Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Editor-In-Chief
There are a lot of things that invoke a sense of dread in teenagers: Math class, locker rooms, and having your name called on the announcements, to name a few. However, few activities instill more panic in a teenager’s soul than the looming, horrific, soul-crushing college application.
From Freshman to Junior year, you are free from the pressures of college and adult life. You have the opportunity to enjoy yourself, float freely, and take time to generally appreciate being a kid. Nevertheless, when you finally hit senior year, the reality of college and the looming adult world suddenly becomes shockingly near.
For some, they’ve been prepping half their lives for this. They’ve studied, researched, and done every possible they can to be ready for college and the world beyond them. For others, this revelation can catch you completely off guard, and if you haven’t done previous research, college apps can be vastly overwhelming. Fortunately, with access to the internet and all sorts of databases, you have all the resources you need to make college applications a breeze.
Starting with this article, I’ll give you the basic steps you need to complete to secure your future and conquer college apps once and for all. If you’re a senior with a November 1st deadline, make sure you have these things done. And if you’re a junior or below, take note so you can put these tips into action when your time comes.
First, you need to create Naviance and Common App accounts and link them as soon as possible. This will give you the actual resources to apply.
Second, make sure you get your transcript request form into your counselor based on your application deadline. Without a transcript from the school, colleges can’t consider your application.
Next and most urgently, you absolutely must ask for a letter of recommendation if you haven’t already. Preferably, you should have asked for a letter back in March or April from a junior year teacher. Teachers only have so much time, and the earlier you ask the better your chances are of them saying yes (and writing you a good letter). Under no circumstances should you email them unless it’s to set up a time to talk. Always ask them politely in-person and if they say no, then live with it and move on to the next.
You need 2 letters, so make sure you are choosing teachers that you’ve done well in their class, have a good relationship with, and know you well as a student and person. Once you have your two, request the teachers on Naviance and upload your college choices.
Most colleges require at least one, so make sure that you get them done as soon as possible. After that, you need to select the colleges you’re submitting your SAT scores to. Most schools are optional, and generally, you want to submit it if you are in the median range and don’t submit if you’re under. SAT scores don’t mean everything, but they do help tremendously with merit aid and can really help your application.
Now, make sure your college list is finalized and calculate the application fees. Some can be expensive, so make sure that you have the money to apply. Obviously, you will need to then complete your general application on the Common App while also filling out each individual application from the school. Early action (deadline 11/1) normally is the best option as it makes your application look better and you get your responses back earlier. However, if you miss your deadline, a regular decision always works too.
Speaking of decisions, I would advise against early decisions unless you have a top top school. You never know what schools are gonna give you money, and committing to one single college can completely hinder your options.
Finally, we have the worst part of college: The Money. Money is the single biggest factor in your college search and even though the reward of college is great, you don’t want to strap yourself in debt without a plan to get out of it.
All colleges will offer you a certain amount of merit aid when you are accepted. These scholarships are the best way to lower the cost of college so make that application shine. Additionally you can always try to appeal to get more merit aid if it’s not enough.
For anyone applying for need based aid, this depends entirely on the money your parents make and your living conditions. If your parents make a lot of money, you have little to no chance of getting any. Meanwhile, if your parents don’t make a lot of money, need based aid can be a great way to pay for college.
With loans, people often think they are all bad. They’re not; the interest rates are lower and if you go into a sure job field after you can pay them off over a relatively short period of time. What you don’t want to do is take out a massive amount of loans for college, and then go into an unsure job field with no real direction. This can put an 80,000-dollar handicap on your life, and no college experience is worth that unless you have a plan to pay it off.
You will need to fill out a FAFSA form with your parents to receive any of this so make sure you put that on your priority list. Now, there are plenty of other nitty gritty things you will need to do along the way. However, if you find the resources and information, college apps can go from terrifying to exciting!
Whatever choices you make, know that no one can force you to do anything. Your choices and your actions are at the end of the day up to you and no one else, so get your work done, live your life, and your new future will await you whether that is in college or somewhere else. This possibility may be scary, but it is part of life, and you will never truly live your life without going through it first. Say goodbye to childhood, and hello to the new adult world because you are well on your way towards a bright happy future of your own…no matter how much of a challenge college apps may be.
Photo courtesy: Tomwsulcer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons