As this school year comes to a close, juniors will start to look forward to the future, when the dreaded college apps season begins. A year ago, I was in your shoes, and, when talking to former ASB president, Rachel Griffith, she gave me a key piece of advice. Well, two pieces of advice actually.
- Do not procrastinate.
The essays, at least for the UC’s, are largely the same every year. So that means, over the summer, start writing the essays. Even if it’s just a really, really rough draft, when you get back, you can have an amazing English teacher read them over. With CSU’s, you don’t need essays, it’s just filling out a bunch of boxes. Submit those as soon as possible, because you’ll start hearing back from schools within two weeks, which is the greatest feeling ever. For private schools, I didn’t apply to any, but the same advice applies I assume.
- Do not have a dream school.
As someone who did not get into their dream school, hindsight is 20/20 on this one. It’s alright to have some schools you want to go to, but unless you’re guaranteed to get in, don’t let your hopes up too much.
Now while the title of this article may have been a bit of an overstatement, just because it’s your senior year, don’t grow complacent. The next year will likely be filled with disappointment and celebration, but following this advice could increase your chances of having more celebration than disappointment.