to does not matter. Community college gets a bad rep when in reality it’s nothing terrible. You can always go for two years then transfer to another school, it’s not the end of the world. It’s also not the end of the world if you decide to skip college for a year or so. Many students do that, and it’s a good idea especially when you want to save up more money to pay for college and have less worry about that part. It’s your future, and it’s all about what you feel is right for you.
