I have officially survived the torment of the college application process. I am proud to say that I made it out alive!!

I know I’m exaggerating the situation, but the stress is real. It was probably one of the most anxiety-ridden experiences I’ve had, especially since most of my friends were also going through the same thing. 

I want to use this post to help relieve some of that stress for the people who have yet to go through that process by listing some of the things that I learned a little too late. (Every piece of advice I give is from my point of view and experiences. It will also be geared toward the colleges I applied for, such as Ivy Leagues. Depending on the difficulty of getting into a certain school, different advice might apply.)

This post is going to skip over how the college process actually works, so make sure to research that before coming here. 

1. Make that college list: It’s a really good idea to start this early. I did not do this, and to be honest, it was not that big of a deal for me. However, I did end up changing up my college list constantly till the last minute, which didn’t give me time to think about how to approach each application. It is really important to do research into each college that you apply to. Many colleges will ask you why you chose to apply to their college or why you prefer their programs over others. For this, the best way to answer this is by being specific, and being specific will be easier when you know a lot more about that college. Another thing is that many colleges will have separate deadlines for scholarships and portfolios. Usually they are much earlier than the actual deadline for the application. If you have a college list early on, you’ll know to look for these deadlines beforehand. 
2. How many colleges do I apply to?: This question really depends on you. Are you willing to go to any college that accepts you? Are you already set on a few choices? How much are you willing to spend on college? Regardless, it is always good to apply to a few safety (easy to get into) and target (good chance of getting into) colleges. I applied to eight colleges, and I eliminated choices by the thought that I wouldn’t go to that college even if I got in. Applications also cost about $80 each if you don’t get a fee waiver. And on top of that, each application is a lot of work, so putting time into one is taking time away from another. I’ve had friends who applied to as few as three schools and as many as thirty. It is essentially up to you to decide. 
3. How do I approach my essays?: There are many websites online that talk about strategies to approach the essays specific to each college. You can just search up “How to write [college name] essays” and you should be able to find several websites with specific advice and examples. This is not to say that following the advice will guarantee getting into a certain college. It’s more like a starting point, or advice for how not to leave the essay blank, if that makes sense. If you want your essays to stand out, you really have to be specific and true to yourself. Look for qualities and achievements in yourself that many people from your background/school might not have. Now I also want to talk about the common essay that goes to all the colleges (if you are applying on Common App or Coalition). There are so many topics to choose from. How do I decide? I read a book dedicated just to how to approach this essay: On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld. Of course there are many other great ones out there, but I do recommend this one. Another piece of advice for this essay is to start it as early as possible, and I mean AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE! I started this essay in the beginning of summer and went through so many topics and versions that I was still working till the last minute to edit it. If you can even start in junior year, I would do it!!! 
4. Activities: The Common App allows space for ten activities, and within each activity, there is very little space for description. This means that colleges don’t want more detailed essays for each activity that you do. They want precise information about achievements and positions held in each activity. Really, ten is a lot of activities, and many people recommend using at most seven of them. Colleges really are not looking for students who participate in more activities. What they want to see is that you participate a lot in a few activities, that you hold a high position in one activity that you are passionate about, that you would go much further to pursue this specific interest than anyone else would. Some colleges that have their own application website limit you to only four or five activities. They’re serious about the fact that you don’t have to do everything. Obviously, you can’t make up stuff that you haven’t done. So this is a good time to go deep into a few activities and strive to accomplish big things in them. This doesn’t always mean to win at a competition. Your activity can involve volunteering, so reaching out to places that may need help and making a big change there counts as well. 
5. What are colleges really looking for?: Especially for reach (difficult to get into) schools, this piece of advice is like gold. Colleges like to see what is called a spike: the fact that you are extremely good (like best of the best) in one particular area. They do not want a particularly “well-rounded” student. You shouldn’t strive to be good in everything. The way that comes across in an application is that you’re spreading yourself thin and can’t make up your mind when it comes to your passion. Yes, colleges want you to be good in school, but even if you show that you’ve gone further than most people go in a certain activity, that might be able to cover up for the fact that you may have struggled a little in school. This is one of the things I realized a little too late. Many of my applications were about how I like to draw and paint and dance and learn languages and do math and learn about nanotechnology and run my blog, etc. This really doesn’t make me stand out because many other students will fall into this trap. Learn from my mistakes!

I hope this helps for whoever may be reading it. It really helps to start early and that’s the biggest piece of advice I can give to someone who really cares about where they will go for college. I know this is not very specific (I might be back with more advice), but I think it’s at least a good starting point for those who may be worrying about what to do or where to start. I wish lots of good luck to those who will be applying next year. Believe in yourself! You got this!

And here is one last thing. The colleges you get into or don’t get into mean absolutely nothing about who you are as a person nor do they determine your worth. Watch some videos about why the college application process is super crazy and silly. It really is. Everything happens for a reason. If you don’t get into your dream college, then maybe it wasn’t meant for you or maybe there are better opportunities waiting for you elsewhere. If you still don’t believe this, you will always learn valuable lessons wherever you go. I know this is not something that a lot of people want to hear, but once you click submit, that application is no longer in your control. You are an amazing person and are bound to do amazing things. The ultimate goal in life is not to satisfy a college admissions officer. You get to make many more important choices in life. Focus on those. 

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have, broad or specific. I will answer them to the best of my ability!

Here’s one last good luck 🙂

– Yours Truly